Judge — August 18, 1900 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes a man's stubborn persistence. The caption reads: Tom says "Ethel has consented to May ten times," while Ethel responds "Won't take yes for an answer, I suppose?" The image shows a determined figure climbing upward (depicted as ascending from a chasm or difficult terrain) while a woman and what appears to be a military or uniformed man observe from above. The joke plays on the man's relentless pursuit despite repeated rejections—he keeps proposing marriage to "Ethel" despite her refusing ten times. The cartoon mocks both his determination and her exasperation with his refusal to accept her answer. It's a commentary on masculine persistence in courtship that borders on harassment, presented as comedic material typical of early-20th-century Judge magazine humor.