Judge, 1924-12-13 · page 26 of 36
Judge — December 13, 1924 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from Judge (early 1900s) collects brief jokes under "Ask Dad—He Knows," presented as humor from "the Good Old Days." **The jokes** are simple vaudeville-style quips: a waiter's irreverent suggestion to pray over bad eggs; a suitor's wordplay about needing "allowances" to support his girlfriend; confusion between a proprietor and "a gentleman"; and a young woman refusing a kiss. **The bottom cartoons** are more pointed: The **"Automobile Breakdown" cartoon** uses a farmer's dialect mishap for temperance messaging. The farmer misinterprets a broken-down automobile's mechanical struggle as a supernatural creature, frightening him away from alcohol. The humor lies in rural ignorance of new technology, while the message promotes sobriety. The **"Better Yet" caption** mocks Irish immigrants (the names "Rooney" and "Casey" signal this), suggesting that simply abstaining from whiskey ("licker") works better than poison for rat control—a stereotypical jab at Irish drinking habits. Overall, the page reflects early-1900s attitudes: dismissive humor about immigrants, rural people, new technology, and promotion of temperance ideology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ASK DAD—HE KNOWS What They Laughed at in the Good Old Days The Best Way ‘ustomer (angrily)—Waiter, what do you expect me to open these eggs with? Waiter—Better open ‘em with a prayer, boss. —Judge, 1901 sae She—Papa says you couldn’t sup- port me in style He—Well, he would have to make allowances for that. —Judge, 1903 The Difference “T want to see the proprietor. Is the gentleman in?” “Yes, I'm in.” “Are you the proprietor?” “No, I’m the gentleman. The proprietor is in the back room.” —Judge, 1903 Quickly Settled “T think I’ve earned a kiss,” he said. The lights burned low, the hour was late. She w! ered with averted head, “Tis not worth while to arbitrate.” —dJudge, 1902 Te oeivent S T. S. Sullivant in Judge, 1900. “Phot's good t’ get rid av th’ rats, Mrs. Rooney?” “Well, bromide is good, but lettin’ th’ ould licker alone is betther, Mrs. Casey.” | Art Young in Judge, 1903. HOW AN AUTOMOBILE BREAKDOWN SERVED AS A TEMPERANCE LESSON Farmer Jaccers (telling about it after his recovery a month later)—I seen the darn spider animal right afore me, snortin’ an’ quiverin’ like it wuz achin’ fer ter grab suthin’ an’ make a meal offin it. I figgered the thing out an’ calc'lated I better go round by the other road. I hain’t had no taste fer licker since. BETTER YET comicbooks.com