Judge, 1917-07-07 · page 11 of 27
Judge — July 7, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American home-front attitudes during World War I. The title illustration shows civilians at what appears to be a patriotic gathering with farming tools, suggesting mobilization efforts. The accompanying sketches mock the disconnect between wartime rhetoric and actual behavior: **"Any Debutante at Luncheon"** ridicules wealthy women dismissing the war as minor ("Germans are just bluffing") while obsessing over luxuries, gossip, and romantic affairs—utterly detached from sacrifice. **Other vignettes** joke about: - Marital infidelity during wartime ("doo-daddle Rivers") - Youth's indifference to parental wisdom - The Liberty Loan (war bonds) being cynically viewed as "cheaper alimony"—mocking men's reluctant patriotism - Gender dynamics ("Sally Suffrage" commentary on women's rights) The humor targets American complacency and hypocrisy: citizens aren't truly committed to war effort, treating it as background noise while pursuing pleasure and profit. The satire suggests America's civilian population views the conflict with moral detachment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Any Debutante at Luncheon “TT won't be really war, you know, Bob says the Germans are just bluffing— That gray thing smart! Do you think so? Yes. Jumbo squab with chestnut stuff- ing. My dear! I don’t believe a word— Oh, any sort of zippy salad And that decree of hers! I’ve heard That in this state it isn’t valid. Yes, please, a Bronx. Oh, well / think The poor things oughtn’t to have any: What an atrocious shade of pink !— At least, they needn’t have so many. There’s Rose! Hoo-hoo! Come over here— Oh, she’s with that doo-daddle Rivers; His wife’s in Florida. My dear! These strawberries give me the shivers! Now, coffee and a cigarette; I'll set you down where you are going. My plans?—I'll drop you first, my pet— Oh, come, you needn't look so knowing! I'll meet him, if I strike no snag;— No, let me pay the check-thing, honey. I looted mother’s gold-mesh bag, And I've a lot of ready money!” —Carolyn Wells. Another Polonius Stabbed “Don’t fritter away your youth, young man. Remember well begun is half done. “Maybe so, uncle. But I’m in no hurry to sce my finish.” Consoling Mother She—Now, Johnny, you've made me lose my temper. Johnny—Shucks, Ma, that ain't no loss, A Greater Need HILE synonyms and antonyms Are much to be admired, An antidote for anecdotes Is what is most desired. Tennyson J. Daft. Wearing “Do you believe in this ‘dance and grow thin’ stuff? “Certainly; look at my soles.” Explaining Their Enthusiasm She—Why are the men so enthusiastic over this Liberty Loan? He—They think it is a cheaper form of alimony, I guess. Knicker—What are the Smiths doing? Bocker—She is figuring how to spend ten dollars and he is deciding how to spend seven billions. Query? ALLY SUFFRAGE does not see Why a man should rule her. Men appear Insincere, Trying hard to fool her. Would she like it’better, then (Sally’s only human) To be ruled, Maybe fooled, By another woman? —Eunice Ward. The big fish that got a weigh. comicbooks.com