Judge, 1914-03-07 · page 9 of 24
Judge — March 7, 1914 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Judge* magazine contains multiple short humor pieces satirizing early 20th-century American social pretensions and gender dynamics. The main cartoon depicts a barefoot young man claiming he'll become rich "like other self-made millionaires"—mocking the contradiction of starting with nothing while imitating the wealthy. The text pieces target: - **Class anxiety**: A woman obsessively buys expensive, useless items (radium corn cure) purely for their cost as status symbols - **Sexual hypocrisy**: Adults worry girls read too much "sex literature" while fathers lie constantly to others - **Gender expectations**: A man interprets a woman's silence on a marriage proposal as consent; a settlement worker puns on a poor woman wearing ostrich feathers ("plume yourself") - **Marital anxiety**: Divorce's "problem" is managing a new mother-in-law The satire assumes readers recognize these as common anxieties of the era: conspicuous consumption, Victorian sexual repression, class performance, and the changing social roles of women. The humor relies on exposing hypocrisy between stated values and actual behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“I ought to be rich some day. Distinction HER DOG has a diamond-set collar, Her cat drinks the richest of cream; Of course she spends many a dollar On hats that are simply a dream. She always buys fruit out of season And game of the costliest kind; Their very expense is the reason That these things appeal to her mind. Things any one else might be buying, She looks on with heartiest scorn, And that’s why just now she is trying The radium cure on her corn. —Grace McKinstry. New Problem “What is the evil of divorce and re- marriage?’’ “The trouble of breaking in a new mother-in-law.’” Platonic love is when you enjoy hear- ing how she learned to swim at the sum- mer resort. STARTING EVEN I'm beginning life just as barefooted as the other self-made millionaires.” Unsuspected Danger «¢GEEMS to me,”’ observed Mrs. Skit- tles, ‘‘that girls to-day are read- ing altogether too much of this here sex literature.’” “‘That’s a fact,’’ agreed Mr. Skittles. “Them kind of books give them nothing but a lot of theoretical ideas.’’ Testing the Statement “Dad often cautions me, you know, ’Gainst telling things that are not so,’’ Said Johnny; ‘‘yet dad has a way Of telling whoppers every day. To dozens right here in this town, sir, He said the baby was a bouncer. I tried him; ’twasn’t so at all. He wouldn’t bound; he’d only squall.”’ No Swimmer Edna—Did she sink in the social sea? Winifred—Yes; she went beyond her depth. Consenting Silence oe YOU believe that silence gives consent, Dubbley?’’ asked Gosling. “‘Why—yes. The old saying says so, Why?’ said Dubbley. “Then you may congratulate me on my engagement to Miss Moneybags. I wrote to her asking her to marry me six months ago, and I haven’t heard a word from her since."’ Needed Crawford—What kind of a new tire pump is he trying to invent? Crabshaw—One that doesn’t make you tired. Surely Not Settlement worker—I don’t see how you can afford to wear ostrich feathers. Mag—I get eight dollars a week. Settlement worker—Well, you shouldn't plume yourself on that, comicbooks.com