Judge — October 17, 1891 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a satirical cartoon titled "When the Rain Machine Comes Into General Use," depicting a notice warning against rain machines on the grounds. The cartoon appears to be social satire about weather manipulation technology—a fantastical concept for the era. The central image shows a figure operating what looks like an early mechanical device, with surrounding vignettes illustrating chaotic consequences: flooding, disrupted activities, and general disorder from uncontrolled artificial rainfall. The satire targets both technological utopianism and concerns about unintended consequences. By presenting a "rain machine" that causes disaster rather than benefit, the cartoonist mocks contemporary optimism about industrial innovation solving human problems. The warning notice format suggests authorities struggling to control dangerous technology. Without a visible date, the precise historical context remains unclear, though this reflects late-19th or early-20th-century anxieties about scientific progress.