Judge, 1913-09-06 · page 6 of 24
Judge — September 6, 1913 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This comic mocks the artificiality of romantic courtship through a young woman named Daisy who adopts exaggerated "sympathy" as a dating strategy. When a young man (Benny) visits, she manufactures concern over his minor finger injury, fatigue, and career disappointment—mimicking tactics she's heard from older female relatives (his mother, grandmothers, aunts). The joke is that Daisy's sympathy is transparently calculated and performative rather than genuine. Benny, exhausted by the routine from his family, repeatedly tries to escape her suffocating concern. The cartoon satirizes both the manipulative use of false empathy as a courtship tool and the tedious social conventions of the era that trapped young men in endless cycles of maternal-style "care" from multiple women. The sidebar about Mrs. Moore wearing artwork instead of jewels extends the satire to the absurdity of wealthy affectation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
sympathetic girl no matter if her face made my eyes burt. I could wear smoked glasses."" “Shame!"" cried Daisy, who had finished the heart throbs and was starting up- stairs to dress for a caller. “A sympathetic girl."” The phrase buzzed through Daisy’s head as she got into the gown with the snuggest skirt and least corsage. ‘‘I wonder if that is a wireless from the Oracle, or another of Papa’s hallucinations. Still,"" she confided to her mirror, ‘*I can do no worse than to investigate. Twenty- eight, and not a real pros: pect.” “Your poor finger! How did you hurt it, Benny?’’ was Daisy's solicitous greet- ing to her visitor. “Elevator door,'’’ he care- lessly responded, with an in- ward grimace. Six feet two and well beefed, he had never succeeded in dropping that de- spised diminutive. “Do let me put something on it,’’ urged Daisy, gently re- taining the hand with the swollen digit. Mrs, Billions Orr Moore, of Narragansettport, who was recently robbed of her famous jewels, put to new use her picture gallery and appeared wearing her priceless Rembrandt in place of her well-known emerald stomacher. Her diamond tiara was replaced by a Corot which, though srmall, cost $35,000, A charming back panel of mauve was produced by a Whistler. “SWAT THE FLY"'—A MARTYR TO THE CAUSE “‘Nonsense,"’ he answered, thrusting the hand into his pocket. He had fought off a fond mother, three doting aunts and two grandmothers at home. Tochange the subject: “Gee! Wovare busy at the office.”” “You're working too hard,’’ softly accused Daisy. “The boss duesn’t think so,’? mechanically replied Benny. His mother told him that every evening. **You look tired,’’ insisted his hostess, “Stag dinner last night’’ he informed her, a trifle bored, That was Aunt Drusilla’s favorite delusion. “I’m afraid you are not well. You look pale,”’ said Daisy caressingly. “Forgot to wipe the talcum after shaving,’’ elucidated Benny wearily. He always appeared pale to Grandmother Hartis. “Has this been a bad day—everything go wrong?"' cooed Daisy, spurring herself. Sympathizing with Benny was uphill work. “Not worse than usual,’’ he denied, be- ginning to feel oppressed, Aunt Prudence was sure that every day was a bad one. “‘Wouldn’t you like the morris ch sympathetic Miss Peduncle. **No, no,"’ protested Benny hastily, almost wildly. He hated morris chairs, and Aunt Ellen persisted in making him sit in one. Discouraged, Daisy was about to give up when she remembered — “Did you get your promotion?”’ “No,”” “*You poor boy !’’ Fearing, from the light in her eyes, that she was about to stroke his hair, as mother had done when he told her, Benny moved from the davenport to the detested chair. “No wonder you feel blue.’’ Sympathy oozed from Daisy’s tones in large, sticky drops as she seated herself upon the arm of his chair. ‘‘I'm SO sorry.’’ “I hardly expected it this month,’’ he said. comicbooks.com