Judge, 1912-07-13 · page 12 of 24
Judge — July 13, 1912 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early 1900s domestic fashion and gender roles through interconnected humor pieces: **"The Home Beautiful"** mocks excessive fashion trends by suggesting ordinary household items—bath rugs, dish cloths, laundry bags, soap cakes—could become fashionable clothing. The satire targets followers of high fashion who adopt impractical trends uncritically. **"A Philosopher"** contains a small joke about a pickpocket arrested for theft, pretending his arrest represents moving "from the abstract to the concrete"—philosophical wordplay from someone who steals tangible goods. **"Why Is It?"** contrasts men's willingness to pay for gym memberships and perform gymnastics with their reluctance to do household work—gardening, stoking furnaces, beating carpets, caring for babies—that provides equal exercise. This exposes male hypocrisy about physical fitness while dodging unpaid domestic labor. **"A Hurry Call"** depicts the unglamorous reality of a physician's work (shown as a nighttime emergency visit). **"Little brother/bigger brother"** humorously defines etiquette as polite refusal when one actually wants something. The overall theme critiques both fashion absurdity and gender dynamics of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE HOME BEAUTIFUL—INTERIOR DECORATION. Towels, Etc. BEHOLD! The cotton summer gown Of Turkish toweling For followers of Fashion's fads Is now the latest thing. It opens to a thoughtful eye A vista wide and new, Where opera cloaks may all be made Of bath rugs white and blue. The sponge, when it is not in use, May deck a modish hat; The dish cloth be a handkerchief, Or flowing long cravat; The laundry bag an auto hood, With cakes of soap to trim it— But let me not prolong the list, For, lo! there is no lim! =s irvine What Experience Teaches. The turning point with a lot of men is when a pretty girl passes. The widow with money to burn can easily get a match. Lots of our ‘‘coming men”’ fail to arrive. Some of our family trees require alotof pruning. = —u. 1. Babeoct The Real Truth. Who loves not women, wine and song Will richer be his whole life long. A Philosopher. “Here,” quoth the cultured pickpocket, as he stepped into the patro! wagon, ‘‘is where we pass from the abstract to the conérete. A HURRY CALL. ‘The unromantic side of a physician's life. Why Is It? Almost every man needs a cer- tain amount of exercise each day. The following are a number of things a man is perfectly willing to do to keep himself in good phys- ical trim: Pay $25 for a course in physical culture. Swing dumbbells and Indian clubs violently. Crawl on his hands and knees and roll like a dog. Climb a tree and behave ‘‘just like a boy.” Turn handsprings and somer- saults, On the other hand, there are things scarcely as difficult which would give him just as much exer- cise; but his wife can’t get him to dothem. Some of them are: Spade gardens. Feed the furnace. Pump water into the attic tank. Beat the carpets. Mow the lawn. Scrub the floors. Walk the floor with the baby. —R.C. MeElravy Little brother—*What's eti- quette?”’ Little bigger brother—‘‘It’s say- ing ‘No, thank you,’ when you want to holler ‘Gimme!’ ’”’ comicbooks.com