Judge, 1917-09-01 · page 9 of 28
Judge — September 1, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces about wartime social behavior during WWI: **"Miss Chatterbox: A War-Time Portrait"** critiques a frivolous society woman who suddenly becomes serious when her boyfriend Herbert announces he's enlisted ("qualified"). The poem contrasts her pre-war obsession with parties, French novels, and traffic delays with her newfound patriotic commitment to Red Cross work. The satire suggests the war transformed even shallow socialites into more responsible citizens. **"The Sleuth's View Point"** is a brief two-panel joke about gender hypocrisy: a husband uses "military reasons" to avoid explaining his late-night poker games, while the accompanying cartoon shows women from the "Civic League" raiding the illegal poker operation at a barber shop. The constable's irritation at their curiosity mocks both the deception and the women's moral policing. Together, these pieces satirize how WWI disrupted normal social rules and exposed contradictions in wartime behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Miss Chatterbox: A War-Time Portrait By CHARLES HANSON TOWNE HE used to go to luncheons, to suppers and to teas, Where delicate young gentlemen all hovered round like bees; At thes dansants she chattered, as down the floor she whirled, A light-o’-love, a butterfly, with no care in the world. And youths precise and elegant, and indolent and slim, Disported at her slightest word, obeyed her lightest whim. She laughed a lot, and talked a lot; she flirted with her fan; Miss Chatterbox they named her when her “career” began; A darling little scatterbrain, delectable and sweet, Who fretted when her car was held at Forty-second Street. The traffic regulations? Pshaw! She'd be late for the pla: She’d promised Dot she'd lunch with her, and “do” a mating Exquisi an airy miss, who took her flowery ; Who read French novelettes and fed sweets to her Pekinges But one day Herbert called her up and spoiled her afternoon By telling her he’d “qualified.” . .. “My dear, I’m sailing soon.” This ghastly War! Miss Chatterbox was furious, and then— “Why, after all—I’d 'most forgot—there are such things as men!” She didn’t chatter after that; she found that one could do A hundred little simple things, if one but wanted to. The only lad she cared about had left the silly whirl; Perhaps Red Cross might use her, a frivolous young girl! . . . And now she frets—but justly -when in the rush and heat Her limousine is made to pause at Forty-second Street! In time of war everybedy feels that one party is just as patri- otic as the other and maybe a shade more so. W ife—Where have you been so late? Playing poker, again—or what? Hubby—For military reasons | can't tell you! these things is like on the inside! The Sleuth’s View Point “So the good ladies of the Civic League last night raided the poker game that has been running all winter in the back room of the Palace Barber Shop?” we asked. yah!” grumbled Constable Sam T. Slackputter, of “Beats thunder how much curiosity some women have got!” The inquisitie: one—Yep, I've always been curious to see what one o° comicbooks.com