Judge, 1917-07-14 · page 13 of 27
Judge — July 14, 1917 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous short story with illustrations satirizing family dynamics and parental manipulation. Two observers discuss three sisters—Beatrice, Beulah, and Beryl—whom the "Casual Observer" admires for their apparent selfless devotion to their youngest sister Beryl. The satire reveals the con: Beatrice and Beulah flatter their father by praising Beryl's "sense of justice," persuading him to buy her expensive gifts. Then Beryl manipulates him further by claiming she cannot accept anything unless her sisters receive equal treatment—forcing him to spend more. The joke exposes how these daughters exploit paternal sentiment and appeals to virtue as a coordinated scheme to extract money. Their "sweet sisterly devotion" is actually calculated self-interest disguised as moral principle. The "Popular Phrase" illustration about "bringing home the bacon" reinforces the theme of extracting financial support from the father. The page satirizes both female manipulation and male gullibility to flattery.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
XUM MORE ACTION Titlle—Are you still in the Movies? Tattle—Not for a minute! The director wouldn't stand for it. One Way or Another By CHAS. C. JONES “RHE MOST remarkable case of sweet sisterly devotion T ever saw!” declared the Casual Observer. “Yes! Yes!" retorted the Close Relative. ‘O-oh yes!” “You skeptical persons are beyond me,” went on the Casual Observer. “Those girls help me to keep my faith in human nature. Beatrice, Beulah, and Beryl. Why, my unbeliever, I can say that time after time I have seen Beulah and Beatrice arguing with their father that Beryl, the ever-favored, should have a new hat, ora nice gown, or another pair of fifteen dollar shoes. And in this age of me-first-and-you- keep-up-if-you-can, that is, I repeat, a beau- tiful example of real character. How Beatrice and Beulah must love their sister, and how charmingly sweet and unspoiled Beryl remains through it all. And—say, why d’ you look as if you were about to approach a dose of cod liver oil, anyway?” “T hate to crack a fond illusion,” answered the Close Rela- tive. “TI dislike puncturing the iridescent bubble of your opin- ion of those girls. But the facts are these. Beulah and Beatrice swear that they cannot help but worship Beryl because of her unswerving and ever-present passion for exact justice. And so, time after time, they plead with their father to reward such wonderful virtue, with something nice—and expensive. And while the old gentleman might manage to withstand them one at a time, he never can escape the double plea.” “Well,” asked the Casua’ Observer, “didn’t I say it was an unusual case of sweet sisterly devotion? And isn’t it?” “In a way, it certainly is,” the Close Relative admitted. “T never knew Beryl to go back on her sisters.” “Beryl?” queried the Casual Observer in pained wonder. “Beryl? Whaddyou mean—Beryl?” “Sure! Beryl!” explained the Close Relative. “Every time Beatrice and Beulah’s father is persuaded by them to buy something new and nice and expensive for Beryl, as a reward of virtue, Beryl’s dominant virtue, which is a sweet sense of justice, compels her to persuade her father that she can’t accept unless he can manage to do as much for her sisters.” x “POPULAR PHRASE. “Bringing home the bacon.” comicbooks.com