Judge, 1911-07-29 · page 8 of 24
Judge — July 29, 1911 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several brief satirical pieces mocking contemporary social trends: **"Reaching the Limit"** jokes about women's expanding roles in society, suggesting that if women keep wearing large hats to church, the building needs expansion—satirizing both women's fashion and their increasing public presence. **"A Timely Subject"** by Carolyn Wells parodies the era's fascination with "intensive culture" and "New Thought" (a popular spiritual movement). The author admits she doesn't understand these trendy concepts but will write about them anyway for magazine publication, mocking both superficial intellectualism and editorial standards. **"Designating the Quality"** depicts a theater rehearsal where a Chicago youth, cast as a "supe" (supernumerary/extra), repeatedly asks what his role is. When told he's a "supe," he asks what *kind*, and receives the retort "Noodle, of course"—a pun using "noodle" (slang for head/fool) to describe his minor part. Minor items mock women's fashion, thermometer/class anxiety, and reckless cemetery trespassers. The overall tone is genteel, conventional satire targeting pretension and social change.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Notice. FER A SPECIAL meet: ?) ing of the First Church will be held July 5th, to consid- er the advisability of building an addi- tion to the present charch, which, if the women are going to keep their hats on, isn't large enough Reaching the Limit. se OMEN are gradually taking men’s places in everything.” “Possibly; but it will be a long time before we hear of the brides being dressed in ‘conventional black." Sympathy. First thermometer—'‘1 with the rich."’ Second thermometer—'Yes, we get sworn at when we climb to the top."’ On the Verge. 'ANITY is on the borderland of sanity and is outbound. sympathize A Timely Subject. NTENSIVE culture is the fad— I'm sure I don't know what it means! 1 want to know, though, awful bad, To write it up for magazines. From many friends who ought to know, Informative ideas I've sought; But naught can I discover, though It seems connected with New Thought. 1 want to make a joke of it— Just a good-natured, harmless fling— And jolly up the folks a bit Who go in for that sort of thing. You see, these things should be done soon, Before they hackneyed grow and trite I've half an hour this afternoon, And so I think I'd like to write. And yet how can I when I've found No meaning for the mystic terms? Intensive culture seems to sound Like those glass-covered germs. typhoid Oh, well I've written quite enough. ‘Most any sort of nonsense sells If I have nerve to sign the stuff John Kendrick Bangs or Carolyn Wells. WHY SISTER BLUSHED. Johnrr—" Say, Sis! Don’t ye wish Mr. Spooner was here now so ye could set on his knee ?"’ “& BOLT PROM A CLEAR SKY.” Designating the Quality. HE YOUNG people at a summer resort were having rehearsals for private theatricals and a New York gi was running most of the show. A Ch cago youth who thought himself exceed- ing bright had been cast to carry a spear in a mob scene. In the mix-up inci- dental to getting the crowd into shape, the youth didn’t know just what to do and was making a lot of fuss trying to find out “What am I?) What am 1?" he kept calling to the young woman. “You're a supe,’’ she replied, as soon as she got time. “What kind of supe?"’ he asked, to be funny. “Noodle, of course,’” promptly, and he went on. she responded UR CEMETERIES are full of peo- ple who thought they could cross the track ahead of a train. comicbooks.com