Judge, 1912-03-09 · page 11 of 24
Judge — March 9, 1912 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This illustration depicts a romantic moment between a man and woman sharing a kiss, with the woman holding a teacup. The accompanying verse plays on the paradox: kissing is "divine," yet simultaneously "a miss" (a failure). The title references the proverb "there's many a slip 'tween cup and lip"—meaning plans often fail before completion. Here, the satire suggests that when romance and intimacy occur, practical concerns (represented by the teacup) are forgotten or abandoned. The joke centers on the ironic contrast between romantic intention and social propriety—the "slip" being not just a missed cup-sip, but the couple's momentary abandonment of decorum in favor of passion. This reflects early 20th-century attitudes about courtship and propriety.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Rwixt the * Ther Gi A man, a miss. Ecstatic bliss! What could be more divine than this? ‘Tis not amiss that he should kiss, And yet it is, forsooth, a miss. But paradoxes do abound Where’er the god of love is found 's many a slip?" It matters not,- Whene'er lips meet the cup's forgot. comicbooks.com