Judge, 1920-11-06 · page 13 of 32
Judge — November 6, 1920 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Humor Page Analysis This page from *Judge* presents a collection of short humorous anecdotes—typical of early 20th-century satirical magazines—organized around three themes: travel, matrimony, and art. **The humor relies on:** - **Misunderstandings**: A woman mistakes a London bus conductor for the "Elephant and Castle" destination; an American confuses England with a tiny island. - **Social commentary**: Rising railroad ticket prices make even modest travel prohibitively expensive; marriage is treated as both cheap and foolish (parents eager to marry off daughters, grooms fleeing). - **Class/cultural satire**: A door-to-door book salesman encounters a working-class woman eavesdropping on party-line gossip; a widow's child warns against marrying her. - **Contemporary references**: Coal shortages (wartime/winter anxiety); party-line telephones (shared phone lines were common then). The cartoons' simple line drawings and the anecdotes' punchy delivery reflect *Judge's* accessible, populist humor style. The satire targets everyday frustrations—transportation costs, matrimonial misadventures, pretentious salesmen—rather than specific political figures.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
™ ce cd nace It Wasn’t—She was a stranger to Lon- don and was traveling from Brixton to the Elephant and Castle. She had wor- ricd the passengers on cither side of her as to whether she was nearing her destina- tion. Finally, getting really anxious, she reached over and deliberately poked the ductor with her umbrella, Il me, my man,” she said. me, is this the Elephant and Castle?” No, ma'am, it isn’t,” sharply replied the man. “It’s the conductor.” —London Tit-Bits. Pretty Strong Hint—‘“ What did the bride’s father do for the happy couple?” “He bought their railroad tickets.” “Ah!” “But the happy pair didn’t discover until after they got on the train that their tickets read only one way.”—Birming- ham Age-Herald. Knowledge and Expense—“Travel improves a man’s mind.” “Yes,” replied Farmer Corntossel; “but the way rates have been going up, a little travel costs more than a whole lot of college education.”—IWashington Star. Going the Pace—“What kind of a time is he having on his motor trip?” “Guess he’s having a pretty lively time. He sent me a picture postcard of a hospital.”—Louisville Courier-Jour- nal, Cheerful— Nervous Tourist—What if the bridge should break and the train fall into the river? Conductor —Don’t worry, sir. This road won't miss it. It has a lot of trains. —Erie Railroad Magazine. Englishman—ENcGLanp 18 THE PLACE TO ShE FOOTBALL, MY DFAR CHAP. Werr Yor Never THERE? American—WUAt, THAT LITTLE ISLAND? I'd BE AFRAID OF FALLING INTO THE OCEAS, 17's sO SMALL.—Kas per (Stockholm) Value to Be Reckoned with—‘T reckon we'll have to settle down in one place,” remarked Plodding Pete. “What for?” asked Meandering Mike. “Lf they keep boosting railroad rates, stealing any little bit of a ride is liable to be classed as grand larceny.” —Washing- ton Star. Art Has Its Uses “You DON'T MEAN TO TELL ME YOU SPENT YOUR VACATION PAINTING YOUR WALLS?” cArtist—Sure! [PAINTED A SUMMER INTE RIOR IN ANTICIPATION OF THE COAL SHORT- AGE Tus WintER—Le Rire (Paris). 3 Both Cheap—* Curious wasn’t it?” “How curious?” “The bride was given away and the girls say the groom threw himself —Boston Transcript. martinge, Her Ailment—* How do you do, sir!” saluted the suave agent at the door. “I am offering to the few persons in cach community who are of sufficient culture to appreciate it, this valuable literary work, which undoubtedly—Pardon me, but what is the matter with the at the telephone there? Is she having a fit, ‘id hat’s my wife,” replied honest Farmer Fumblegate. “She is listening in on the party line while a lady who stut- ters is relating in confidence to another lady who is deaf the details of a right re- volting scandal.” — Kansas City Star Why the Widow Didn't Re-marry Suitor—Now, what would you say, Max, if I told you that I was going to marry your mamma? Max (confidentially)\—"V'd_ give yc the tip to back out of things as quickly you could.—Fliegende Blactter (Mu ou ). Not Runaways—A young couple rushed into the Marriage License Bureau in the Municipal Building the other day and announced to City Clerk Scully that they wished to be married at once. Dan Cupid’s executive officer sur- veyed the couple from under grizzled brows and said severely: “I'm afraid this is a runaway mate “Well, your honor,” returned the pros- pective groom, “I can’t exactly say we ran, but we walked pretty fast.”— New York Evening Post.