Judge, 1912-09-28 · page 13 of 24
Judge — September 28, 1912 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate pieces of humor satirizing domestic life and gossip culture in early 20th-century America. The top cartoon, "The Incorrigible," shows a family dinner where a child reveals his parents constantly fight with each other—a dark joke about marital discord presented through a child's innocent perspective. The main story, "The Lady Who Knew," mocks a busybody gossip who obsessively tracks her neighbors' private affairs (their rent, marital disputes, food spending). The satire's punchline: when visitors eavesdrop on this same woman's house, they discover her own husband angrily confronting her about rising household bills—revealing she knows everyone else's business but is ignorant of her own home's expenses. The moral explicitly states the hypocrisy: "Everybody's Business is not your Own Business." The satire targets the invasive gossip culture among middle-class women of the era, punishing the busybody through ironic comeuppance.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
we THE INCORRIGIBLE, Tommy—" Pa and Caller (shocked) Tommy— That 's right. ! If pa ain’t fightin’ with me, ma is."” The Lady Who Knew. ONCE there was a Lady who had the Reputation of knowing everything that went on in the Neighborhood. Some of the Neighbors called her a Busybody. Others called her a Snoop. The Village Wag referred to her as the Human Encyclopedia and Mrs. Sherlock. Her facility for gathering curious and rare information about the Doings and Intentions and Motives of the Neigh- bors was illimitable. She knew how much Rent the Smiths paid for their house. She knew how often Robinson beat his Wife. She knew why the Browns couldn't keep Servants. She knew what nights in the week Harrison came home late and where he had been and what he had had to drink. She knew who paid their Bills promptly and who didn’t. One of her Specialties was the Amount the different Neighbors spent for food. No one knew exactly how she compiled these Statistics, but she would go over to Mrs. Harrison's anddiscourse for hours on what Big Eaters the Johnsons were. Then she would tell the Gordons how the Mercers stinted them- selves on Fresh Vegeta- bles and ate Canned Stuff all summer. Then she would tell Mrs. Smith how the Hender- sons always had the best of everything on their own Table, while pro- viding the cheapest pos- sible Fare for the Servants. By some she was considered a Pest. By others, who were much like herself in spirit, but less skillful in fact, she was used NEXT MORNING BACH PASSENGER COMPLAINED THAT THE FOG WHISTLE WAS OVER HIS STATEROOM. as a convenient substitute for the Vil- lage Weekly. One Evening one of the Neighbors went with his Wife to call on the Gossip and her Husband, It was Summer and the Windows were all open. As-they approached the House, they could hear the Gossip’s Husband talking to her in a Loud Voice in the Brilliantly Lighted Library. The Callers yielded to the in- viting Temptation to Eavesdrop. “It’s terrible!’? said the Gossip’s Husband, who held in his hand a package of Bills. ‘‘They’re getting bigger every Month. Take this Meat Bill, for instance. It’s nearly twice as much as it was in August. How do you explain it?” “Really, dear,’’ replied the Gossip meekly, ‘‘I have been so busy I didn’t have the time to’’—— “Busy! Busy!’ roared the Husband. “Are you too busy to know what's going on in your own House? Didn’t you know how big these Bills were?’’ “I should know,” answered the Gossip, “but I left it to the Maid; I supposed’”—— “Left it to the Maid"’ —began her Husband contemptuously; but the Callers did not wait to hear any more. The Neighbor plucked his Wife’s Sleeve and whis- pered, ‘‘Come away. It is too good to be true.’” Moral — Everybody's Business isnot yourOwn Business.—s11i: 0. Js comicbooks.com