Judge, 1918-02-02 · page 4 of 36
Judge — February 2, 1918 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Judge* magazine presents a satirical dialogue titled "Modern Instances" between two women, Josephine and Mildred, discussing Mildred's recent divorce from a man named Algernon. The satire mocks contemporary attitudes toward divorce and infidelity. Mildred defends her ex-husband as "handsome" and "clever," while Josephine responds with sarcasm about divorce's social consequences and makes a cutting reference to Algernon's wandering eye, joking that if Cleopatra returned to earth, he'd prefer her over Mildred—before inevitably chasing someone from the "Beauty Chorus." The cartoon targets both the casualness with which wealthy men pursue multiple women and the social awkwardness divorce creates among the upper classes. The stylized Art Nouveau illustration and sophisticated dialogue suggest this ridicules high-society hypocrisy regarding marriage and fidelity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mopern Instances Jaa visited Mildred after a notable social event which for some time had kept Mildred away from her intimates. “T can hardly believe, dear, that you have divorced Algernon,” she said. “Why, he is such a handsome—such a clever fellow! I always rather liked him myse' “Yes?” replied Mildred. “Candidly that was just the trouble. Before we were married he once said to me that I was one girl in a thousand. I have since thought he knew the other nine hundred and ninety-nine.” “Tsn’t it terrible! When you get a divorce what can any of us expect? Still, I believe in my Harold—dear fellow! Only yesterday he said that if Cleopatra were on earth again he should prefer me!” “A mere figure of speech, my dear! Cleopatra is a remote historical person. Wait until he fixes his mind upon some girl in the Beauty Chorus!”