Judge — April 7, 1917 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *Judge* magazine mocks xenophobic anxiety about Chinese immigration and birth rates. The dialogue references a (likely fabricated or misinterpreted) newspaper claim that "every third child born is Chinese"—reflecting widespread early 20th-century fears about demographic change and Asian population growth. The husband's comment about Dr. Obstet (an obstetrician) visiting the Jones family implies Jones is anxious about having another child, fearing it might be Chinese due to this supposed statistical trend. The satire targets both the absurdity of this irrational fear and the racism underlying it. The cartoon ridicules how pseudoscientific claims could fuel immigration panic among ordinary Americans during a period of significant anti-Chinese sentiment and restrictive immigration policies.