Judge, 1934-03 · page 12 of 36
Judge — March 1934 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Mistress Pepys' Journal" – Satire of Modern Women's Lives This humor column mimics Samuel Pepys's famous 17th-century diary but chronicles a contemporary upper-class woman's mundane social complaints. The satire targets 1920s-30s society women: their obsession with fashion ("new black and white tailleur"), fashionable clubs (Smith College Club), and trivial gossip. The cartoon below shows two men discussing a dock—likely mocking the husband's pretentious "constitutional" walk and his tedious health lectures. The satire mocks masculine pomposity alongside feminine vanity. Key social references include skepticism toward advertising ("dialogue advertisements"), critique of women's magazine culture, and gentle mockery of upper-class pretension. The author parodies both sexes: husbands who bore their wives with self-importance, and wives preoccupied with appearance and exclusive social circles. The tone is affectionate rather than biting—poking fun at leisure-class concerns while implying readers recognize themselves in these characters.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Judge Mistress Pepys’ Journal By Baird Leonard EBRUARY 1.—My husband, poor wretch, in at what seemed to me the middle of the night, but he did tell me, with many verbal flourishes and a good deal of chest-whacking, that it was all of eight in the morning, and that he had been for a constitutional around the dock at the foot of our street and felt equal to any emergency, and did I know that the morning hours were the finest in the day, and that we could add ten years to our woken lives if we but quit our beds slightly in advance of our usual custom, ete., until I was at some pains not to throw “The Prime Minis- ter’s Pencil” at him. But [ did content myself with reminding him that 75% of the inhabitants of our jails come from persons whose habit it was to arise be- fore seven o'clock, and that all the early risers of my acquaintance were conceited in the morning and stupid in the after- noon. So back to sleep for an hour or 1 then at the journals, deriving pleasure from the dialogue adver- tisements which have recently come into vogue, albeit 1 do not think their sales persuasion would be le of them did not use “like tion, ened if so many s & conjunc- Up and did on my new’ black and white tailleur with the powder-blue lin- ing and blouse, a so to the Smith College Club for luncheon, but the food was so creamy and feminine that I did fear to eat a bite of it spot. my immaculate maiden voyage, a cz not wishing to yparel on its amity which occurs so freque as to have become pro- verbial with my sex. All the tak was of publicity for the club and tne best means of securing it, but I did fall out of the discussion whilst it was at its height, having perceived that the only stories which would interest: photogra- phers and city editors were held to be those which would astound or enrage 10 “You're quite sure this is a seven and three-eights—it feels a trifle small.” erve a decent erence to my could have created a news interest then and there by stand- up and speaking my mind, which hell with it!” the trustees. I did pre: decorum, however, in di he . when T EBRUARY 2.—Minded to stop at home all day lest I see my shadow should I go out, so. called Sootnby to come and keep me and she wanted to know Marge mp: what be done about her shadow, but the old was to zany arrived in’ gc bawled for a dd time, albeit she beaker of sherry upon entering the house, confiding that she felt as though she were going to be one with Nineveh and Tyre any minute. News from her of Ethel Andrews, an old crony whom we have not seen for cock- tail party would not remove her mink coat albeit she was tortured heat, and confided, w years, who yesterday ata crowde with the hen questioned as to her obstinacy, that it was uninsured, and that she would not consider in these parlous times the risk of its being picked up by some woman who was there in rabbit. A fine comment, methought, on the quality of the hospitality, but Lord! Marge has some of the oddest specimens in her acquaintance that ever I saw in my life, a catholicity which I daresay should be expected from the daughter of a hundred clergymen and college comicbooks.com