Judge — June 1, 1918 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This WWI-era Judge page satirizes "conductorettes"—women hired as streetcar conductors when men went to war. The comic shows both advantages and disadvantages of this wartime employment shift. The scenarios depict: - **Women handling difficult passengers** (gossips, absent-minded professors, fare disputes) - **Courtesy conflicts**: a conductorette allowing a romantic couple to ride past their stop - **Financial problems**: conductors collecting insufficient fares to cover expenses - **Authority challenges**: a woman unable to enforce "no riding" rules against a man The satire critiques whether women could maintain professional standards in a traditionally male role, while also mocking passenger behavior—gossiping about soldiers, taking advantage of female conductors' politeness, and financial irresponsibility. The title indicates Judge views conductorettes as simultaneously beneficial (filling labor gaps) and problematic (lacking enforcement authority), reflecting contemporary gender anxieties about women's wartime work.