Judge, 1917-06-30 · page 8 of 29
Judge — June 30, 1917 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early 20th-century middle-class pretension about their educated sons. Two suburban matrons, Mrs. Boastful and Mrs. Placcid, compete over their sons' accomplishments at an afternoon tea. Mrs. Boastful brags that her Reginald earned top honors in his college class; Mrs. Placcid counters that her Malcolm is currently driving a delivery wagon—framing manual labor as character-building rather than failure. The satire targets parents' self-delusion: both women congratulate themselves on their sons' situations despite—or perhaps because of—the sons' apparent lack of direction. College graduates working as delivery drivers or motormen suggests economic uncertainty or aimlessness disguised as noble "finding themselves." The page's other brief sketches mock suburban life, parenting, and wartime assumptions. The caption "For goodness' sake, Henry. We don't have to keep on this road, do we?" remains unclear without additional context.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
mi THE GREAT SPRING DRIVE IN SUBURBIA FINDING THEMSELVES know how gratified Mr. Placeid and [ were when our Malcolm said Mrs. Boastful to Mrs. Placcid at the after- got his degree and the highest honors in English when he was noon tea, “our Reginald got his A. B. all right in June — graduate : ng to have one’s sons distinguishing bod higher than any one else in his class in " some of his studies. It was awfully gratifying to his father “Indeed it is! and me.” SS just for the present he is driving the delivery wagon “Tam sure that it must have been,” said Mrs. Placcid. “I fora friend of ours who has a large grocery store. We thought some outdoor work would be good for him after four years’ confinement in college. He hardly knows just what he does want to do, and we might as well take this what we thought about our And what is he doing?” “Well, just at present the dear boy is taking up the work of a motorman. He was always interested in mechanics and, as you say of Malcolm, it gives him out- door exercise and something to do until he finds himself, as you say. Of course it takes some time for a college mtn to really find himself, once he is out of college, don’t you think?” —Max Merryman. Difficulties of Geographical Instruction Son—P: Pu—Yes, son. Son—Where does the river start? Pa—It rises in a spring. Son—Is that why we have floods in the Spring? Pa—No: the river is fed by a spring, a spring of water. Son—Through its mouth? Pa—No, at its head. Son—Pa. Pa—YVes, son. Son--Why is a river’s mouth so far from its head? Pa—Here, son; here’sa nickel—go buy yourself a baseball. Every Man to His Work Jones—Don't you think our chauffeurs should drive ambulances at the front? Smith—No, they have the training for something a “For goodness’ sake, Henry. We don’t have to keep on this road, do we?” = good deal more deadly comicbooks.com