Judge, 1914-11-07 · page 14 of 24
Judge — November 7, 1914 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This illustration and poem by J. A. Waldron satirize women's unchanging preferences despite social progress. The image shows a fashionably dressed woman perched atop a large, muscular male figure—depicted as a featureless globe or sphere of pure brawn. The satire argues that despite claims of modern improvement and women's advancement, female attraction remains fixed on physical strength and athleticism, just as in medieval times. The poem's title suggests that regardless of how society evolves, fundamental human nature—particularly women's romantic preferences—stays constant. This reflects early-20th-century attitudes about gender, making a joking point about the limits of social progress when it comes to innate attraction and desire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUST THE SAME N DAYS of old, athletic chaps Won women’s smiles, and trophies, too, In jousting tourneys, and perhaps In just the ways that men now do. For though the world wags on its way, Improving always, as some claim, Brawn fascinates the fair to-day And sweeps the paths that lead to fame. —J. A, Waldron,