Judge — March 29, 1919 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Chawlie Takes His 2nd Degree" — A Masonic Satire This is a comic strip mocking Freemasonry initiation rituals. The protagonist "Chawlie" (likely a working-class character, suggested by the dialect) seeks admission to a Masonic lodge. The strip satirizes the secretive, elaborate ceremonial degrees of Masonry—particularly the "Second Degree." The humor derives from: 1. **Contrast between expectation and reality**: Chawlie expects something grand; instead, he experiences bizarre, uncomfortable rituals involving large tubes/barrels and cryptic instructions. 2. **Mocking secrecy**: The lodge members repeatedly emphasize that Masonic practices are hidden ("suppose I'm two degrees superior"), while the comic openly ridicules them. 3. **Class satire**: The working-class Chawlie's befuddlement contrasts with the lodge's pretentious ceremony. This reflects early-20th-century American skepticism toward Masonry—a period when secret societies faced public suspicion and frequent satirical attacks in publications like *Judge*.