Judge, 1912-03-23 · page 10 of 24
Judge — March 23, 1912 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge magazine page contains three satirical pieces reflecting early 1900s American social anxieties: **"Johnnie's Primer Lesson"** mocks the "servant problem"—domestic help shortages and workers' demands for better wages and conditions. The humor depicts an employer's escalating concessions (forty dollars weekly, days off, a car) as ridiculous, yet the cook still quits. The satire targets employers' bewilderment at workers' refusal to accept poor treatment. **"Land on Our Port Quarter, Sir"** references Columbus's 1492 voyage, satirizing American attitudes toward discovery and conquest. **"Retribution"** expresses xenophobic resentment: Chinese laundry workers adopting European dress is presented as suspicious, with the implied threat they'll sabotage (saw-edged collars) their employers in revenge. **"The Other Extreme"** contrasts choosing burlesque over serious theater, satirizing lowbrow entertainment preferences. These pieces reveal period prejudices against immigrants, domestic workers asserting rights, and class anxieties.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Johnnie’s Primer Lesson. By HARROLD SKINNER Topic—Cooks. —O—O—K, Cook. OH, see the jol-ly Cook! Is the Cook roast-ing the goose? Oh, no! the Cook is not roasting the goose. The Cook is roast-ing me! Is she try-ing to cook her goose? Nay, nay! she is try-ing to cook my goose! The Cook is mad. She is put-ting on her hat. She has quit. GEE! How will we get our sup-per, then? We don’t get any sup-per. We have to get another Cook. How will you get another Cook? 1 will buy another Cook. Will she cook after you have bought her? No, she will not cook. She will quit before she will cook. Then what will you do for a Cook? Buy another one. How will you keep the other Cook? Give her forty dol-lars a week, the use of the draw- “LAND ON OUR PORT QUARTER, SIRI” (As it might have been on the morning of October 13th, 1492.) ing room and the piano, al-low her to take six aft- er-noons off duty every week, and a com-mis-sion on the house bills. Then I will send my wife to the coun-try, drown the cat, givethe poodle to the dog catch-er, take all of my own meals across the street, and pre-sent the new Cook witha nice red tour-ing car for her birth-day. What will she do when you give her the car? Will she cook? No-o0-00! She will go out to hunt another job! Retribution. “Since the revolution Chi- namen have taken to wear- ing European clothes."’ “Good! Now that Chink who has been putting saw edges on my collars and cuffs will get a dose of his own medicine!" The Other Extreme. “Going to see the play?” “What is it?” “Clothes."” “No; I think I'll take in a burlesque show." comicbooks.com