Judge, 1924-01-05 · page 8 of 36
Judge — January 5, 1924 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This 1910s-era Judge magazine page satirizes the rapid displacement of horses by automobiles. The main poem, "Poor Old Sparkless Plug," is a lament from a horse's perspective—it's been replaced by motorized vehicles ("bright red tonneau," "horseless pedigree") and mourns its lost status. The horse's one advantage is that it doesn't require gasoline, which appears to be the satire's real target: the newfangled, temperamental automobile technology. The lower cartoons mock early cars: "Hoarse Power" jokes about Ford's dominance ("say 'Ford!'"), while "They Are Legion!" depicts a car breaking down with a frustrated driver and wife. The humor mocks both automobile unreliability and wives as backseat drivers—typical period stereotypes. The overall satire critiques the hype around automobiles despite their mechanical problems, while nostalgically sympathizing with horses becoming obsolete.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Poor Old Sparkless Plug I HAVE no differential clutch And no pneumatic tire; I guess I don’t amount to much, For none come to admire My form or speed—I have no cam; And, to my deep remorse, I must confess I only am A one horse power horse! They used to strike my sorrel side 4 And tell how I could go, To-day they speak in tones of pride Of some bright red tonneau. But, though my sorrow is so great And anger is so keen, I'm glad to have a chance to state I don’t eat gasoline. WON \ S I don’t know how to carburet, Nor how to radiate— When I wished to get up and get P I simply struck my gait. Tis true, in casting out the beam For fairness I should try— But ‘lectric, gasoline or s The “mote” is in mj \ The Groom— Darling, I feel in my bones that if you persist in keeping on kissing my ear something’s going to happen. \ I have no wondrous steering gear— But still they rush to see A thing that has, I’m pained to hear, A horseless pedigree. They used to pet me all the time, i But now they only shrug Their shoulders, and pass by, for I'm A poor old sparkless plug! woe 5 —Byron B. Jones Hoarse Power “What I say goes!” “Well, come over to my house some day and say ‘Ford!’ ” They Are Legion! “Why don’t they invent a device for driving from the at “Huh! Have you ever met my wife?” Wife—There, dear, I’m learning! Didn’t I do that nicely? 6 comicbooks.com