Judge — May 12, 1923 — page 35: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This comic satirizes a man's weak rationalization for procrastination. A student or worker repeatedly claims he should study or work, but instead attends a show. To resolve his guilt, he uses increasingly absurd methods—coin flips and mathematical games ("make it two outa three," "three outa five")—to justify his choice, always landing on "go see the show." The humor lies in the transparent self-deception: he's not genuinely leaving the decision to chance; he's manipulating the game to reach his predetermined preference. The phrase "conscience balm" (the title) refers to these flimsy mental tricks people use to soothe guilt about procrastination or shirking responsibility. The comic captures a timeless human weakness: using pseudo-rational excuses to rationalize doing what we want rather than what we should do.