Judge, 1915-12-18 · page 5 of 28
Judge — December 18, 1915 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon depicts Santa Claus fishing through ice, titled "Just When They're Biting"—likely satirizing someone who complains at inopportune moments, interrupting enjoyment. The main article mocks a hotel guest who loudly complained about paying high prices for a room, loudly announcing it was "robbery." The complainer apparently came from "Skookum Center; or perhaps it was Beaver Creek," suggesting rural origins. The satire targets his lack of hotel etiquette and his public display of bad taste and ignorance of "elementary rules of courtesy." The bottom photograph with caption "All Dun" appears to show a domestic comedy scene about Christmas shopping and gift-giving, playing on the pun "all done/all dun." The page satirizes working-class rudeness and social pretension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUST WHEN THEY'RE BITING THE BLATANT COMPLAINER T TAKES all sorts of fools to make a world; but there are gradations even among fools. There is a fool that thinks it is the thing to do to object—in a strenuous tone of voice—to every- thing in the world. I watched and listened to onesuch, Hewasstand- ing at the desk of a hotel, paying his bill. One of the bell-boys was waiting behind him with his suitcase and hatbox. The hatbox,as I learned from the bell- boy later, contained underwear. The fool was pounding the desk and informing the clerk that it was robbery to pay such a price for such a room. He said it out loud. The guests in the lobby were amused; the or-boys were grinning, as the aid, from “’ere to there”; the clerk . but bored. The fool told the clerk, and incidentally everyone in the room, all about himself. He said he came from Skookum Center; or perhaps it was Beaver Crick. He said he had never paid such prices before; which was probably true. He briefly outlined his status as a citizen, gave a short résumé of the inability of the world in general to slip anything over on him, and con- cluded with a peroration, of which piracy was the theme, in which the late Captain Kidd was made to appear a highly up- holstered angel in comparison with the manager of the hotel. Then he paid his bill and went out. Now, what was the use? He paid; he knew he'd have to pay. Of course, he furnished a five- minute period of amusement for everybody, and so was not en- tirely useless; but if there is any- thing more senseless than any- thing else, it is the spectacle of an adult male shouting about the prices of a hotel, or the service, or the food, and making everyone look at him, and sneer, and wish he’d shut up so they could eat in peace. Ifa man wants to display his bad taste, as well as his ignor- ance of the most elementary rules of courtesy, there is no better place than a crowded hotel lobby; but isn’t such a desire alittle nge? —F. Gregory Hartswick. Wife—My Christmas shopping is all done, dear! gifts charged to you, Young me, after New Year's. Wee ALL DUN (ran sora f £) Qeperesi Thad the husband —Uh huh! Then it'll be “all dun” with comicbooks.com