Judge, 1919-11-22 · page 11 of 36
Judge — November 22, 1919 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Sour Philosophy" - Satirical Commentary on Pessimistic Wisdom This satirical piece by Walt Mason critiques philosophers and moralists who preach gloomy doctrines that discourage life's pleasures. The illustration shows a well-dressed, elderly man (representing conventional wisdom/the "sour philosopher") gesturing disapprovingly at a young woman in an embrace—embodying the clash between restrictive moral teaching and youthful vitality. Mason's text mocks three prevalent pieties: that "beauty is skin deep" (so why pursue attractive women?), that wealth is sinful (so avoid success), and that honesty alone matters (ignoring that dishonest people prosper). The satire's point: these grim philosophies paralyze followers into poverty and joylessness while offering no practical benefit. Mason advocates instead for a "chipper, gay and blithe" approach to life—embracing pleasure and opportunity rather than self-denying asceticism. The cartoon ridicules moralizing hypocrisy that restricts common people while the world's actual winners ignore such advice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Tuey Look on Pretty Girts anv Weer, ano Say Tuat 3eauTY 1s Skin Deep Sour Philosophy By Watt Maso Jilustration by Rate Barton er hand OME sad philosophers there are, blue, us jolt and jar than cheer us uj are and have the dumps, and fantods, too. If there is anything we prize, they look on it with corniul eyes, and say it is a false alarm, a fake devoid of any charm, They look on pretty girls and weep, and. say ty is skin deep. But shall we pass up dazzling ‘ause in time their beauty fades? Shall we avoid the dame divine because her eyes will cease to shine, when years have made her bent and gray? She has her beauty for tod nd that’s enough for you and me, or should be, you will agree, Her beauty is a surf bloom that soon must molder in the tomb, but while she has it she’s a peach; so let the wise old graybeards preach; he is a cheap and id man who'll chase no damsels while he can. he ¢ philosophers remark that riches merely chafe and cark. While we're alive they hurt the soul, and put our morals in the hole; a wrong perspective they impart, they are a canker in the heart. And when at last we pull our freight, and journey to St. Peter’s gate, and ask hir for our harp and crown, he merely grunts and turns u down. “A camel,” says he, “might get by, and caper through a needle’s eye; but no rich man, I'll make you wise, can have a seat in Paradise.” Discouraged by such gloomy spiels, we sidestep all the u that bea’ maids be plunks and wheels; in poverty we toil along, since we are told that wealth is wrong. At every hour some fellow balks at ying oil or mining stocks, lest wealth destroy his faith reed, and put him on the blink, indeed. Oh, I’ve had and ¢ e with wealthy men: chances now and then, to take my p J might have played the races some, or gathered in a Wall strect plum, but this dour doctrine interfered; so I've no ets but my beard. They've always said, they’re saying yet, that honesty’s the one best bet. And so we stick to honest ways, and live on soupbones all our days. We see the other fellows climb » places on the heights sublime; they are not hampered the claim that honesty’s the proper game. They do their neighbors while they can, the world’s an oyster for each man. And they have all the sport and fun, and corner every kind of mon, while we, so honest that it hurts, must seek the pawnshop with our shirts. Philosophers, unless they're gay fade away. Unless they tell us to be nt the grad, and make this life bore us and annoy. And nearly all the wise old saws that graybeards push through palsied jaws, the proverbs of the years behind, a ions of a moldy kind. Let us be chipper, gay and blithe, till comes the reaper should take their traps nd lift the round of joy, with his scythe. 1-22.19