Judge, 1914-12-19 · page 8 of 24
Judge — December 19, 1914 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains three separate satirical pieces: **"A Touch of Nature on Fifth Avenue"** (top): A sketch mocking rural visitors to New York City. An elderly couple from the countryside mistake a man waving from a carriage as someone they know from home—satirizing the culture clash between rural and urban America. **"High Prices on Climate"** (left): Joel Shomaker's story ridiculing California real estate fraud. A salesman tries selling an Indiana professor worthless desert land by emphasizing the "wonderful climate" rather than addressing the barren soil. The professor's retort—refusing to pay $1,500/acre for climate alone—mocks inflated Western land prices and deceptive sales tactics common in early 20th-century development schemes. **"A Plum" and "Swing Her Up"** (right): Two brief joke items about marriage and gossip among society women. **"Opening an Account in the Snowbank"** (bottom photo): A humorous photograph of a couple in snow, likely making a pun about "banking" or financial activity. The overall theme targets con artists, real estate speculation, and class differences in American society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A TOUCH OF NATURE ON FIFTH AVENUE Old lady—It must be somebody from home, Silas. | can’t make out his face, but he's certainly wavin his hand at us. High Prices on Climate AN INDIANA college professor had saved some money from his annual salary and carried it out West for invest- ment. He struck southern oy California and was greeted (Ue by a smiling real es- tate man. The big auto { 4, in which they were m7 vA seated burned space # / Ny pretty fast, and soon ) tS the men were far out : in the desert, looking over a platted tract of sagebrush, peo- pled by lizards, rattlers and other members of ancient settlers. The college man was seeking black earth, such as he had seen in the fer- tile valley of the Wabash. He kicked at the glistening sand of dormant centuries and shook his head, as if in doubt of its producing powers. The realty dealer evidently began to get discouraged. He stepped di- rectly in front of the professor, at- tracted his attention, and with a wave of the hand toward the mountains, he exclaimed, “My friend, do not waste any time examining the soil. Think of the cli- mate, the wonderful, life-making cli- mate, and’’—— “Yes; but look here,’’ retorted the professor. “I am not buying any of your climate at fifteen hundred dollars an acre."” Joel Shomaker. A Plum Madge—How is Dolly getting on in politics? Marjorie—Fine! A rich brother so- cialist is going to marry her and let her spend all his money, Swing Her Up «s HERE comes that infernal old gos- sip, Tillie Tattles!’’ snarled Grout P. Smith. ‘‘And she looks so pleased and satisfied that I am certain she has some bad news to tell.’” Henna Meier 5 OPENING AN ACCOUNT IN THE SNOWBANK