Judge, 1916-10-14 · page 10 of 28
Judge — October 14, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"The Insect World"** is humorous pseudo-intellectual commentary mocking both entomologists and those who envy them. It jokes that cataloging insects is so overwhelming that it killed Noah (a Biblical reference to the Ark's animal collection), making entomology preferable only to actually dealing with mosquitoes in one's bedroom. **"His Specialty"** satirizes a character named J. Fuller Gloom who claims his value to the neighborhood comes from being universally hated—he absorbs everyone's hatred, allowing others to avoid hating things deserving of it. The joke mocks sanctimonious people who wear their unpopularity as moral virtue. **"A Sad Case"** (bottom cartoon) depicts a tragic irony: doctors have given up on treating Jones because he won't pay his medical bills, not because he's actually ill—he appears perfectly healthy. This satirizes the era's credit/payment culture and the indifference of medical professionals to those who cannot pay, suggesting financial status, not health, determines one's fate.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE INSECT WORLD HE insect world represents an unlimited field of life and activity; and any man who attempted to classify and name all the different varieties of insects would have to work twenty- two hours a day for one hundred and sev- enty-eight years, which would be some- thing of a contract. The number of insect-species is far greater than all the species of all other living creatures com- bined, not even excluding things that have been mistaken for sharks and sea- serpents. More than 300,000 species of insects have already been classified and described, but more than twice that number remain to be examined. This does much to help us understand some of the troubles which silvered Noah’s hair when he found it necessary to round up samples of every liv- ing creature for the Ark, and which brought him to an un- timely end in his nine hundred and fiftieth year. There are many persons who envy an entomologist his lazy and carefree existence; but if these per- HIS SPECIALTY 66 PY careful attention to my favorite form of endeavor I have become one of the most valuable institutions of the neighborhood,” confessed J. Fuller Gloom. “By reason of my plain speaking, my denunciation of piffle and my loathing of shams, I am the best-hated man in the community. Every normal human being does about so much hating, and instead of bestowing their destestation where perhaps it is not wholly deserved most of them around here devote it to me, where it is appreciated and returned in full measure and in certain cases running over into the saucer. This enables innocent per sons to go hate-free and provides me with exactly the stimu- lus that I need to keep in good health.” It Looked Small He—Miss Elderly is worth over two hundred thousand dollars. She—Why, Jack, I didn’t know she was considered rich He—Well, she isn’t for her age. sons will hereafter save their envying for the moment when they are attempting with poor success to round up single specimens of the mos- quito family in their bedchambers, and will then meditate upon the fact that the entomologist has 900,000 different species of insects to exam- ine into, they will doubtless come to the conclu- sion that ditch-digging or brick-laying is infi- nitely preferable to the study of insects. And people who become nervously irritated over the trying task of naming a baby or a dog should consider the naturalist who has to think up names for several thousand new insects every few months, and cheer up. -K. L. Roberts. The Ruling Passion “Come,” said the American who had suc- ceeded in getting close to the firing-line some- where in France, “let's get out of thi: “What's the matter?” his traveling com- panion asked; “are you afraid of being hit?” “No; but why hang around when there’s no chance to get up a pool on the result?” The trouble with most self-made men is that they have ignored the importance of technique. “Well, well! A SAD CASE “Poor Jones! 1 know of several doctors who have given him up within the past few years.” And he looks so healthy! What's the matter with him ? “He won't pay his bills.”