Judge, 1924-03-29 · page 3 of 36
Judge — March 29, 1924 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Telephone Number Judge" - Commentary on Work-Life Balance This satirical cartoon addresses the tension between professional and domestic life in early 20th-century America. The illustration shows a businessman lounging at home while his wife complains that he does nothing but rest upon returning from the office, while she manages the household. The accompanying poem humorously catalogs various telephone lines—some business-related, others representing excuses for avoiding home. References to "a line of the least resistance" and "He's out for his lunch" satirize how men use work obligations to escape domestic responsibilities. The satire targets the gender dynamics of the era: the assumption that office work is exhausting (justifying leisure at home) while housework remains invisible and unrelenting. The wife's exasperation underscores this double standard.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
©ci8612161 TELEPHONE NUMBER LINEs To 4 TELEPHONE Ov. THE telephone system has many lines, Some clever ones, too, that are known To cach business man—and here's one he hands To his wifey sometimes on the phone. “Theres a business mecting T must attend Down at the club and I might Have to dine with a customer; so I wont Be at home for dinner to-night.” Pe Z Wife—That's just the way with you men! and the second you come back from the office, all you do is flop down and rest! And here’s a line which is often used By the business man’s busy assistants, “He's out for his lunch’—this one might be termed A line of the least resistance. His efficient stenographer uses a line With which she could never dispense— It’s as old as the hills, but it hasn’t failed yet, “He's in a conference.” Put Rosa. Here I do nothing but work, work, work—