Judge — September 28, 1901 — page 18: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

**Top cartoon ("The Dangers of Polygamy"):** Two working-class men—depicted with racist caricature—debate polygamy. One argues men should have ten wives; the other counters that multiple wives would unionize and demand fair treatment, leaving the poor man with nothing. The satire targets both polygamy (then a contemporary social concern) and labor unions, sarcastically suggesting unions are so effective they'd even exploit a husband. **Bottom cartoon ("What He Preferred"):** A poet approaches a newspaper editor, explicitly stating he doesn't want his poem *published*—only *read*. The editor, exasperated, jokes he'd "sooner take it" (accept rejection) than read it. This mocks poets who submit unsolicited work, suggesting the editor views reading bad poetry as worse punishment than rejection itself. Both reflect turn-of-century concerns: labor organizing and the glut of aspiring literary contributors submitting to publications.