Judge, 1920-06-19 · page 12 of 36
Judge — June 19, 1920 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This page from *Judge* magazine contains satirical commentary on early 20th-century American social customs, presented as witty aphorisms ("Wise Saws From the Old Tool-Chest"). **The Humor:** The pieces mock gender relations and social conventions of the era. They target women's fashion obsessions (corsets, Marcel waves for hair), the economics of courtship, stenographers' romantic availability to married businessmen ("T.B.M.'s"), and materialism. One jab references the Irish independence movement ("Sinn Féiners"). **The Cartoons:** The top illustration depicts a watermelon-eating scene, likely playing on racial stereotypes common to 1920s American humor. The lower cartoon shows men with an oversized automobile, joking about wasteful luxury purchases—a commentary on post-WWI consumer excess. **Key Context:** These pieces reflect attitudes about women's limited roles, office hierarchies, and social pretension typical of the 1920s. The constant references to stenographers suggest widespread awareness of office affairs between bosses and their secretaries.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
co Drawn by C. J. Trvtom Ir Promises To Be A Great Watermeton Year 1x New Jersey, Onto anv Orne States Wise Saws From the Old Tool-Chest By Inexe A. D. Consatty HE average man hates a stiff collar quite as much as the average woman hates a corset. Both suffer because convention makes cowards of us all. rs . « The old-fashioned woman busied herself with a ta measure; her granddaughter amuses herself with t ticker tape measure of high finance. * . * he When a girl isn’t sure of a man’s income she is always embarrassed by his blithely asking, “Where shall we go for,dinner?” . . . A woman would rather have a man wreck her complexion by osculatory theft than ask her for a kiss. * * * Many a millinery confection that scares achap away from proposing doesn’t cost as much as his week's supply of cigarettes. * * . Two French grammars don’t make a linguist, nor brilliant statesmen a happy nation. * . * ‘The individual who deserves the great- est sympathy is the stout woman who affects wild stripes and plaids in crashing colors, just when her husband is becoming interested in a slim Fifth Avenue manne- quin. . Some $2,000-a-year men are so unreason- able—they expect a wife to get along with only three fur coats a season. ? 1, x 2 Zen, A girl applying for a steno- graphic position in New York needn’t know a thing about spelling and punctuation if she’s good at figures —espe- cially her own. * . Ma ve 2. ul If more women realized the psychological effect of a Mar- cel on susceptible masculinity, there would be a hair-dressing salon for every vacant saloon. . * * So many T. B. M.’s are misunderstood by their wives and sympathized with by their stenographers that it’s no wonder stenographers’ salaries are away up. * * Before marriage a kiss is a ceremony; after marriage it degenerates to an_ informal salute. The * * * modern child is brought up on maternal “don'ts” and “mustn’ts” and paternal “ Don’t-bother- me-can’t-you-see-I’m-busy?” In spite of this handi- cap some speak English fairly well. . ee The only difference between the English and the Sinn Feiners is the Irish question. . * * The little girl of today is not interested in dolls; she goes directly from the cradle to the movies and at fif- teen is discussing social problems. Johnny Will Grow Up to Be a Senator Mother—What are you doing in the pantry, Johnny? Johnny—Putting away the jelly, mother. Drawn by C. W. Kanes “What's the idea buying a seven-passenger touring car when there are only two of us to ride in it? comichooks.colm