Judge, 1912-08-17 · page 8 of 24
Judge — August 17, 1912 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous short story illustrated with two cartoons by John Kendrick Bangs, a popular satirist of the era. **Main Piece**: "A Vacation Chat with a Witty Oyster" depicts an underwater conversation between a narrator and a philosophical oyster. The oyster makes witty social commentary—dismissing "Summer Girls" as promiscuous, mocking "Summer Men" as physically weak and morally spineless ("not many of 'em will ever be hanged for trying to set the world on fire"). The satire targets upper-class vacationers, particularly the shallow "Summer Girl" trope popular in Gilded Age literature. **Top Cartoon**: A surreal image shows a boat growing two large trees, with small flags and figures aboard—illustrating the opening joke about combining yachting with country life. **Bottom Cartoon** ("A Popular Mountain Resort"): Two rustic characters discuss building a larger station, satirizing the commercial expansion of tourist destinations. The humor relies on period social stereotypes about leisure-class summer visitors and their affectations—material that would resonate strongly with Judge's educated, affluent readership.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
If your inclination for yachting and life in the country is equally divided, make a combination. A Vacation Chat with a Witty Oyster. By JOHN KENDRICK BANGS T WAS a very warm day, and in search is in order. What do you think of the them by the toe while she was in bath- of relief from the heat I dove deep Summer Girl, for instance?” ing yesterday, and, in spite of her gen- under the water, and was surprised as “She's a very engaging creature,"’ he eral reputation for promiscuity, she well as delighted to find my old friend, replied pleasantly. ‘‘I nipped one of struck me as a person of mighty good the Oyster, lying comfortably in taste.’" bed, reading his morning paper and enjoying his dolce far niente to the full. “Good-morning, sir,”’ said I, as I caught his eye. ‘‘I didn’t mean to intrude, but, now that I am here, perhaps you'd be willing to give me an interview.” “Sure,” he replied amiably. “Go as far as you like. I'm known as a shellfish sort of person, but I'm no grouch, What do you wish to know?"" “Anything you would say would ~ " said I; A POPULAR MOUNTAIN RESORT. tion or on the subject of Reformed Squire Perkins—" 1 say, Silas, we 'll bev t’ build a larger Spelling?"” I went on. station ag'in next season, : “That's good!” [ laughed. 4 “*And how about the Summer Men?"" “IT don't know much about them,"’ said the Oyster. ‘I never studied the habits of the lobster > very carefully, but from what I see of them down here under the water, I am convinced that if they are as thin at the top as they are around the ankles, not many of.’em will ever be hanged for trying to set the world on fire."’ “Would you care to express s your views on the Political Situa- interest our readers, “but, still, I suppose a suggestion comicbooks.com