Judge, 1914-06-13 · page 6 of 24
Judge — June 13, 1914 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous short story, not political satire. It depicts two young female artists vacationing at a beach resort who become infatuated with an attractive government lifeguard. They compare his physical appearance to classical sculptures (Hermes, Donatello's St. George, the Antinous, Discobolus), revealing period attitudes about aesthetic appreciation and feminine propriety. The narrative gently satirizes the romantic fantasies of genteel young women and their attempts to maintain dignified composure around an attractive man. The lifeguard's genuine friendliness and "semi-official capacity" allow them to rationalize accepting his assistance without compromising their respectability. The separate cartoon below, titled "The New Impulse," appears unrelated—a political joke involving voting rights, likely referencing women's suffrage debates of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Passing of Arthur By CORINNE ROCKWELL SWAIN HE SLIM girl under the buff umbrella was doing a sketch in oils. As she strove earnestly to reproduce the opal tints where a ripple of surf met the sand, a young man, walking at low-tide mark, crossed her field of vision. For a palpi tating instant she gazed; then she poked her companion with the un-painty end of a long brush. “Jean! Look, quick!" she breathed excitedly. The fat girl in the matting sun hat, who was sitting on the sand with her water colors, obeyed. At the mo- ment the young man’s delectably tanned features and white cap were vividly effective, in the late afternoon sun, against a blue sea, “Dandy! Perfectly dandy!" sighed the water colorist softly. ‘‘Isn't his profile stunning? Like the Hermes, you know!’" “Like Donatello’s St. George, I should say,’’ the other amended critically, ‘‘with that lovely, long, tucked-up line under the chin. And his hair—did you notice? All bronzy and thick and curly in the back of his neck. I wonder who he is!"’ “One of the government life-saving crew, probably; he had a blue uniform and a big white ‘4’ on his sle Yes, there he goes, in toward the station. My! I'd le to paint him, wouldn’t you, Alice?’’ She looked with sud- den distaste at her canvas. ‘The light’s changing. Let's go back to the hotel andclean up before dinner.’’ Alice agreed, and they collected their sketching traps, then walked thought- fully homeward through the dunes. Had the beauteous stranger remained invisible, he might have faded away into a fair, untroubling memory; but the very next morning, at the bathing hour, he reappeared, this time in a garb which revealed new perfections of form and grace. The tiny resort had no regular bathing guards, but several of the surfmen from the life-saving station were almost sure to be on hand to take a dip with the summer visitors, To them appealed the timid ones who wished to ‘‘go out farther’’ or to learn to swim, and they kept a friendly lookout as to the Se REFERRED William—Does he eat oats? Samuel—No. William—Why not? Samuel—Ask him, THE NEW IMPULSE “*T don’ wan’ no dolly! I wanna vote !"* general safety of the bathers. The two girls had nearly reached the water before they saw him, and Jean gave Alice a furtive pinch. ‘There he is again!"? she whispered, ‘Isn't he simply perfec Alice observed discreetly and agreed with solemn fervor. “*Most men are such frights in bathing suits. But look at his lines, Jean—positively classic! Like—like the Antinous!"" “Oh, no, dear! Not so effeminate; more forceful, like the standing Discobolus, don’t you think?’ They waded in seriously, and as neither could swim, they held hands and jumped over waves, the weight of their young emotions repressing the usual light-hearted squeals of girls thus occupied. Five min- utes later a deep, kindly voice hailed them. “Like to go out a little further, ladies? I'll see that you get back safely.’’ With fluttering hearts they looked around, to see the handsome coastguard touching his wet canvas hat most respectfully. Both noted at once that his eyes were a luminous brown, with strong black brows and lashes. And his smile! Friendly and almost affectionate it seemed, yet as de- void of flirtatious flavor as that of anice, ten-year-old boy. In view of the smile and his semi-official capacity, they felt safe in accepting the offer, and shyly hoped they weren't giving him too much trouble. “Not a bit!" asserted the hero genially. ‘We always like to be sociable, here at the beach. Guess you haven’t been here long. Know how to swim? No? Well, I'll learn you His informality of speech did not repel them. Kind heagts are more than etiquette, and it is unfair to expect grammar and Hermes-St. George-Discobolus pulchritude from the same individual. After a swimming lsson full of adventurous and romantic throbs, they thanked him and ran to their bath house in a chaotic state of mind. “His last name,” Jean divulged breathlessly, ‘is Douglas. comicbooks.com