Judge, 1911-09-30 · page 13 of 23
Judge — September 30, 1911 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge magazine page contains satirical commentary on early 20th-century American social issues: **Main Articles:** - **"Motherhood"** by Wilbur D. Nesbit criticizes Victorian prudishness about childbirth and babies. The essay argues that declining birth rates stem from society treating motherhood as shameful rather than celebrating it, and proposes a "Bless the Babies League" to restore respect for reproduction. - **"Within Reason!"** satirizes Theodore Roosevelt as a grandfather, joking he might call his grandchild an "undesirable citizen"—referencing Roosevelt's controversial 1911 coining of that term for socially undesirable immigrants. **Other Jokes** target: - Antitrust actions dissolving corporations - Electric lighting as a cheaper alternative to gas - Marital hypocrisy (wives criticized for extravagance while husbands overspend) The "Typical Characters" cartoon shows various domestic scenes illustrating these social tensions around family, business regulation, and household management—common Judge satirical targets reflecting Progressive Era concerns.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
““WHAT ARE THE WILD WAVES SAYING?” Motherhood. By WILBUR D. NESBIT. wie IS it that trains our young women to blush when babies are mentioned? How often have we seen women arise and leave the room when some sane but simple-minded friend of the race ex- pressed himself on the subject of in- crease in the family. Men have no shyness in discussing babies; they do not change the subject and get flustered and all that sort of thing, as though some- thing disgraceful were being broached. But men are brutes, anyhow. Most of the poems writ- ten about motherhood are from the pens of men. Some one has tried to blame thedecreasing birth rate (if it is decreasing) on woman suffrage. We shall have to go in some other direction for the reason. Men do not pity a man who is the father of a new baby; women say, “Poor Mrs. Blank!’’ both before and after the baby arrives, The truth is that babies are coming to be regarded as nuisances, as hin- drances to the enjoyment of life, and as subjects which are not discussed in polite society. It might be well, in view of the fact that we were all babies at one time or other, to organize a Bless the Babies League and re-educate our womenfolks back to the old human standards. Especially Collectors. H, WAD some power the giftie gie us To see others ere others see us! TIPICAL CHARACTERS. Within Reason! HERE were some men in our land Who built up enterprise. The Supreme Court made them dissolve, So business shrinks likewise! That Would Be the Limit. “T SEE that Teddy is a grandfather." “Yes; but I hope that he won’t call the little stranger an undesirable citizen.”” No Odor There. 66 TOE,”’ said the thrifty housewife, ‘‘don't you think electric light would be cheaper than gas?”’ “Certainly not,’’ re- plied her far-sighted hus- band. ‘‘Think of what you’d lose in leaks by not being able to smell the current!’’ A Joke. F BREVITY’S The soul of wit, The bathing suit Is surely it. Exorbitant. First hobo—'‘ ‘Eternal vigilance is the price of peace. Second ditto—‘ Yes ; but who wants peace at that price?” T8 Emanwho complains of his wife's extrav- es never thinks of curtailing his own. agan comicbooks.com