A complete issue · 16 pages · 1896
Judge — October 31, 1896
# Analysis of "Only a Comet" (Judge, October 31, 1896) This political cartoon depicts Uncle Sam observing a comet through a telescope, with the caption "It will soon be out of sight." The comet likely represents a political figure or issue of concern in 1896—possibly William Jennings Bryan's presidential campaign or another controversial political movement that Republicans (Judge's typical audience) viewed as a temporary phenomenon. The satire suggests that whatever threatens or worries Uncle Sam will naturally pass away without lasting impact, similar to how comets disappear from view. By comparing the concern to a comet's passage, the cartoonist dismisses the threat as fleeting and inevitable to vanish. The artist is Hamilton, signed at bottom left.
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page The main illustration depicts a deathbed scene titled "His Only Wish," showing two men—one clearly dying in bed, the other (identified in dialogue as "Brother Jones") standing beside him. The dying man requests his brother bring him "a couple of daughters" before he dies, adding he "hasn't had a chance at that parlor slip." The satire targets mid-19th century courtship customs, specifically the practice of young women sitting on men's laps in parlors—considered risqué behavior. The joke's dark humor comes from the dying man's final, worldly desire rather than spiritual redemption. The surrounding text columns contain unrelated editorial commentary on political topics (Bryan, the judiciary, religious movements), making this a typical Judge layout mixing satirical cartoons with opinion pieces.
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page 275 **"A Bad Night"** is a humorous domestic narrative about an annoyed homeowner whose sleep is repeatedly disrupted by a door that won't stay closed. The protagonist, frustrated by the persistent noise and the indecisiveness of whether to leave it open or shut, eventually discovers his cat Flipkins is responsible for the banging. **"A Tropical Bunco"** appears to be a separate satirical piece about hunting or wildlife, featuring illustrations of native peoples and animals (tiger, boar) in what seems to be a colonial-era setting, though the specific context remains unclear from the visible text. The "Paste" cartoon at the top depicts a golf scene with what appears to be a commentary on golfing etiquette or an anecdote about diamonds.
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page from *Judge* magazine contains several short humorous pieces typical of late 19th-century American satire: **"The Midnight Visitor"** mocks urban inefficiency: a desperate man interrupts a drugstore clerk at 1 a.m. seeking a city directory to find his own address among 297 John Smiths on Third Avenue—a jab at both bureaucratic incompetence and the absurdity of rapid urban growth. **"He Didn't Like the Prospect"** is a children's joke about a boy horrified by a folding bed, fearing he'll be "folded up" like laundry. **"Fatal"** features ethnic humor (a French count speaking broken English) observing mushroom-like growths on someone, diagnosing "buttonitis"—wordplay on buttons. **"An Ardent Believer"** contains mild social commentary: a man enthusiastically endorses co-education at women's colleges like Vassar, but only to attend as a student himself—satirizing male self-interest. The page also includes a portrait and a joke about an artist who built an artificial climbing structure in the office gym.
