Judge, 1918-04-13 · page 10 of 36
Judge — April 13, 1918 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces of humor reflecting early 20th-century American social commentary: **"Grunts"** satirizes non-verbal communication, particularly how men communicate through inarticulate sounds. It pokes fun at masculine reluctance to speak clearly, noting that dentists, barbers, and wives must become expert "grunt interpreters" since men refuse proper verbal responses—whether answering "Does this hurt?" or "Do you like dinner?" **"Fido's Fish Story"** (the four panel cartoon) appears to show a dog's fishing misadventure, drawn by Lance Campbell. **"The Proper Spirit"** presents a Black minister's prayer asking God for modest blessings rather than abundance, reflecting Depression-era or post-war economic hardship and the necessity of gratitude for whatever one receives. **"Live Questions"** is a mathematical puzzle-joke about fathers driven to madness by their children's constant questioning during vacation—humor derived from parental exasperation. The overall theme: domestic frustration, gendered communication failures, and the challenges of family life.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Grunts By Stricktanp GILuiLan RUNTS is a much-used language of which little has been written. We have a_ double-header grunt with the accent on the aspirated front grunt, which means negation. Take the same grunt com- bination, emphasize the ultimate grunt and turn it up a little at the end, and a clear assent is understood. Told something that surprises us, we vouchsafe one large, ath- letic grunt with the falling inflec- tion. While if we do not believe what we are told we aspirate a short, sneeroid grunt that says it all. : When we don’t just under- stand, we give one grunt with a_ spiral twist. That means “Whassay?” If a thing tastes good, a long, mumbling grunt with a wave-like continuation and falling circum- flex tells the story of our emo- tions. One of the most sincere little Fipo’s Fisu Story grunts we have is the one we use Drawh by Laxc Casppene Dentists and barbers are ex- perts in grunt language. A fang- fixer has to be able to tell whether the owner of the recalcitrant bicuspid means yes or no by the grunt he gives when he asks “Hurting you?” The barber has to be infallible in interpreting the grunt of a man with lather all over his mouth, who is asked if the razor is pulling. Many a wife becomes almost equally expert in deciphering gut- tural emanations that emerge from a reluctant husband when asked if he likes the food she has prepared for him, or the new onnet she has bought. Remove the g from grunt, and you have a dwarfed specimen of what should really be allowed a monopoly of the grunting busi- ness. The Proper Spirit By Tom P. Morcan “ AND, mo’over, Lawd,” sol- emnly said good old Parson Bagster, in the course of a recent Sabbath morning’s sup- plication, “bless us, not abun- dantly—uh—kaze we knows how when we are trying to lift something heavy. It is a times is, dese days—but wid what yo’ kin spare. We near relation in sincerity, though not so brief and isn’t choicey nor pertickler, no mo’, but thankful for snappy and swearful, tothe anything we gits. Dess send us, please, sah, not one that accompanies a sud- what we've been usen to in de good old similar days of den and unplanned sitting plenty, but dess whatever yo’ has handy, and we'll down on a slippery place. make out wid it fine.” Live Questions If a man had eight children and each child asked twenty-seven questions per hour for nine hours cach day, and thirty-nine questions per, for three hours every evening in the year, except for two weeks vacation, which he s more things to inquire about—well, anyhow, is it so surprising that fathers go crazy ‘at with them in the country, where there were even comicbooks.com YWLIM