Judge, 1914-06-06 · page 5 of 24
Judge — June 6, 1914 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece contrasts romantic ideals with marital reality. The top two panels show "In the books" versus "In real life"—comparing literary depictions of weddings to actual domestic chaos. The article features Mrs. Gray advising on managing difficult husbands. The humor centers on the gap between romantic expectations and practical marriage: wives must employ psychological tactics ("salve spreader") to handle temperamental, bear-like husbands displaying "symptoms of a bear with the toothache." The lower cartoon, "An Easy One," shows an elderly gentleman dismissing a young couple's concerns about dancing ability with sardonic ease—suggesting that managing spouses' worries requires simple deflection. The satire targets early 20th-century marriage dynamics, presenting women as strategic managers of men's moods rather than romantic equals.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
In the books —and— 5 Ya 7 yan a Aw In real life THE END OF THE ROMANCE H, MOTHER," cried the dainty little bride-to-be, rushing into the mater’s arms without even stopping to remove her hat, ‘I just know that I’m going to be unhappy with Henry “Very likely,’? assented “‘But who was so kind as to Mrs. Gray. push you across the bridge before you came to it?” “The girls at my stocking shower,’’ sobbed Myrtice. ‘Every one of them— they are all married, you know—told me some horrible thing about men.”” “Only one thing each?’’ thought mother. ‘Then you have a lot yet to hear."” Aloud she asked, ‘Well, what did they say?” “Tess Arcott and Nell Daily were the worst. Oh, I’m bound to be perfectly miserable!” She wept afresh, afreshet, while mother waited. “Tess told me,’’ began Myrtice, grow- ing calmer, ‘‘that men were, most of them, bad-tempered and full of cranky notions, She said that, above all things, I must use tact if I expected to have Peace."” “That's the advice my mother-in-law gave me. I knew right then,’’ said Mrs, Gray grimly, ‘that she had spoiled your father until he was rotten. It was a diplomatic way of informing me that I bad cut out for me a job that would "Handling Hubby | i | LOVE HOLLIDAY H a By T make a lady saint faint in sheer discour- agement. “Tess said that Henry would often come in displaying symptoms of a bear with the earache. At such times I must wield the salve spreader with one hand, and-with the other pour the prime prov- ender into him, until he reached a coma- tose state, when he could be handled with comparative impunity.’’ “Such was Mother Gray’s idea. She gave me to understand that your father was geperous and good-hearted, but— well, a trifle quick-tempered. In short, he would not drag me around by the hair as long as I could keep him in a pleasant humor.’” “T should not have been disturbed by Tess’s remarks; I rather anticipated something of the sort,’’ lamented Myr- tice. ‘*But as soon as she had done talk- ing, Nell led me aside and warned me not to pay any attention to Tess, She de- clared that any woman who attempted to AN EASY ONE “ Young man, can you tango in the style to which my Caughter is accustomed ?"" comicbooks.com