Judge, 1915-04-24 · page 13 of 24
Judge — April 24, 1915 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes marriage and courtship, particularly targeting both genders' romantic illusions. **The main cartoon** ("Raising Cain," center) depicts a woman literally raising a calf—a visual pun mocking the notion of "raising Cain" (causing trouble). This illustrates the text's warning that idealized women often develop into difficult partners. **The essay "Step Up!"** cynically advises both men and women before marriage: - Women: Don't trust poor men; watch out for silent types (like Uncle Charles's talkative wife) - Men: Beware angel-faced women with volcanic tempers; sweet, simple-looking women may be stubborn and dim **The sidebar poems** continue the mockery: - "A Misnomer" jokes that husbands aren't really "heads" of households—they're "feet" because they're always being kicked - "What Should He Take for It?" uses "auto-intoxication" as a pun for car accidents and drunkenness The overall message: spring romance is dangerously deceptive; marriage inevitably disappoints both parties.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Step Up! PRING, love and danger. Several billion ladies and gentlemen have made mistakes; they only thought it was love. There's the danger. Spring does the rest; and afterward—frequently there is no rest. Beware of ultra idealization. A girl with a face like an angel's may possess a temper like a young volcano. A young man who seems the soul of chivalry may be a fourflusher or a lawyer. A damsel with radiant eyes, glorious hair, Juno- esque form and a ravishing complexion may develop into a cosmic chill. You never can tell. A gentle, sweet, clinging little lady, with a voice like running waters, may have an indomitable will and a .0000001- 16 brain. In marriage this proves the combination which softly unlocks just forty years of agony for the larger part- ner. Then he passes out. Girls, never trust a man who has no money. The grocer won't. Young man, remember how your Uncle Charles’s life was blighted by Aunt Mary’s habit of speaking at length. A tongue that doubles on its tracks gets nowhere, but it creates excitement. Nor do silk stockings make a fine dis- Position. NOBODY Gentlemen, is it better to wake up in the morning with a bunch of curl papers or a wad to pay your way? Ladies, in selecting a mate, you have to be shown, Take nothing for granted but RAISING CAIN HOME his general foolishness. If you think you both have a divine passion which will last for life, tell him your father is a ter- rific tightwad. Marriage is: Stimulating or Enervating, Horrifying or helpful. It has a way of getting under the skin like nothing else. And yet—spring is here. Looks. Kisses. Love. Sighs. In the order named. Waiting for you! If it is your turn, step up to the dough dish, your proud face illumined by the glory of that matchless aurora borealis which sheds its radiance through the ages. —Fred Ladd. A Misnomer The husband is the household’s head— The name’s not of my picking. Let’s change it to the foot instead, Because he’s often kicking. What Should He Take for It? Motorist skids across the street and hits another machine. ‘‘Pardon me, but I am suffering from auto-intoxication.’" comicbooks.com