Judge, 1919-12-06 · page 11 of 36
Judge — December 6, 1919 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Breath of Scandal" This story satirizes wealthy post-WWI society and its moral hypocrisy. Mr. Welland, a war profiteer who "added millions to millions during the war," openly maintains an affair with Mrs. Scarlett while she remains married. To preserve appearances, he hires a young widow, Mrs. Ashton, as a nominal "chaperone" aboard his yacht *The Witch*—a transparent fig leaf for respectability. The satire targets both the wealthy's brazen conduct and society women's complicit gossip. They whisper disapprovingly while recognizing money enables such scandals. Mrs. Ashton's acceptance of this dubious position—despite being "stunning" and potentially respectable—illustrates how financial desperation forces even genteel women into compromising situations. The cartoon illustrates this on-deck tableau of hollow propriety.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“On Boarp The Witch Wettann anp His Guests Were Enysoytne Ltre.” The Breath of Scandal By J. A. Watpron Illustration by Lawrence Fettows “SEE Welland has gone cruising again on his I yacht,” remarked one woman in the social swim to an intimate met at a fashionable shop on Fifth Avenue. “Yes,” the other woman rejoined. “There was but a line about it in the Social News, yet the Scarletts are again with him.” “Aren't they almost always with him? They seem inevitable companions on his yacht. They visit him in town and at his place on Long Island, and they have even taken journeys with him in his private car!” “What will come of it all?” “What always comes, of course. Scarlett be so blind?” “Blind! It isn’t that. Welland is simply rolling in money. He added millions to million’ during the war. u Wait! How can Scarlett must know. I hear there is a third person on The Witch for this cruise—a Mrs. Asliton. Some- body said the affair had become so glaring that some- thing had to be done. Mrs. Ashton is called a chape- ron. Oh, la-la!” “But who is she?” “A widow from somewhere north. I met her at the ‘yntons’ dinner. Why, she is only a girl! Chaperon, indeed! And she’s stunning—handsome enough to make her way in other circumstances. Not exactly a fine position for even a young widow, to my mind! But is there anything money can’t do these days?” And these delightful women gossiped on, sometimes in half-whispers, as was very proper. But Welland was game for gossips. He was also the ambition of mothers with daughters to be married 12-619 comichooks,