Judge, 1912-02-10 · page 6 of 24
Judge — February 10, 1912 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early-20th-century American journalism and the women's suffrage movement. **Top section:** A cynical editor boasts about manufacturing a "Wife Beating Epidemic" story—inventing fake incidents and fabricating statistics to drive readership and appear morally righteous. The satire critiques yellow journalism: newspapers creating sensational false narratives while claiming to serve the public interest. **"Sic Semper Suffraganibus"** parodies the children's rhyme "Ten Little [Indians]." It mocks the women's suffrage movement's growing momentum, depicting suffragettes converting women across social classes (widow, society woman, farmer's wife, governess, mother) through contagious activism. The punchline—"they will soon get the ballot—and then what!"—expresses skepticism about women's ability to use voting power meaningfully, a common anti-suffrage taunt. The cartoons throughout mock social hypocrisy: shallow marriages, selfish friendships, and here, political movements Judge's editors viewed as both spreading "infection-like" and fundamentally misguided.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* prepare a broadside, entitled ‘‘The Es- sential Degradation of Wife Beating,’ showing how the practice was undermin- ing our most cherished institutions. We ordered a serial story from our staff nov- elist, in which, after a strenuous life, the wife of a wife beater finally secured a divorce from her husband, in spite of the advice of the minister. This stirred up a warm controversy, which, of course, added to my reputation as a journalist. In the meantime, in order that the news columns could carry this crusade, we had our reporters go out and write up a considerable number of the most revolting instances of wife beatings that never happened. After a day or two of this, we were justified in running the headline, ‘Epidemic of Wife Beatings."" Then we got after the police authorities and attacked them for their laxnes: We got a number of prominent penolo- gists and members of women’s clubs to agitate for the re-establishment of the whipping post as the only adequate pun- ishment for this barbaric deed. We did a number of other things which I do not now recall, but I have mentioned enough to show the idea and fix the principle—enough to prove that the modern newspaper man must utilize every possible avenue that is likely to lead to human interest. Or Was Love Blind? Mrs. Hoyle—‘‘My husband loved me at first sight. Mrs. Doyle—‘‘I understand that you met et a masquerade ball."* “AH, THERE —— A Question. Mrs. Brown—‘‘Mrs. Jones has the worst habit!’’ Mr. Brown—‘‘ What is it, dear?"’ Mrs. Brown-—‘‘She turns around and looks back every time we pass on the street!"" Mr. Brown—‘*How do you know she does?"’ The Selfish Kind. ‘What is a ‘fair-weather friend,’ pa?"’ “One who won't lend you his um- brella."” THE GAME COCK ¥s, STICK-PIN HAT. THE LATTER WINS. —— ER—GRANDMA!"" Sic Semper Suffraganibus. By WILLIAM J. BURTSCHER. ONE LITTLE suffragette, on a whirl- wind campaign, Meets a bachelor maiden, and then they are twain. Two little suffragettes talk long and talk loud; A young schoolma’am joins them, and that makes a crowd. Three little suffragettes, defying mere man, Convert an authoress—beat that if you can! Four little suffragettes, very much alive, Attract a young widow, and now there are five. Five little suffragettes—just see them go!— Capture a society woman with a pile of dough. Six little suffragettes, in suffragette heaven, Convince a farmer's wife, makes seven. and that Seven little suffragettes, in a hot de- bate; A schoolgirl hears them, and then there are eight. Eight little suffragettes, marching in a line; A governess sees them, and then there are nine. Nine little suffragettes win a mother, and then, First thing you know, there are a mil- lion and ten. And all these suffragettes work and weary not; They will soon get the ballot—and then what! ‘ comicbooks.com