Judge, 1915-04-17 · page 14 of 26
Judge — April 17, 1915 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces from *Judge* magazine critiquing early 20th-century youth culture and gender dynamics. **Top cartoon ("Riverside Drive"):** A philosopher and cynic observe fashionable young people on a riverside outing in New York. The cynic mocks the vacuous appearance of well-dressed youth, particularly women, arguing their expensive clothing masks empty heads. The philosopher counters that appearances deceive—character runs deep. Their debate is interrupted when a young man's cigarette ignites his companion's dress; he heroically extinguishes it with his coat. The cynic then concedes he may become a philosopher, having witnessed genuine human decency. **Bottom cartoon ("Like Adam"):** A couple in a landscape. The woman ("Flo") rejects a man's advance by sardonically comparing his behavior to Adam's—implying he's trying to shift blame onto her, as Adam blamed Eve for the Fall. Both pieces satirize romantic courtship, gender relations, and social pretension of the era.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
RIVERSIDE **What a question for a phitosopher!"" “Pardon me. I was thinking of something else. you wouldn't be a cynic otherwise."’ “Right. This is a rich field for cynical observation, and a richer for cynica! comment. See the puppets! There are seven you could cover with an opera glass."" The Cynic indicated a young couple engrossed in Of course ble, at which three persons sat— each other and a woman alone who faced the other way. Her partly naked back and arms also suggested youth. were closely approaching, the young men looking for acc tion, and their partners intent upon the attire of those of their sex wo couples mmoda nearest them. A brave array of clothing, well carrie],"" remarked the Philosopher. “But what else under heaven could you say? They all look as vacuous as clothing dummies. Do you think there is a valuable idea in the seven heads?"* Even a philosopher couldn't know that without talking with them. But surface appearances deceive. Do you think the man who first discovered an oyster ever dreamed that pearls are some- times found in oysters? And if now you were to get your first anut, would you imagine it contained milk?"" “Oh, that is something else. Persons carry signs of character, or lacking character show it. What ma value would dress in the extreme of fashion? view of a coc nf business or social What woman of DRIVE—SE ING NEW YORK worth would so clothe herself or assume the lackadaisical poses these young women affect?"” “But they are all young. Were you a cynic at that age?”* “It takes years to produce a cynic, I'll confess—or a philoso- pher. But our social system is all wrong. The fool fathers who made that group possible probably worked day and night without recreation only to have the money they left dissipated. None of these young men was brought up to apply himself usefully, and if one of those young women should fail to marry money, she would no doubt figure in some scandal. She might so figure anyw Can you imagine one of those fellows doing anything useful?" “One may imagine strange things. Don't you remember the Melancholy Jacques’ Finds And humanity is endless in surpri “This age,’ began the Cynic were discussing brought all to their feet. A match with which one of the young men had lighted a ciga- rette flew to the dress of his companion, and at once she was aflame. The young man as quickly threw off his coat, with it saved her screams from the group they from serious burning, and in shirt sleeves was taking her a’ more frightened than hurt. “T'll not express the thought I began," said the Cynic. ‘'T may yet become a philosopher."* LIKE A DAM we—May [kiss you? — Flo—Isn't that just like a mant Trying to put all the responsibility on met %