Judge, 1915-11-13 · page 9 of 28
Judge — November 13, 1915 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes small-town church politics and hypocrisy. The cartoon depicts a woman ("Josephine") being warned by another about the Van Grafts' recent entry into "society"—they broke in during a moment when "everybody was looking," suggesting they seized an opportune (if not entirely proper) moment to gain social status. The lengthy text below presents a gossipy church member listing all the constraints on a minister's conduct: he must appease wealthy choir members (Mari Dart), avoid mentioning divorce (Brother Shipley has two living wives), avoid offending rich patrons (Squire Daddman), and navigate contradictory factions on prohibition and missions. The satire mocks how small-town church authority is actually held by powerful parishioners—not the minister—and how social respectability is fragile, hypocritical, and dependent on money and influence rather than genuine principle.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
KNEW THE PROPER TIME Josephine—When did the Van Grafts break into society ? ministers said about it that he got right up in the middle of the sermon and left the church and never come into it again whi we had that minis- ter.” “He believes in it, does he?” “Well, I should say he did. Then you got to handle old with care was minister of the church once and she seems to think that that gives her the right to run everything as he would want ‘em run, and Ellen Peevy thinks she has the same right because she is the widow of one of our dead and gone tors. If you don’t do just as the: have trouble and you'll hav they say, so there you are. Be careful what you say about the music. Gwendolyn—When ? when everybody was looking. L know that it’s awful to have Mari Dart screeching, she does in the choir but she’s been in the choir sin pout the time of the Civil War and she isthe biggest woman contributor we got and we can’t afford to lose her dollar a week by choir. It must be turrible for you to have her screeching into your very cars as she does, but you can’t stop it for it’s nip and tuck to raise the money for your sal’ry as it is. Be careful how you say anything about divorce. for Brother Shipley has two wives living. Then you want to look out for old Squire Daddman. He wants to run ev’rything to suit himself, and if you cross him he'll make you wish you was a missionary in Africa ’stid of pastor of our church. And you don’t vant to bear down too hard on forcign ions, for some in the church favors home missions most. And don’t you bear down too hard on dress and fashion, for we've got two milliners and three dressmakers in the church. Be careful what you say about putting her out of the’ Why, they watched their chance, of course, and broke in prohibition, for while Deacon Ellsly favors temp’rance he doesn’t believe in prohibition and he'd tackle you right after the sermon if you preached in favor of prohibition. Just between ourselves you can let most of what Jane Driver tells you go in at one ear and out at the other and you can discount a good deal that Ellen Beever tells you, for she’s a turribly prejudiced person. If you'll not let it go any further I'll tell you that—you got to go? Sorry you can’t stay longer. I feel it my duty to put you wise about certain people and you nt to be careful what you say about—good-bye. Come again soon and often and feel free to ask me anything you want to. Good-bye. Auspicious Time Crawford —Do you consider it in good taste for a man to boast about the place where he was born? Crabshaw team is ma It’s all right when his home ng a good showing. comicbooks.com