Judge, 1918-06-08 · page 4 of 36
Judge — June 8, 1918 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This illustration by Orson Lowell depicts Cap'n Henry of the *Dusty Mermaid* in Dorset Hollow, Vermont, attempting spring plowing. The satire concerns a sea captain who has relocated inland—a "land-locked mariner"—and is struggling to adapt to agricultural work. The joke centers on his inexperience: before he can finish planting seeds, aggressive sea-gulls attack him—birds entirely unfamiliar to inland Vermont. The cartoon mocks his inability to escape maritime troubles despite abandoning the sea, suggesting he's incompatible with landlocked life. The swarms of black sea-birds represent his past catching up with him, making farming as chaotic as seafaring.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Draven by Orsox Lowetr Tue Lanp-Lockep Mariner STILL ON THE JoB Cap’n Henry, of the Dusty Mermaid, Dorset Hollow, Vt., busies himself with his spring plowing, but before he can even get all his seed in he is pounced upon by a species of loud and black sea-gull entirely new to him.