Judge, 1927-12-03 · page 11 of 36
Judge — December 3, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"Envious Verses to a Healthy Steam Shovel"** (by Arthur L. Lippmann): A humorous poem comparing a steam shovel's unrestricted diet to the speaker's medically-restricted one. The joke mocks both medical dietary advice of the era and envies the machine's freedom—a light social commentary on health fads and constraints. **"Her Latest"**: A one-liner joke about Mrs. Timkin's maiden name, playing on the assumption that married women take their husband's surname. The punchline reveals multiple previous marriages, satirizing easy divorce among the wealthy. **"The Birth of an Intellectual"** (illustration): A stork delivering a baby, a classical reference to reproduction myths. The accompanying text "By the Old Masters" jokes that modern songwriters lack originality—they simply reuse old melodies rather than create new ones, suggesting artistic laziness in contemporary music. The page reflects early 20th-century concerns: medical faddism, marital instability among the upper classes, and declining artistic standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
i JUDGE Envious Verses to a Healthy | Steam Shovel The steam shovel’s jaws take a bite in the earth With zest unmistakably hellish; | The steam shovel fears not in- creasing its girth But gobbles up rocks with a relish. It munches on pieces of lumber for dinner, On thin strips of tin that were snipped by the tinner, It never grows stouter and never gets. thinner. But I am a slave to a diet that lists The things that my molars may crunch on. My medical mentor quite firmly insists That no other foods must I lunch on. Oh, Steam Shovel, eating your way through a plot, Oh, Steam Shovel, snorting, offi- cious, and hot— You know not the boon and the blessing you've got— I toast your digestion—I envy your lot! —Artuur L. Lirpmann The fellow who stays out all night is generally a day dreamer. CotLecian—What’s my job here? reep on wearing that coat.” Her Latest “What was Mrs. Timkin’s name before she was married?” “Mrs. Dempster, Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Murray.” Nowadays, a couple marries and the first thing you know they have a little divorce. By the Old Masters The modern song writer is - “% not greedy when it comes to The Birth of cn Intellectual. melodies. He takes what's left. | comicbooks.com