Judge — December 19, 1903 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This six-panel comic satirizes the hypocrisy of Christian charity and missionary work. A character identified as "Parson Pratz" collects Christmas donations from his congregation, claiming the money will help "heathen" (non-Christian peoples). However, the panels progressively reveal that Pratz and his associates steal and squander the collection for themselves—eating, drinking, and gambling—rather than forwarding it to missionaries. The satire targets both corrupt clergy who exploit parishioners' charitable impulses and the self-righteousness of organized Christianity. The final caption's dark humor—"the heathen were happy" because they never received the promised help—underscores the joke: the money went to the wrong "heathen" (the corrupt clergymen themselves). This reflects early-20th-century skepticism toward institutional religion and missionary enterprises.