Judge, 1923-12-29 · page 13 of 37
Judge — December 29, 1923 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This 1924 *Judge* magazine page satirizes rapid social change and modern courtship customs. The main cartoon "Preparedness" mocks the "leap year proposal" tradition (when women could propose to men) by depicting a cynical scheme: a man offers a woman $1,000 to announce a fake engagement, supposedly to deter other marriage-minded women during leap year, then break it off after twelve months. The accompanying text and vignettes joke about 1920s hustle culture and materialism. "Courtship in 1924" satirizes how quickly people make life decisions in the modern era—a man proposes after just hours of meeting. "Gold Digger" mocks both miners and office workers obsessed with money. Other brief jokes target social mobility and shifting gender roles (the "pure food investigator" tramp, the father worried about his daughter skating). The satire captures anxiety about how rapidly traditional customs—courtship, gender roles, economic relationships—were changing in the post-WWI, Jazz Age 1920s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Courtship in 1924 by Frank H. Melon «Pus is so sweetly sudden!” she mur- I mured with entirely parddnable irism, her purple, exotic eyes look- into his hazel orbs from under glisten- “penciled eyebrows with a delirious Yes, I know it’s sudden,” he replied, speaking hurriedly, but with hot affee- tion’s convincing emphasis. “Yet you must understand, my darling, that this is 1924, the year when everything's being done more ‘suddenly than ever. before. ‘Though I met you but a couple of hours for the first time, I love you, and I be- ieve that you too love me. Would we know each other any better if we had seen the last two seasons’ plays together, heard all the latest operas in company, fox- trotted 4,218 miles of embracement, seen the whole crop of imported and home made dancers and taken in the movies until we could move no more? Fair one, adorable miss, will you marry me to-morrow?” he concluded energeti- cally, glancing at his commuters’ time- table. » answer quickly, for the last train leaves for Yiphank in fifteen minutes and I haven't the price of a taxi left sweet one, “On one condition,” she murmured, softly as the summer breeze caressing a garden of Burbank’s thornless roses. “And that is—2” he flung back pre- par ig for a hotfoot to the railroad station. you make it to-c I do not believe in long engagements. Rattad Gold Digger by Edgar Daniel Kramer TT GH my calloused By the handle of a pick, Though a session with a shovel Would be apt to kill me quick, As lean above my ledger, Chasing figures to and fro, It’s for coal that I am digging I would have the wise world know. palms have not been ‘Though I've never seen a tipple Or a smudgy mining town, Though [’ve never watched the stations As the cage went dropping down, I am digging, digging. digging, Till each fleeting day is through, the coal that’s in my cellar With its payment overdue. Expedition Sets Out. what sort of work PREPAREDNESS “Sandy, as a handsome, eligible bachelor, you are going to be pestered by proposals during leap year. For $1,000 cash I'll announce our engagement, the girls will let you alone, and at the end of the year I'll break it off.” “T'd be glad to give youa job,” said the kind lady to the tramp, “if I knew you could do.” “Well, mum,” 1 the tramp, “me last job was that of a pure food investi- gator.” tots Father—Johnny, did you ever see that fellow that clerks at the hardware store kissing your sister? Johnny—Father, I cannot tell a lie. That's the way I got my radio set. And So Also Will the “Big C”” by We M. Myers Morte: may I go out to skate? Oh, yes, my darling Liz ; But don’t you try the figure eight, It’s sure to make you dizzy, tot ‘Henry, sinc you haven't been to church you took up golf!” show what a wonderful climate we have here, my dear.” x0e8 lo comicbooks.com