Judge — December 28, 1912 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration depicts allegorical figures (appearing to represent Time or Fate) manipulating a large clock face. The robed figure on the left resembles Death or a similar temporal force, while armored figures below interact with the clock's mechanisms. The quoted text is from **Omar Khayyam's *Rubaiyat***: "The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, / Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit / Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line." This famous passage expresses the philosophical inevitability of fate and the irreversibility of time. The satire likely critiques human attempts to control or manipulate time, destiny, or irreversible consequences through willpower or morality alone—a commentary on human hubris or futile resistance to inevitable change. Without additional context or a visible date, the specific historical/political target remains unclear, though the theme suggests commentary on determinism versus human agency.