Judge — May 22, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Degeneration" - Judge Magazine, May 22, 1897 This cartoon illustrates a stark historical reversal. The caption contrasts two moments: - **1200 years ago**: Europe repelled Muslim invasions and "protected Christianity" - **1897**: Europe now "attacks the Christians and protects the Molem" [sic] The towering grim reaper figure represents Death or Fate presiding over this moral decline. Below, figures appear to represent European powers attacking Christian peoples while allying with Ottoman/Muslim forces. This reflects late-19th-century anxieties about European imperial policy in the Ottoman Empire and Near East, particularly regarding Christian minorities. The cartoon satirizes what the artist viewed as Europe's abandonment of Christian solidarity in favor of realpolitik and imperial interests—a supposed "degeneration" from medieval crusading ideals to modern cynical statecraft.