Judge, 1913-11-15 · page 10 of 24
Judge — November 15, 1913 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon mocks social class attitudes: a man introduces his companion to a woman, and when told she's his mother-in-law rather than his mother, the first man immediately apologizes—implying mothers deserve respect while mothers-in-law do not. It's a joke about common family hierarchy prejudices of the era. The main article by Wilbur D. Nesbit satirizes architects as impractical visionaries who ignore clients' actual needs and budgets. The satire describes how architects listen sympathetically to homeowners' ideas, then disregard them entirely, imposing pet design features (pergolas, terraces, north-facing porches) regardless of practicality. They also systematically underestimate costs—quoting $22,876 when the budget is $20,000, then contractors' bids reach $32,465, forcing homeowners to postpone building. The piece mocks architects' disconnect between promises and reality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ar) <R IN " THAT'S DIFFERENT t Wydeman—Excuse me, young man, but I think your mother needs attention. Nahrow—The lady is my mother-in-law. Wydeman—Ob! 1 beg your pardon. N ARCHITECT is a man who plans houses for him- self and compels you to build them. You con- sult him about your pro- posed residence, and he immediately becomes most sympathetic. You and your wife have stud- ied the woman's publica- tions and have combined floor plans for his guidance. He gently points out to you that the second-floor plan you have sketched, when superimposed on the first- floor plan, provides that the stairs shall terminate against the ceiling, while the upper-hall opening for the second flight of stairs will leave a large hole in the ceiling of the living-room and undoubtedly worry people who go down-stairs in a hurry. He also shows you, in a mild and inof- fensive manner, that the spare bathroom will jut out in the air to the west some thirty feet from the walls of the lower story. Having done this, he takes a pencil UTTER SS The Architect By WILBUR D, NESBIT SDevvvuncennceeencucenscucensguceegaceeaaocvennceeeaaceeaaeenat fe and hastily sketches a rough plan which conforms in no way to your ideas. Also, if your lot has a slope he plans a house which is to be built on the level, and if your lot is level he devises a plan which will necessitate your excavating about ten thousand cubic yards of dirt at the rear, in order to have the lower story re- ceive any daylight. All architects have pet plans. they want you to have a pergola porch or they want you to have a terrace in front. Also, they will invariably wish you to have the sleeping porch on the north side of the house, where the nice snow can drift in in the wintertime. You have told the architect that your limit on the cost of the building is $20,000. With that as a specific guide, Either he draws the plans for a house and esti- mates it at so much per cubic foot, the grand total being $22,876. But he points out to you that he has given himself plenty of margin, and so you get the bids. The contractors also margin them- selves plentifully, and their combined es- timates only reach $32,465. At this junc- ture you discover that the architect has rearranged all the rooms and hung onto the pergola porch or terrace, whichever is his weakness, and you decide to delay building for another year. A Question Why is it that the divers bricks And bullets that meander From fights and riots always hit The innocent bystander? Not Worth It Daughter—Just think! I can get the duke for only five million! Father—He is over-capitalized. In imbibing the holiday spirit carefully avoid an excess of spts. frumenti. comicbooks.com