Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Poem
September 8, 1895
The Morning News
Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia
What is this article about?
Satirical poem parodying Judge Bacon's soliloquy-like confusion upon mistaking a 'new woman' dressed in men's clothing for a man at London's Bloomsbury county court, critiquing her attire as unsexing her.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Soliloquy of the Judge—Picked up on the
bench at Bloomsbury county court, London, after Judge Bacon had mistaken a
"new woman" for a man.
"Is this a woman that I see before me,
In yonder gallery? Come, quickly tell me!
I doubt my eyes: and yet I see a form
Capp'd, collar'd, fronted, necktied like a
man.
A form, methinks, that wears a reefer
jacket,
And possibly—but no! I'll not go on.
Is this same creature as insensible
To feeling as to taste, or is it but
A phantasm of my mind, a false recreation
Proceeding from a 'Yellow-Aster'd brain?
I see it still, and in a shape so palpable
I fear it is as true as it is 'new'!
And yet if 'tis a woman that I see
Why, why, is it that she is dressed like
that?
What has unsexed her? What has made
her ape
Her lord and master, man, before high
heaven?
I see her still—O, 'tis a woman, eh?
Then seize her, usher—nay, I'll not commit
her—
What need of that? for she commits her-
self.
But, in the name of outraged sense, re-
move her,
Not for contempt of court, but for a crime
Far worse—contempt of her own woman-
hood!"
London Truth.
bench at Bloomsbury county court, London, after Judge Bacon had mistaken a
"new woman" for a man.
"Is this a woman that I see before me,
In yonder gallery? Come, quickly tell me!
I doubt my eyes: and yet I see a form
Capp'd, collar'd, fronted, necktied like a
man.
A form, methinks, that wears a reefer
jacket,
And possibly—but no! I'll not go on.
Is this same creature as insensible
To feeling as to taste, or is it but
A phantasm of my mind, a false recreation
Proceeding from a 'Yellow-Aster'd brain?
I see it still, and in a shape so palpable
I fear it is as true as it is 'new'!
And yet if 'tis a woman that I see
Why, why, is it that she is dressed like
that?
What has unsexed her? What has made
her ape
Her lord and master, man, before high
heaven?
I see her still—O, 'tis a woman, eh?
Then seize her, usher—nay, I'll not commit
her—
What need of that? for she commits her-
self.
But, in the name of outraged sense, re-
move her,
Not for contempt of court, but for a crime
Far worse—contempt of her own woman-
hood!"
London Truth.
What sub-type of article is it?
Satire
What themes does it cover?
Satire Society
What keywords are associated?
Judge Bacon
New Woman
Bloomsbury Court
Gender Attire
Satirical Soliloquy
Macbeth Parody
What entities or persons were involved?
London Truth.
Poem Details
Title
Soliloquy Of The Judge—Picked Up On The Bench At Bloomsbury County Court, London, After Judge Bacon Had Mistaken A "New Woman" For A Man.
Author
London Truth.
Subject
Judge Bacon Mistaking A 'New Woman' For A Man At Bloomsbury County Court
Form / Style
Parody Of Macbeth Soliloquy In Iambic Pentameter
Key Lines
"Is This A Woman That I See Before Me,
In Yonder Gallery? Come, Quickly Tell Me!
I Doubt My Eyes: And Yet I See A Form
Capp'd, Collar'd, Fronted, Necktied Like A Man.
But, In The Name Of Outraged Sense, Remove Her,
Not For Contempt Of Court, But For A Crime
Far Worse—Contempt Of Her Own Womanhood!"