Judge, 1918-04-06 · page 16 of 36
Judge — April 6, 1918 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical dialogue mocks upper-class women's selective patriotism during World War I. Two society women debate whether to do spring housecleaning, initially framing it as a wartime sacrifice—claiming it wastes soap and diverts "man-power" needed to "beat Germans." The satire exposes their hypocrisy: they're willing to *discuss* patriotic sacrifice, but their real concerns are superficial (appearance, the suffrage movement—"the antis"). Most tellingly, when the hostess reveals she secretly diverts housekeeping allowance money to buy clothes, the guest admits doing the same, and they abandon their principled stance entirely. The cartoon caption, "The Traffic Cop of 1925," reinforces the joke: by 1925 (the article's present), wartime rationales have become laughable pretexts for women's actual priorities: personal spending and social status.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘ OSTESS—Do you know, I am actually looking forward to housecleaning this year. It seems to be the one thing in life which the war hasn’t changed. Her Guest—Really? But I think it HAS been changed. Iwas saying tomy husband only yesterday that I didn’t think the draperies would have to come down at all. We've conserved so much coal that they’re not nearly so sooty as usual. Hostess—Well, I took my velour curtains down in the fall, and cut them up to make chest protectors for my two nephews who are in the service. Her Guest—How odd! I never heard of sucha thing. Hostess—But they make excellent chest protectors. And then I had enough material left over to cover a few cushions for the sewing-room. I really needed to brighten up my sewing-room, you see, because our knitting club meets there. Her Guest—Of course. For myself, however, I am thinking seriously of giving up housecleaning entirely this year. Housecleaning comes right in the midst of Lent, you know, and I’ve often been tempted to give it up for that reason. It does seem like one might, don’t you think? And now with one’s energies being simply USED UP in relief work and all that, I think we really ought. Hostess—My conscience would never let me. Her Guest—It would look rather queer, I know. But I do feel that housecleaning is a domestic act Her House in Order By Liste Bewt which ought to be sacrificed. You can’t conceive how much soap would be saved. Hostess—That’s true, but it’s the JDEA of the thing. Her Guest—That’s just it. Here we women are, willing to engage the man-power of the nation in beating rugs, when it ought to be beating Germans. It’s simply dreadful. I maintain that housecleaning ought to be stopped for—for the duration of the war. Hostess—Perhaps you’re right. But think what a chance such an agitation would give the antis. Her Guest—We should have to consider that, of course. The vote is the main thing; the rugs come second. Hostess—Well, there’s one bit of housecleaning that I am going to do this year, even if I slight some of it. I’m going to clean out behind the bookcase. Last year, when I cleaned there, I came across an old recipe that had been missing for years. I tried it for dinner that very evening, I recall, and got a new spring hat out of my husband’s ensuing good humor. Besides, | can’t afford to drop housecleaning entirely. You see, I always manage to save enough out of my housecleaning allowance to buy some things I want to wear. Her Guest—Really, do YOU do that? Isn’t it odd? Ido, too. But I hadn’t thought about that. Hostess—Well, I suppose we might just as well clean house. Her Guest—Yes, I suppose we simply A/UST. wag 2 he Or TN san ’ Dicteh hss) OWT mai Drawn by P. D. Jouxsox Tue Trarric Cop oF 1925