Judge, 1919-05-24 · page 13 of 32
Judge — May 24, 1919 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Judge* contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"The Victim"** (poem with illustration) mocks pedestrians hit by automobiles who memorize license plate numbers but receive no compensation. The joke: the narrator gets repeatedly struck by expensive cars ("twin-six Speederine") yet never recovers damages—suggesting either the legal system fails accident victims or the wealthy evade responsibility. **"His Principal Asset"** is a brief joke contrasting a dentist (who needs to kill a nerve) with a book agent, implying the agent has no nerve or moral center worth preserving—typical era satire of traveling salesmen as ethically hollow. **"Crab-like Compliment"** plays on backhanded insults: when Mrs. Robinson constantly calls her husband "a man with such a brilliant mind," she's actually insulting him—suggesting he's impractical or incompetent at supporting the family, despite intelligence. The "crab-like" reference means the compliment moves sideways, attacking while appearing to praise. All three target early-20th-century social anxieties: automobile danger/legal liability, commercial deception, and marital tension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Victim By Warter G. Dory VE a mammoth admiration For the man whose observation Is so keen that he can tell you with no n of hesitation Yes, I saw the license number On the back end of the car Ere I passed away in slumber From the fierceness of the jar “Twas a twin-six Speederine An expensive, big machine Here's the nur eighty thousand, seventeen.” per in my note-book Almost any day when strolling 1 am tossed and sent a-rolling, But I've never felt the healing touch « damages consoling. I've been hurled in all directions By the finest cars in town, But my later recollections Drown ty Pare Remy Were of comets sweeping down As to seeing whence they burst Or their license plates accurst I can swear by all my fractures that they've always seen me first! | His Principal Asset The Dentist—V'm afraid 1 shall have to kill the nerve. The Book Agent—Go ahead. 1 guess I've got plenty left oN et MO cere SSt,CR- BN Sta eter tan new Spkinc House-CLeaninc Crab-like Compliment “TL imagine, from what Mrs. Robinson says about her hus 1, that he is having trouble in supporting her.” What does she say? “She is continually referring to him asa man with such a brilliant mind.” “Glad we met you, Doctor. We can’t get to church this Sunday, but here’s what we would have put in the plate.”