Judge — February 1, 1913 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This comic satirizes early 20th-century courtship conventions and class mobility. A wealthy father arranges his son's marriage to a poor girl, but she refuses. The suitor then poses as a chauffeur (a prestigious, new occupation) to win her affection through proximity and perceived status. After romance blossoms—including a dramatic car ride where she declares eternal devotion—the father ultimately accepts the match, having been manipulated by the same class-consciousness he initially valued. The satire critiques: arranged marriages losing power to romantic choice; the nouveaux-riche status of automobile owners and their servants; and parental hypocrisy about social climbing. The "modern stratagem" uses contemporary technology and social ambition to overturn traditional marriage negotiations.