Judge, 1914-01-31 · page 9 of 24
Judge — January 31, 1914 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The Cartoon:** The top illustration shows a couple with golf clubs and two small children on a golf course, captioned that young married golfers are undeterred by twins. This appears to be visual commentary on modern married life and leisure. **The Story:** Two men—Joe Barron and Bigby—debate whether understanding women requires scholarly knowledge or simply love. Bigby condescendingly claims he has "studied women" and can "develop" a woman's capacity for happiness through his superior knowledge. Katherine, whom Bigby is courting, initially seems impressed by his confidence but grows skeptical, ultimately arguing that women aren't governed by fixed rules—they "make the rules" and change them constantly. **The Satire:** The joke mocks men's arrogant assumption that women are knowable systems to be mastered through study. Katherine's final retort—that women are unpredictable and constantly redefine the terms—undercuts Bigby's pompous certainty. It's satire of masculine overconfidence about understanding the "opposite sex."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SPORTIVE INGENUITY These young married golfers decline to be discouraged by the advent of twins «<] HOPE with all my heart that you will be happy,’” patronized ’m such a crude, blundering idiot that you doubt if I'll be able to take proper care of as complex, delicate a thii $s a woman?”’ smiled Joe Barron, hoisting his feet to the sill of the club window. “Er—well,”? stammered Bigby, rather fussed at Joe’s blunt way of putting it, “you don’t know the first thing about women."” “You think,’’ chuckled the husband-to- be, ‘that I’ll be a regular bull in a china shop, and go thrashing about, smashing Nell’s illusions and trampling upon her feelings?”’ “How ean you help it? You don’t un- derstand women—as I do,’’ said Bigby complacently. ‘‘And they want to be understood.’” “You're wrong," amusedly answered Barron. " “They want to be loved . . . . . . AUUUAATAUAAA AANA AAAS Understanding a Woman By TERRELL LOVE HOLLIDAY SSUUCUEUCAUANANUEAONEAEOEACAUUADAUGLAGUGANANODOEETACA AONE ENONTA TN AN ENEMA Ee “I believe,” Bigby was saying to Katherine, “that I can make you hap- _ py.”” “Then you do not hold, with some of our writers, that happiness comes from within?”’ demurely asked she. “Piffle!’? snorted Bigby. copybookism.”’ “Maybe I am one of the women that no man could make happy,”’ suggested Kath- erine. “Oh, but you are not,’’ he confidently asserted; ‘for I should not have asked you to marry me.”” “It is your opinion, then,’’ she ques- tioned, with unconcealed anxiety, ‘‘that I possess the capacity for happiness, if the right man could be induced to undertake the development work?”” “That is a “The right man is willing,’ was the smug response. “I do love self-confident men!’’ murmured Katherine admiringly. “Tell me why you are so sure that you are the right man.’’ “Because I have studied women all my life,’’ he replied. “‘Ugh!’’ pouted Katherine. were bugs on pins!’’ “Oh, not at all,” condescended Bigby. “You are much more interesting.’’ “‘Would your knowledge of other women help you with the one you married?”’ “«*The colonel’s lady and Judy’ ’’—be- gan Bigby. “Poof! What if they are sisters under the skin? Though they have discarded a good many things, they still wear their skins. And you are no X-ray.’’ “You are all governed by the same tules,’’ he maintained. “We are not governed by any rules. We make the rules! And before you have learned the last, we have made anew one.’’ “As if we comicbooks.com