Judge, 1928-01-21 · page 11 of 36
Judge — January 21, 1928 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page from *Judge* contains three satirical pieces mocking workplace incompetence and social situations of the era. **"The Timid Stenographer"** satirizes a pompous boss (Jasper M. Whurtle) whose dictation is so disorganized and digressive that his stenographer Miss Blogg cannot transcribe it coherently. The humor lies in his rambling—interrupting himself with irrelevant comments ("Nice bob you have"), corrections, and tangents—while demanding she write "as dictated." The resulting letter to a soap company is incoherent gibberish, exposing the executive's own incompetence masked by bluster. The three bottom cartoons are brief sight gags: one depicts a woman hitting her thumb instead of her husband with a hammer (domestic frustration humor); another shows a police officer interrogating a holdup victim who apparently remained at the scene; the third mocks a pedestrian who slipped on ice for not having knitting to pass the time. The overall theme targets pretentious businessmen and the absurdities of clerical work in early 20th-century offices.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE The Timid Stenog “Now. Miss Blogg.” boomed Jasper M. Whurtle, president of the Whurtle Whirlwind Laundry Co., to his new stenographer, “I want) you to understand that when I dict a letter T want it written ax dictated, and not the way you think it should be. Un- derstand 2” “Yes, sir.” meekly, “L fired three stenc vising ny letters, se said Miss Blogg s for re- “Yes, sire “AML right—take The next morning Squizz. of the Flexit Soap Company, received the fol- lowing “Mr. O. K. or AL thing. look it up, President of the Flexible Squizz or J. seme- juizz, Squizz what a name Soap Co., the gps. Detroit, isn’t it? that’s in) Michigan, Dear Mr. Squizz, hinmm: You're a h— of a man, No, He's a crook, but T can't insult him or the bum'll sue me. The last ship- ment of soap you sent us was of inferior quality and I want you to understand, no serateh out I want you to understand. Ah, unless you ean ship, ship. no furnish us with regular soap you needn't ship us business start over. furnish, your no more period or whatever the grammar is and please pull down your skirt. ‘This d out again pardon me and further- more where was 1? Nice bob you have. cigar is Paragraph. The soap you sent us wasn’t fit to wash the dishes no make that dog with comma let alone the laundry comma and we're sending it back period. Yours truly. Read that over, no never mind, IT won't waste any more time on that egg. I'll look at the carbon tomorrow. Sign my name. We must go out to lunch soon, eh —Gurney Wittiams, Jr. When the rises and average husband himself, the chances are that he gets his own breakfast. asserts Netannor—Poor Oli She went to hit her hushand with a hammer, but, of course, she hit her thumb! Crean Creek (after the holdup)—You still here? you want now? What do Trvex-Driver (to vietim of iey erossing)—Too bad you didn’t bring your knittin’!