Judge, 1916-01-08 · page 5 of 28
Judge — January 8, 1916 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon illustrates "Courting Parlors as National Institution," critiquing a Western YMCA's proposal to establish chaperoned courting spaces. The satirist argues this represents government overreach into intimate matters—questioning who decides admission rates, location, and rules. The dialogue mocks the absurdity: characters debate practical logistics ("Two two-hour checks, please") while the underlying point is that young people settling romantic matters themselves requires no institutional mediation or expense. The smaller silhouette cartoons at right ("Took the Tip," "Florence," "Christine") appear to be separate joke vignettes, unrelated to the main satire. **Context**: This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about institutional control over private life and generational independence—a progressive-era debate about paternalism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ws se: A “What ‘d you do, Sarah, if we were to get a visit from them Zeppelins >” Courting Parlors as National Institution. 4 | NHE ADVENT of Le: ur calls to mind the suggestion of a Western D.D. that courting parlors be estab- lished, whi the bashful-minded Corydons and Phyllises of our enlightened nation can go when the question seems im- minent and there is no park-bench in sight. A reasonable suggestion at first blush; but, somchow or other, it doesn’t seem so propi- tious when one looks into it deeper. For instance: shall the courting parlor charge admiss And if so, how shall the rates be arranged? By the hour? Imagine going to the box-office, or whatever they are going to call the place where one procures admis- sion, and saying, “Two two-hour checks, please... John Jones . . . Myrtle Smith . . . yes, my in- tentions are serious... yes, so’re hers . c'mon, Myrt.; I got the change; hurry, now... what? You've changed your mind? WELL, if ever I... You can’t take ’em bac! And why not, I'd like to know? . . . Well, I don’t care if you did punch ‘em; you ought to give rain checks or something. Fifty cents gone up in smoke: Now, a scene like that is not going to encourage the youth of the land in any matrimonial schemes they may happen to have in mind. It is a wom- an’s privilege to alter her men- tal attitude at any time; and she will be consid dicapped in the exercise of this saving right if there is the thought that she is doing her intended out of the price of several seats at the movies when she does it. In short, it would seem that the only ones qualified to make use of the courting parlor would be those who have absolutely settled the matter between themselv and they wouldn’t have any use for it anyw “1 dunno. Reckon I'd hev to put ‘em in the West Room.” . Took the Tip Promoter—Did you take my tip and get in on the ground floor in that new movie company? Investor—Yes, I got in on the ground floor all right, but I’ve landed in the cellar. Florence—I prefer a man with a future to one with a past. —F. Gregory Hartswick. Christine —Well, considering the season, I'd prefer one with a present. comicbooks.com