Judge, 1912-01-06 · page 7 of 24
Judge — January 6, 1912 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical article uses a mock-geographic map to critique marriage as an inherently unhappy institution. The "state of Matrimony" is bordered by "Shattered Ideals" and "Dull Monotony," with a capital city named "Regret." Towns like "Disillusion," "Race-suicide," and "Make-the-best-of-it" populate the landscape, while "Love and Obey"—the only positive villages—produce merely "profitable returns" (suggesting marriage is commercially exploited). The accompanying cartoons reinforce cynicism about matrimony. The top panel shows a husband offering his brain to science when he dies; his wife dismisses this as "stingy." A lower panel mocks female vanity, suggesting a woman pretends youth by claiming the "same age for the past five seasons." The piece reflects early-20th-century satirical attitudes toward marriage as a trap of mutual deception, financial hardship, and eroded romance—while humorously implying both spouses perpetually disappoint each other.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
He—"* | believe that every man should do something to advance scientific knowledge She—" Stingy thing!" OF NO GREAT VALUE The Geography of Married HE state of Matrimony is bounded on the north by Shattered Ideals, on the east by Enforced Toleration, on the south by Dull Monotony, and on the west by Hopeful Possibilities. Its capital is Regr and its other important cities are Disillusion, Race- suicide, Make-the- -of-it, Hoping- against-hope, Affinity, Title-for-tin, Two-of-a-kind, Refuge, and the two small villages, Love and Obey. Just over the state boundary on the west are the magnificent twin cities of Divorce and Alimony, to which fast trains—on a thirty-minute schedule—are run from every point in Matrimony ex- cept Love and Obey. The principal occupation of the in- habitants is deceiving each other, fixing the blame, recalling pre-marital impor- By HARVEY PEAKE tance, discussing financial stortcomings, cold-storaging mothers-in-law, nagging, and fault-finding in general. In the villages of Love and Obey small quanti- An CHANGEL! He—""'1 suppose Clara is what you would call a girl of uncertain age ?’” She" No, indeed. She has becn the same age for the past five seasons.”” When I die 1 shall leave my brain to science.’* Life. ties of harmony, home-making, and hap- piness are produced that yield very profitable returns. The government of the state is a divided autocracy, with the balance of power in a divided skirt, and the state motto is, ‘‘United we begin, but divided we end."” A Word to the Wise. By CHARLES C. JONES. What keeps us true the long day through? Of course, we seldom bless it. Right well I know we ought to, though. Keep at it till you guess it. Bibbs—"'I see you are still keeping your good resolutions. How have you managed to hold out so long ?"” Nibbs—** Easily. I take a dose of Blabber’s resolvent three times a day.”” comicbooks.com