Judge, 1916-01-29 · page 13 of 28
Judge — January 29, 1916 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Judge* magazine presents satirical humor about wealthy leisure-class life. The illustration depicts an elegant country club setting where well-dressed socialites gather. The jokes mock the expense and absurdity of maintaining upper-class social status. "The Expense of Knowing People" lists the cumulative costs of various relationships—from a barber ($5/year) to a girlfriend ($40-4,000/year)—suggesting that social climbing and romance are financially exhausting pursuits. Other quips target modern contradictions: wealthy people who haven't been seen in a year, the pretense of optimism amid financial strain, and the hollow morality of the wealthy ("Honesty, mostly!"). The "War Brides" reference appears to reference women purchased or courted opportunistically. Overall, the satire targets Gilded Age excess, social climbing, and the financial precarity masquerading as wealth among the country-club set.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AT THE WILMINGTON COUNTRY .CLUB Helene—How did Dasher fare with the “ War Brides” he purchased on Wall Street ? The Truc Optimism rt HERE'S nothing so bad that it couldn't be worse,” Is mighty poor « Or another's mij h ver + But the tide of my courage irom ebb turns 10 flow And with Fortune once more a 1, at the thought that there's n d that it couldn't be better. utter hing I know Just For a Change The janitor of our flat is going to give some kind of an entertainment. Crabsh For your sake, 1 hope it will be a housewarming. These Modern Days have money, haven't they?’ haven't seen them for They “LT don’t know; about a year.” The Expense of Knowing People Fee knowing a barber—five dollars a year, \ neighbor, say two dinners, an auto ride every third week and treats—forty dollars 1 year \ girl—from forty to four thousand a year. Any tradesman—about the same. \ friend, average—two hundred. \ close friend—one hundred. Anyone—average, fifty. The hermit spends practically nothing. How much do YOU spend? Think this over. Speedometer, Then s (his teeth chattering) —How f-f-fast can you go in this car? Griges—VIl show you in about five min- utes. It takes about that long to get her warmed up. Minnie—He's suing for non-support. Usurped this I see!” the bashful lover ay val As, pausing in alarm before her gate, He saw within another, bolder man Embrace his Kate. “This,” laughed the maid, when once her lips were fr “You could not understand should I explain; And anyway I’m much too bu Pray call again.”—Eserett Henry Rupert. y now— The Pinch st golfer (to clubmate who has just been trimmed woefully —Well, what’s your han- dicap? Second golfer—Honesty, mostly! Pretty Small Hewitt—What sort of a fellow is he? Jewett—Well, he will never have to say to his conscience, “How you have grown.’ comicbooks.com