Judge — February 13, 1926 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page collects comedic vignettes satirizing early 20th-century social etiquette and manners, presented as theatrical sketches. The humor centers on violations of proper conduct: **Top section**: A gentleman instructs another on napkin folding and standing when ladies enter—basic etiquette rules. The joke turns on Harry Watson's apparent ignorance ("who started that?"), suggesting even supposedly cultured men don't know basic manners. **Middle panels**: Show various social transgressions—a man in financial desperation seeking a "telephone book" for funds; a woman playing mahjong with "ivory set" and "two brothers" (implying impropriety); and a "night in Paris" scenario suggesting questionable conduct. **Bottom left**: A man begs money from another while disheveled, hoping to avoid "a night in parlor" (domestic strife). The overall satire mocks how rigidly enforced yet poorly understood social conventions were, and how easily "respectable" people could violate them while remaining oblivious—a running Judge magazine theme about class pretension.