Judge, 1925-05-16 · page 25 of 36
Judge — May 16, 1925 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects brief humorous anecdotes titled "Ask Dad—He Knows," presenting jokes about early 20th-century domestic life. The humor relies on period-specific social norms: **Key themes:** - **Smoking**: Multiple jokes treat tobacco as both medicinal and socially contentious—wives/mothers-in-law objecting to male smoking was apparently common enough for repeated satire. - **Marriage dynamics**: Husbands and wives are portrayed as adversarial (the violin joke implies nagging wives; the hair-growth joke suggests wives cause male stress-baldness). - **Class/ethnic humor**: The "Finnegan/Rafferty" joke uses stereotypical Irish dialect for working-class characters avoiding debt—typical of the era's casual ethnic humor. - **Gender roles**: Women are depicted as controlling (mothers-in-law, nagging wives), while men seek escape or maintain secrets. The illustrations by T.S. Sullivant show period interior furnishings. These jokes would have resonated with Judge's middle-class male readership as relatable domestic complaints, reflecting anxieties about marital authority and changing social behavior around tobacco and entertainment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
T. S. Sullivant in Judge, 1903 ASK DAD—HE KNOWS | What They Laughed at in the Good Old Days A PANACEA Jones—So you think smoking is good for a headache? Smitu—Yes. Change of Tune Mrs. Gab—Why do you advise me to take violin lessons? Mr. Gab—So you'll be able to give your china rest. —Judge, 1910 Assisted “I was so embarrassed that I didn't know what to say to her.” “What did you do? “Her father helped me out.” —Judge, 1910 Good Gracious! Aunt — Mary—Good gracious, Harold! What would your another say if she saw you smoking those cigarettes? Harold (calmly)—She'd have a fit. They're her cigarettes. Judge, 1912 sae Barber—Getting pretty thin on top. sir. Ever use our Miracle Hair- growine? The Chair—Oh, no! It that that did it wasn't Judge, 1913 My mother-in-law always leaves the room when I smoke. Zimmerman in Judge, 1910. 9 ACCOUNTED FOR FinneGan—Oi horn’t seen Rafferty fer siz months! Fianertry—He owes me fifty cints, He—Yes, I'm going to apply my | talents; to go in for art or for poetry. | She—Oh, poetry! “Oh, you've heard some of my Judge—Why didn't you stop beat- ing him when he cried Sambo—W niggah is sic! beliebe ‘im. The Choice but I don’t know whether but I've seen some of your —Judge, 1912 Couldn't Trust Him | Enough"? uh, ah, ve can’t neva —Judge, 1911 Flat Life There was an old woman Who lived in a shoe, And that she was crowded Is certainly true. She lived with her children; But, even at that, They found it more roomy Than many a flat. —Judge, 1912 comicbooks.com