Judge, 1914-03-07 · page 11 of 24
Judge — March 7, 1914 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1910s story satirizes the casual infidelity and permissive marriage attitudes of the wealthy urban class. Two respectable married men, Little and Springer, each separately tell their wives they're going out of town on "business," but they're actually eloping with each other's wives—women they've never met before. The satire's bite comes from the understated domesticity: the couples share perfunctory, unemotional goodbye kisses while the wives remain blissfully occupied with charity galas and card games. The "punchline" is that all four parties eventually end up in Reno, Nevada—then America's divorce capital, famous for easy no-fault divorces and remarriage. Judge uses this to mock both the hypocrisy of respectable society and the increasingly casual attitude toward marriage dissolution among the wealthy, who could afford Reno's residency requirements. The cartoon's automobile imagery emphasizes modernity and mobility—literal and moral.
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7 § SUPPOSE you'll be busy to-day,’’ remarked Little to his wife as he rose from the breakfast table. “Very. And this evening Bee also. I have a booth at the bazaar of the Society to Provide Stocking Supporters for Chil- dren in the Tropics. Why do you ask, dear?’’ “Well, I'm going out of town on business for the day. A very important engagement. It’ll be late whenI return, and it’s just possible I sha’n’t get back till to-morrow. So good-by, dearie!’” And they came together for a kiss which, if it had been re- flected upon a motion-picture screen, would not have impressed young persons in the audience as quite fervid enough to pass in a love scene. Some men confide to their wives advance notice of all their movements. Others are habitually reticent, and if a student of goings and comings and their effects should study the matter he would find that wives who know little or nothing of their hus- bands’ movements are quite as happy as those who keep tabs. It may be, also, that this is conversely true. A like scene was enacted in the home of Springer the same morning. “I'm going out of town for the day,”’ said Springer to Mrs. Springer as he rose from the breakfast table. ‘‘I’ll get back to-night if I can. I’ve got a deal on in Philadelphia, and if I pall it off you shall have that new opera cloak.’’ “Oh, you dear!’’ cried Mrs. Springer, rising to kiss him. This kiss, in outer semblance, would have put a motion-picture audience on edge. : By J. A, WALDRON ‘Going anywhere to-day?’’ asked Springer as Mrs. Springer helped him into his overcoat. There seemed to be no anxiety call in his tone. “Let me think,’’ she replied. “No, I guess not. I’ve no particular engagement. I may have friends enough here this afternoon to make up a table for auction.’’ And there was a good-by kiss. Late that afternoon, just as the descending sun’s rays seemed horizontal, two autos met at a railway crossing. The gate was descending for an approaching train. One auto had just crossed the tracks, but stopped abruptly. The other had to wait for the gate. The men who drove these autos looked at each other curi- ously, each sizing the other up, as men are wont to do. In the auto headed for the crossing sat a woman who gasped as the machines came to a stop. Then she set her teeth in self-control, turned her head as though to view the scenery and made a show of putting her hat on straight. She lost her com- posure, however, when the woman in the other auto thrust out her head with a smile that was not all humor and cried, ‘‘Hello, Charley! Having a good time?’’ Charley didn’t answer. The train thundered past, the gates opened, and the machines sepa- rated at high speed. The men driving the autos were Little and Springer. They had never met before. The handsome woman with Little was Springer’s wife, and the pretty one with Springer was Mrs. Little, and the women were total strangers. But they all got acquainted at Reno. me O Getting Acquainted g comicbooks.com