Judge, 1914-03-07 · page 14 of 24
Judge — March 7, 1914 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This comic strip sequence satirizes the early 20th-century craze for poultry farming as a get-rich-quick scheme. The narrative follows an entrepreneur starting a chicken business with optimistic expectations ("Going Into the Chicken Business"), progressing through setup and operation, then culminating in disaster when "an epidemic hits the floor"—wiping out his birds and investment. The accompanying jokes mock related social follies: a man mistaking a medical textbook for a magazine, a doctor prioritizing patient payment ability over health, superficial beauty claims, and an overly-demanding job advertisement. The satire targets widespread gullibility about agricultural business opportunities and the naive assumption that anyone could profitably raise chickens with minimal knowledge. This reflected real historical speculation bubbles where ordinary people invested in ventures they didn't understand, often losing money to epidemics, market crashes, or simple incompetence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE'S MOTION PICTURES Fi GOING INTO THE CHICKEN BUSINESS SUCCESS |] AN EPIDEMIC Going into the Chicken Business: also, How To Get Out of It Natural Mistake ecQWELL, are you going to be a doc- tor?’’ asks the friend. “Not at all. Why?’ inquires the man. “I’ve noticed you poring over that med- ical volume for half an hour.’’ “‘Medical? Why, so it is! Do you know, I thought it was a bound volume of the Snappy Bunch Magazine.” The Test Nurse—Well, doctor, must we give him up? Doctor—Not while he can sign a check. Not Skin Deep Miss Catt—She has a novel complexion. Miss Nipp—Yes; but the novelty is apt to wear off. Recommended Superintendent — What we want is a night watchman that’ll watch, alert and ready, for the slightest noise or indica- tion of burglars—-somebody who can sleep with one eye and both ears open, and is not afraid to tackle anything. See? Applicant—I see, sir. I'll send my wife around, comicbooks.com