Judge, 1919-01-18 · page 25 of 34
Judge — January 18, 1919 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page showcases theatrical sketches adapted from contemporary plays ("Forever After," "Tiger! Tiger!", and "Three Wise Fools"). The top section depicts a domestic comedy scenario about a sixteen-year-old girl's coming-of-age, with parents debating whether this is an appropriate time for "nonsense" (likely romantic pursuits). The lower sketches satirize wartime anxieties. One joke mocks an absurdly theatrical villain character ("Benny the Duck") who uses a pistol as a "calling card"—satirizing melodramatic stage conventions. Most significantly, the "Mail Chorus" section appears to be from a song expressing soldiers' grievances about the war effort. The soldiers resent that while they fight at the front, others ("blokes dressed in blue"—possibly naval personnel or home-front workers) escape danger, yet receive equal recognition and pay ("'apence"). The slang term "Napoo" (British WWI slang meaning "finished/dead") underscores the dark humor. The page satirizes both theatrical excess and wartime morale complaints.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
—_ “Forever Arter” Her Morner—Sixteen last January. A pretty time for such nonsense! Her Fatuer—Yes—si a pretty time—for nonsense. From “Ticer! Ticer!” Nothing is more annoy- ing to a lady, after she has been adopted by a trio of indulgent codgers, than to receive a visit from a social- st ly impossible person like Mail Chorus from Benny the Duck, who uses “Tye Berrer°OLe” @ pistol as a calling card. “Wesoldiersall think that out’ere at the front Of this blinking old war weis bearing the brunt. But what of the blokes as is dressed up in blue, They’re ’aving their troubles at sea—not arf too, Cuive—Whata funny scent! Whatisit? For the dangers they braves with them darned Satty—The chemist called it by some U-boat tricks Frenchified name. Sixpence I paid for Does they get all the ’apence? Napoo, they it. Rather nice, I think, don’t you? gets kicks.” comicbooks.com