Judge, 1923-08-04 · page 7 of 36
Judge — August 4, 1923 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This page contains two separate pieces from *Judge* magazine: **"Le Mot Juste"** (top): A domestic comedy sketch about a boyfriend showing off new trousers to his girlfriend Millicent. She uses the word "terrible" casually ("just too terribly darling"), which he pedantically corrects—arguing that precise vocabulary ("the mot juste," French for "the right word") is essential to proper speech and social breeding. The satire mocks his pretentious obsession with linguistic exactitude while she's simply making conversation. It's gentle satire of masculine pedantry and class-consciousness around "refined" speech. **"Bucket Shop Victim"** (bottom): A brief cartoon showing what appears to be a man being rubbed/beaten by others, with the caption suggesting financial loss ("bucket shop" was slang for illegal gambling operations dealing in stocks). The joke's specific context is unclear without more historical detail about this particular victim or scandal. Both pieces reflect early 20th-century preoccupations with propriety, class markers, and financial schemes targeting ordinary people.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Bob, you make me think of the horizon—it never comes nearer!” Le Mot Juste by Gardner Rea AREFULLY T drew on my new form- fitting flannel trousers, rejoiced for a moment over my arabesque in the mirror, and ambled downstairs for Millicent’s verdict. “Well.” T demanded, think of them?” “Oh.” gurgled Millice just too terribly darling— “Trousers,” [ said severely, “are not terrible, never were terrible, and under no circumstances could be terrible.” “Oh, aren't they? Pe: haps if you'd spent as much time darning t darned rips as T have, you'd change” I interrupted, “puns are sheerly murderous to the purity of our specch—and you're getting off the trac Tf you vitiate your vocabulary by referring toa modest pair of trousers as ‘terri darling, what is left that i: to something really monumenr would you say, for instance, y of the Alps » a perfect. peach! . how erazy D've always Alps!” “what do you “aren't they been to sec “Millicent,” T said coldly, “I will not he diverted. If you only realiz anything other than the mot just exactly the right word in the right place ins me, you would be more considerate. —pi that I wish to scem inordinately IT went on gently, “but even Billingsgate, my ‘dear, is not style! Does thi 1 nothing to you?” “Of course it docs!” replied Millicent meckly. “You know I always want to be stylish!” “Very well,” I went on, “to bring the idea home to you, we'll adopt. your sartorial figure. Style then, Millicent the perfect tailoring of one’s specch- forms—is the trie insignia of breeding. And its critical Paquin : ymolog I thought. interrupted Mil- licent’ bewilderedly, “that that was what told you how you got Millicent; science of The ‘etymology! words.” “My! said Millicent think that a little ‘m’ words out of a nasty d admiring could make j “That, my dear, is exactly the point. It’s vs the little things that make trouble.” “But that’s not their fault,” pr Millicent. “P'm they it. the poor darling “What, ted help sure can't exasperation, Bucket Shop Victim—For the love o’ Mike, stop rubbing it in! 5