Judge, 1918-06-22 · page 35 of 36
Judge — June 22, 1918 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page advertises a 16-volume book series called *Famous Characters of History*. The main illustration depicts **Nero at the Burning of Rome**—a historical reference to the Roman emperor infamous for alleged atrocities. The text's pointed language—calling him a "royal degenerate" guilty of "matricide, fratricide, uxoricide, incendiary" crimes—uses Nero as a cautionary tale. The editorial voice explicitly states the story serves as "a sinister warning to the slavish followers of imperialism." **The satire's target**: Given the 1918 date (near WWI's end), this appears to critique imperial autocracy broadly, likely comparing historical tyrants to contemporary monarchs. The book series leverages public appetite for sensational historical narratives while framing such stories as moral instruction against authoritarian excess. The advertisement is primarily commercial, but the framing of Nero's tale as a warning against imperialism suggests contemporary political commentary embedded in the book promotion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
you the ed? he rd. ver I it er. HE Pea TE ONE Rawr Monsen. NERO AT THE BURNING OF ROME al Vampire: PETER THE GREAT BOOKS LIKE THEM ritte power CYRUS THE GREAT er changing circumstances that make Nights HANNIBAL } depth foe of Rome. Darius THE GREAT ters who, instea: nstance t tease teadera ot XERXES, nding t 4800 Pages—Large, Clear Type Extra Heavy Paper Volumes—Each Volume 8 x5} Inches 48 Full-Page Illustrations in Sepia Remarkable Characters All ALEXANDER The creat only to Cacsar as a colossal genius; one of 1's: prodigies A ng of herself and all with whor s Greatest of the Ceara; the of the Britis Empire ‘dream come true. ‘A royal degenerate; heredity on charac oa of Napoleon's ascent ed and divorced when f Whose story reads like The great Carthaginian general; he Persian monarch of Old Tes Mightiest of the astern PURER Oss TT "The Diversions abal a Royal Degenerate MATRICIDE—FRATRICIDE—UXORICIDE— INCENDIARY—MOUNTEBANK—BUFFOON! To fittingly describe this monster in human form would exhaust the vocabulary of crime. Yet he was absolute monarch of nearly half the world. L atically plotted the destruction of civilization, he imagined himself to excel in every human art and attainment. He ran the gamut of every crime and vice, making the Roman Empire minister to his atrocities, and cheating Vengeance at the end, died lamenting that so splendid a genius should have to pass | away. In him Nature seems to have done her worst, and conspired with Fate to place her product on an eminence so exalted that all men might see how great a monster she was capable of engendering— a sinister warning to the slavish followers of imperialism. ns for the pres- Read the story of his life—so pregnant with less told in the 16 ent—only one of many marvelous and true stori volumes of the Immortal Edition of Rich Cloth Binding cursed with a beauty type of man most nesdad witose AFFAIRES 4-AMOUR a bad Only $1.00 Now, With the Coupon But the price named in the yon must be advanced if the immediate response to this Int fer docs. n a quick sale of the entire edition ing, th nt Originally set aside for that purpose. MONEY BACK IF NOT SATISFIED MAIL THIS COUPON TODAY the man who stration of the . within the an a startlin, figures fon the 16 vo “¢ HARACTERS ¢ to remit the $1.00 (or more) p I will, within your expense, a tale from the Arabian the implacable tament fame; the ered ke the Hohenzollern who set the world on fire, and system- | Famous Characters of History | aL SANSA NREL