Judge, 1914-05-09 · page 8 of 25
Judge — May 9, 1914 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical story mocks the growing independence and demands of young women in the early 20th century. Mr. and Mrs. Beeman attempt to assert parental authority by choosing their vacation destination without consulting their adult daughters, Margery and Eleanor—a revolutionary act they compare to Guy Fawkes's gunpowder plot. The daughters immediately dominate the discussion, dismissing every parental suggestion (a farmhouse, quiet location) as boring or inadequate. They demand a place offering entertainment like tango dancing and suitable male partners. The parents ultimately capitulate when Eleanor threatens to stop participating in family activities. The satire targets the "New Woman"—financially independent, pleasure-seeking, and increasingly resistant to parental control. The daughters' casual dismissal of their parents' authority and their focus on romance and modern amusements embodies anxieties about changing gender roles and generational power dynamics in this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Queens and the Vacation Question by TERRELL LOVE HOLLIDAY VIDENTLY Mr. and Mrs. Beeman, heads close to- gether over the library table and voices sunk toa whisper, might have been a modern Guy Fawkes and his wife. However, the matter under discussion was of graver portent than a gunpowder plot. “Suits me perfectly,’’ breathed Mrs. Beeman. ‘‘AllI want is rest and change."’ “It’s this or nothing for me,”’ declared Beeman. ‘‘I'm disgusted with the old order.’’ “But’’—Mrs. Beeman sighed—*‘Mar- gery and Eleanor’’—— “*Are we the heads of the house,’ heat- edly demanded Beeman, ‘‘or the tails of our daughters’ gowns? A pretty out if we can’t for once have a voice in plan- ning our vacation trip! Are we always to jump like trained animals when those little snips crack their whips?’’ “They have been accustomed to having their own way so long, poordears. They’ll be awfully cut up. We should have be- gun earlier.’’ “It is never too late to begin a good work,’’ grimly averred Beeman. ‘But you must stand by me. Will you?” “I will,’’ she promised, and they clasped hands, looking bravely, yet fearfully, into each other's eyes. EXCELSIOR! The doorknob rattled, and they drew apart. Enter the queens regnant. “Where are we going this year?”’ asked Margery, after fidgeting about the room for a few minutes. Responsive to a gentle pressure of mother’s knee, father cleared his throat; no more. Another and firmer pressure, and he began, ‘‘We have decided’’—— “Decided, without consulting us? What do you think of that, Marge?” “Such a bother!’ hurriedly interposed coh IO, SNH YS mother. ‘‘We wanted to save you the worry.’? Impolite sniffs from the queens. “*You chose the place last year,’’ re- minded Beeman, ‘‘and it was unsatis- factory."’ “Rotten !’? commented Eleanor. “And they are all pretty much like Searockside,’’ suggested Mrs. Beeman. “Only worse,’’ corrected Margery. “Yesterday,’’ related father, ‘‘Benke!- man told me of an ideal place.’’ “There is none such,’’ flatly stated Eleanor. “*A quiet little place’. “Dull as a London Sunday,’’ sneered Margery. “A farmhouse,”’ patiently continued Beeman, ‘‘where’’—— ‘‘—The best they have to offer you for a tango partner is a plowboy with St. Vitus’s dance,’’ jeered Margery. “You said the tango was staling,’’ ven- tured mother. “It doesn’t satisfy, as at first. But there is no other way—no perm way—of securing the same effect, ically answered Margery. ‘‘Being en- gaged is the nearest thing to it, and you can’t be engaged to a dozen men in one evening.”” Mother’s countenance spelled h-c-t- r-o-r, and father’s flamed. ‘‘If that’s the case,’ he cried, ‘‘I’ll stop the tangoing!”” The girls smiled, as if to say, ‘‘Fudg? “This isn’t a regular boarding house, cyn comicbooks.com