Judge, 1915-09-18 · page 5 of 28
Judge — September 18, 1915 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical story depicts Ozias Pike, a rural character, visiting the State Capital. The narrative mocks small-town naïveté encountering urban politics and commerce. Key figures include Deacon Peleg Soames (the Deacon), Deacon Israel Snow, Jehiel Slocum (a town leader), and Zophar Snow (a supervisor)—all appearing to be provincial politicians or businessmen. The satire targets: - **Rural ignorance of state affairs**: Ozias eagerly seeks gossip about city politics he doesn't understand - **Small-town power dynamics**: Local figures boasting about their limited influence - **Market speculation**: References to "Kazer William" suggest financial/business scheming The accompanying illustration shows Ozias as a country visitor amid fashionable urbanites, emphasizing the comedy of provincial outsiders in sophisticated settings.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OZIAS V “T)ELIVERANCE,” exclaimed Deacon Peleg Soames, “ whar on airth ez thet checker t Deliverance Simpkins, the Dea- con’sclerk, bestirred himself and made diligent search un- der the counter, on the shelves, and in various nooks and corners of the Dea- con’s general store. While he was thus engaged the Dea- con turned to his friend, who had dropped in for the nightly game of checkers, and inquired: “When. Uncle Ozis Pike had be few days at the State Capital, the guest of Senator Jared Bledsoe, the Us astute representative in affairs of state. Deacon Soames, no less than the others now present in his store—Jehiel Slocum, the town leader in things political; Zophar Snow, the super- visor, and Deacon Israel, his brother—was curious to hear what he had seen and learned during his tarry in the seats of the mighty. HALF AFTER ONE SITS sot hum las’ night,” “All wore out, tew, I be. beatin’ ye et checkers 'd mek me feel hum ’n’ like m’ self ag’in, was aware that his friends were eager to hear of his experi- ences, and truth to tell, he was. just as eager to talk as they to hear him. Still, it would never do to be precipitate. So he turned to Deacon Isracl Snow and_re- marked “Haow’s th’ crap outlook, e, tollable,” said Dea- “Hain’t heerd s’ much *baout craps latterly ez I hev *baout this ‘ere Kazer Willum.” “Ef folks ‘d let Kazer V ‘tend tv’ his bizness, 'n’ t theirn, mebbe they'd be mo’ craps, ’n’ less war, tew,” said Jechiel Slocum, terse! He longed to query Ozias about his trip, but good form forbade an exhibit of idle curi y, especially on the part of a man who was himself an accepted interpreter of affairs at the of the state government. So he asked: T H E id Ozias, briefly. Thought mebbe CAPITAL “Market fer aigs holdin’ up, Peleg?” are “Ts Van Dauber wedded to his art 2” “Must be—he makes enough to satisfy his second wife, and pay alimony to his first!” comicbooks.com