Judge, 1922-08-05 · page 5 of 36
Judge — August 5, 1922 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Social Primer" by George Mitchell This is a satirical instructional piece mocking social conventions and gender stereotypes of the early 20th century. The "primer" format humorously teaches readers about high society through crude question-and-answer lessons. The satire targets: - **The "Beautiful Lady"**: Mocked for wearing minimal clothing despite being "Best Dressed," implying wealthy women's fashion is paradoxically revealing - **The Gentleman**: Portrayed as a habitual drunk who drinks because he's told he may—absurdist logic about male excess - **The Nice Man**: Criticized for singing poorly, suggesting educated men lack actual talent - **The Pretty Lady**: Ridiculed for talking incessantly about nothing, reducing women to vapid chatter The crude illustrations and condescending "teaching" format amplify the mockery of upper-class pretension and gender-based character flaws. It's social commentary disguised as children's instruction.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Social Pri € socia rimer BY GEORGE MITCHELL ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN HELD, Jr. ) \ \ ~ | / - Who is the ‘ 4 bed Beautiful Lady? : — She is the Best vo J ~ Dressed Lady in / - “tt ~\ the World. y foe \ Then why does ’ she wear so little clothing? Because she is the Best Dressed Lady in the World. See the Gentleman. What is the Gentleman doing? He is drinking. Why is he Drinking? Because he has been told that he may not. Will he ever stop Drinking? Yes. He will. When? When he is told that he may 75 Drink. Lae) See the Nice Man. What is the Nice Man doing? He is singing. Why does he sing? Because he does not know how to sing. Do Men who know how to sing, sing? No. They do not. Why? Because they know how to sing. See the Pretty Lady. What is the Pretty Lady doing? She is Talking. Why is she Talking? Because she has Nothing to say. Will she ever stop Talking? Yes. When she knows how little she knows. And when will that be? ' When she stops Talking. comicbooks.com