Judge, 1913-04-26 · page 4 of 24
Judge — April 26, 1913 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This editorial page from Judge satirizes two topics: **"Women in Politics"** (left): The article mocks Democratic women who objected to participating in a Washington breakfast celebrating Democracy's advent. The cartoon depicts a man struggling to climb a ladder labeled with political competition, illustrating the editorial's point that "it is difficult to run up a ladder" to political success. The satire suggests women lack the fortitude for serious politics. **"Commoners and Silk Hats"** (right): This critiques President Wilson and Secretary of State Bryan for wearing silk hats—symbols of upper-class formality—to democratic public occasions. A caricature (labeled as Bryan by Crakstski, the "cabe artist") shows him surrounded by labels mocking this contradiction between democratic rhetoric and aristocratic appearance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Women in Politics THE NOTION that women are not nat- ural politicians gets a jolt now and then. Politics is not an isolated field of conten- tion. There is politics in so- cial life, in business, in every arena of effort. And what is known as society is filled to the brim with politics. Some women are satisfied with their hats, their clothes, their jewels—provided they find places in which to display their wear. And some- thing of this may have been at the bot- tom of the row recently developed at Washington over a breakfast organized to celebrate the advent of Democracy in that capital. The out-and-outers among Democratic women at Washington objected to partici- pation in the breakfast by women of the IN THE “ PEOPLE'S HOUSE" opposing political faith, to the exclusion of some of their own. But it was said that the objectors’ political friends might have made reservations for the breakfast when it was first projected, and failed to do so. The assurance that Mrs. Wilson would be present raised it to a social event of novelty, and thereby, perhaps, hangs the tale. Most social occasions kindle the fire of contest, and the rivalry in this case is lively. The word ‘‘fierce’’ has been applied to competitions in mere business, but social competitions surpass them for energy and acridity. And the envy, malice, hatred, ill-will, jealousy, spite and suspicion en- gendered in these engagements must have gayety, festivity and joy as foils, in or- der to prevent chaos and keep vacancies in the asylums ready for the victims of ordinary mental misfortune. One truth about lasting andsubstan- tial success is that it is difficult to run up a ladder. Commoners and Silk Hats REPortTs that the President and the Secretary of State are uneasy, if not really embarrassed, in the tall and shiny silk hats that Washington society expects them to wear, ought to serve to endear these commoners to a democratic public more effectively than whole vol- umes of speeches and histories. Mr, Wilson is reported to have told the press, before he took office, that he regretted the necessity of ‘‘submitting to conven- tion’? by wearing a silk hat, even on In- auguration Day: “It will be the first time I have worn a silk hat since I re- viewed the State Guard at Sea Girt, two years ago.”” And it has been chronicled that, when Mr. Bryan first appeared in the Washing- ton highways in his Sunday-go-to-meeting suit and new stovepipe, he squirmed when Portrait by Craknutski, the cube artist, of Mr. Bryan, as he looks to him. But we don’t believe it! comicbooks.com