Judge, 1917-02-17 · page 4 of 28
Judge — February 17, 1917 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This editorials page celebrates George Washington's birthday (February 22). The text humorously discusses the calendar discrepancy between old and new style dates—Washington was born under the Julian calendar but Americans observed it under the Gregorian calendar. The top illustration shows an eagle and cherub, symbolizing American patriotism and Washington's legacy. "A Stage Beauty" (the captioned illustration) depicts what appears to be a theatrical scene with period costume, though its specific satirical point is unclear from the visible text. The page's main content is a tongue-in-cheek essay about Washington's character quirks—particularly his disability regarding truth-telling and his frankness that made him politically valuable despite social awkwardness. The satire gently mocks how Washington's flaws paradoxically made him exceptional as a national leader.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TT SE ai ry al Ny — Gerace I EN ee ee February 22 EORGE WASHINGTON was born on February 11, O.S. There was a dispute about calendars, and the Gregor- ian (New Style) sup- planted the Julian (Old. Style). The Julian calendar was named for Julius Cxesar—which proved, so far as its retention was con- cerned, a more than nomenclatural error of judgment. Every boy in the Latin course may not have been for the Gregorian, but they were all against the Julian. They were strong for Brutus, Cassius, and what happened at the base of Pom- t statue. Nor was what was on at the movies sufficiently exciting to miti- gate their fathers’ recollections of Ca- sur’s “Gallic War.” Father did not care what they did to the Julian calen- dar so long as they retained those Ides of March to guard inst a recurrence of “Veni, vidi, vici. In away, changing the calendar made for domestic tranquillity. Husbands could get by, by arranging to meet visit- ing mothers train 11 days past due, for in: ve a Wife a run- ning start of 11 days’ difference and a double-header date for each day and she could easily run in two bridge parti tangoes, where the old calendar called for one But the young people did not like it—and in this way there arose the custom of making their own dates, without consulting the old folks’ calendar. George Washington's explanation of his reasons for being born O. S. rather than N. S. was to the point. He hated to be born New Style, because the ja would want to stretch the rule nd let him come in with the front entrance poodle, rather t shes. This, he reasoned, might trance with the rear en- crowd the poodle. UTI mm or A (issfer be Ota ae STAGE BEAUTY February 11 looked at it differently, and so by just becoming February it got red ink on the calendar. ‘The good judgment which he displayed in being born, George Washington showed throughout his life. ide from his public care he is best remember for having indulged in a chop xpense. This occurred, we must remember, long before the days of high cost of living—for the noble youth, taxed with the chop, expressed his willingness to go to the stake. He could not tell a lie! This unique disabil- ity ade George Washington a nza for the alienists, or maybe handed him the world’s prize misfit on the golf links, made George Washington the Father of His Country. One's father is he whose character and ex- ample one reveres too greatly to cheapen it by imitation. icorge LIT was the reigning mon arch. He reigned so long that he set- tled down to a steady drizzle—the Lon- don fogs date from his ascendency. Whereas, George Washington and his fellow patriots established the weather bureau, so that now it never rains but it pours George Washington knocked out one eye for King George, and Rochambeau knocked out the other. So when George 1V mounted the throne he had only one “1 eft, plus the “WV” he providently borrowed of Victoria. icbhooks.com