Judge, 1916-03-25 · page 13 of 28
Judge — March 25, 1916 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical comic strip about a man (Smith) announcing his surprise engagement to Miss Matilda Jones. His friend Brown reacts with barely concealed mockery rather than genuine congratulations. The satire targets the bachelor lifestyle and late-in-life marriage. Brown's "congratulations" are backhanded insults: he assumes Smith is marrying a reformer trying to change him, mocks the age gap (suggesting Smith is ~60 and she's ~20), jokes that Smith's "sentiment is atrophied," and quips about his "rheumatism." The cartoon satirizes male friendship norms of the era—where friends expressed affection through verbal sparring and cynicism rather than genuine sentiment. Smith's choice to marry is treated as absurd and worthy of ridicule rather than celebration, reflecting early 20th-century attitudes about bachelorhood as preferable to marriage, at least among certain social circles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
F R I] By J. 4. E N D_ I WALDRON Fil Owje zs ‘“ HAT’S the matter, Smith? Here I've been waiting for W you half an hour. You ‘phoned you wanted to sce me here at ten. Lost your habit of punctuality? And you've been missing all around the circuit for days who had been sitting in the café of the Philanthropists’ sipping some seminoxious tipple with the deliberation of a con- noisseur, swallowed what was left in his glass at a gulp. “T had to write a letter. “Why didn’t you dictate it? “But it was something I couldn't dictate. know. Toa lady.” “Oh! That's it, eh? appointment with me!” “No. It took me longer than I thought it was going to. you're mistaken in your idea, my friend, It was to my fi “Your what?” Brown looked apoplectic in his surprise. “I'm going to get married. “Ha-ha-ha! At last, ch? wouldn't marry the best woman alive touched a button. “What'll you ha’ “Nothing. I'm off the stuff.” “Wehe-a-t?” No man these days writes letters.” Confidential, you You sly old dog! And you forgot your And you told me years ago you We'll drink on it.” Brown a “Fact.” “Ah! Going to marry some strong-minded woman who has a plan for prenuptial reformation. Let me congratulate you!” But Brown’s hand was not extended as is common and spontaneous with congratulators, and he looked at Smith with a smile that might have meant any one of a number of uncomplimentary things it reduced to an equivalent in speech. 3 A young woman who has no idea of reforming me. Miss Matilda Jones. Remember I introduced you to her on the street about a month ago “Oh, yes! And lugged her off before I could say ‘Howdy!’ And what did you want to see me for toda: You and I have been cronies for an age, and now you spring this on me! Did you want to ask my advice after the fact?” “No. I don’t want advice.” “True. All you need is a guardian.” “And I’m going to have one. I want you to be best man. going to be a very quiet and simple wedding.” “Best man, ch? Here, waiter, give me a solitaire cocktail. Miss Jones, ch? Good match. She must be at least twenty years old. And you're only about sixty. You've been a bachelor so long your sentiment is atrophied, to say nothing about rheumatism. It’s comicbooks.com