Judge, 1927-11-12 · page 8 of 36
Judge — November 12, 1927 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This Judge magazine page contains three separate satirical pieces: **"Thanksgiving Song"** (top right): A poem mocking false humility. The speaker claims gratitude for poverty and lack of possessions (no yacht, no expensive stable) while actually complaining about deprivation. The satire targets people who affect noble poverty while resenting their actual circumstances. **"A Fairy Story"** (bottom): A one-liner joke: an osteopath (a medical practitioner of bone manipulation, popular in early 1900s) seeks treatment from another osteopath—satirizing circular medical practices or quacks treating each other. **Other quips** include observations about marriage, telephone costs (a nickel for service), and a cartoon showing a man claiming his son works through college—while the messy office suggests the father is actually doing the work himself. This mocks parents who claim their children are self-sufficient while secretly supporting them. The humor relies on hypocrisy and pretense common to the era—people claiming virtue while acting otherwise.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Thanksgiving Song Somewhat Out of Tune. There are folks who are thankful for things that they own, That are symbols of worldly success, But I frankly am thankful—and I stand alone— For the treasures I do not possess. Oh, I’m glad that I’m not one who runs a swell yacht Or maintains a menage that’s extensive, That I cannot afford to be master and lord Of a pedigreed stable expen- sive. Yes, I’m glad to endure all the woes of the poor, (Though my queerness, no doubt, you'll make sport of) Yet I warble with vim a vocifer- ous hymn Of thanks for the things I am short of. Oh, I’m grateful for bees, for the birds in the trees, For the lilac, the lily, the daisy— And I might as well add that of all I'm most glad He—Didn’t you ever feel as though there were some strange, indefinable weight, some vague force, oppressing you? Sue—Yeah, I know; it’s that shrimp salad. A Fairy Story Once upon a time an osteopath got sick and he went to another osteopath for treatments. Good husbands are hard to find before, but not after, mar- riage. Think of all the people you can get on the telephone for a nickel. Catter—Is your boy industrious? Give a thief enough rope and Man at Desk—Not very—you see, I’m working his way he’ll tie up the night watchman. through college. comicbooks.com