Judge, 1915-07-24 · page 14 of 28
Judge — July 24, 1915 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge magazine page satirizes Victorian social hypocrisy and the gossiping figure of "Mrs. Grundy" (a stock character representing prudish moral judgment). **The Main Story:** Two couples—Helen/Harry and Maybelle/Gerald—attend a polo match. The women discuss how they enjoy watching dangerous sports because they find "vital" masculine achievement attractive. After Harry is injured in an accident, both couples eventually elope with *each other* (Helen with Gerald, Maybelle with Harry). Mrs. Grundy then smugly claims this outcome is morally superior to if they'd married their original partners, because it avoided "scandal and divorce." **The Satire:** The joke mocks Mrs. Grundy's arbitrary moralizing. She celebrates outcomes (the couples switching partners through elopement) that would normally be considered scandalous, simply because they avoid the *appearance* of impropriety. The satire exposes how Victorian morality cared more about seeming respectable than actual ethics. **The Bottom Cartoon:** A brief domestic joke about a husband's silence being "golden"—he stayed single by keeping quiet.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“They say she's trying to forget him.” they say excitement is good for one. Healthy excitement. I just love to see them play, the more spiritedly the better, even if they are in danger."’ “Of course. SodoI. The more dan- gerous it is, the better I like it. I believe, dear, we're actually primitive in some things—just savages—for we love even bru- tal excitement. Do you know what comes into my mind this moment, when I see the vital action going on out there? You would not believe it. I love the massive, virile things in art, for they suggest power— achievement. And what is a man unless he is strong and can achieve?"’ “‘But what is the particular thing you were just reminded of?'" “‘Why, when Gerald swept around just then and swung down to drive, I thought of —but you'll say I'm foolish!—of Rodin’s wonderfully vital group, ‘The Kiss." '’ **You certainly have imagination, dear. But see! See!"’ Helen and Maybelle screamed together. And Helen seemed about to faint. Harry's pony, turning short, fell to its knees, and Harry pitched forward to the ground, one foot caught ina stirrup. In a moment the pony was caught, and Harry was released, but he had broken his ankle. This meant that Gerald would fill the place coveted by both. The day’s pleasure was spoiled. Harry was taken home. Strangely, Helen called to comfort Harry in his temporary invalidism before May- belle made a like visit. More strangely—and this shows the mu- tability of fancy—when Harry discarded his crutches, he and Helen eloped. “Why's that?” Strangest of all, Gerald and Maybelle almost immediately afterward forestalled one phase of gossip and inspired another phase by doing the very same thing. And yet Mrs. Grundy is never at a loss for a point upon which to hang a moral. ‘*How much better it is,"’ said she, ‘‘than “ Because he forgot himself.” it might have turned out if Helen had mar- ried Gerald and Maybelle had married Harry!" ‘*What in the world can you mean?" asked Mrs. Grundy’s audience. “*Why, then we might have had a scandal and two divorce cases."" Wife—Do you think, John, silence is golden? Hubby—1'm sure of it! If I'd kept my mouth shut Id stili be a bachelor.