Judge, 1918-07-20 · page 31 of 32
Judge — July 20, 1918 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This July 1918 page attacks **Kaiser Wilhelm II** of Germany through a historical parallel. The cartoon depicts "Nero at the Burning of Rome," comparing the German emperor to the notorious Roman tyrant who allegedly fiddled while Rome burned. The headline's accusations—matricide, fratricide, uxoricide, incendiary—suggest Wilhelm's responsibility for World War I's devastation. The text explicitly references "the Hohenzollern who set the world on fire," identifying him as Wilhelm and blaming him for initiating the conflict that had killed millions across "nearly half the world." Published in summer 1918, as the war neared its end and German defeat became apparent, this satire frames Wilhelm as a degenerate monster whose crimes rival history's worst figures. The comparison to Nero—a ruler remembered for tyranny and destruction—serves as propaganda delegitimizing German leadership. The advertisement for "Famous Characters of History" on the same page appears coincidental rather than thematic.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
July 20, 1918 NERO AT THE BURNING OF - ROME Remarkable Characters All British Expr true The Diversions of 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. the Hohenzollern who set world on fire, and plotted the destruction of civilization, he himself ¢ o excel in every human art and attainment. He ran the gamut of every crime and vice, making the Roman er to his atrocities, and cheating Vengeance at the nting that so splendid a genius should have to pass In him Nature scems to have done her worst, and conspired with Fate to place her product might see how great a monster she was capable of engend a sinister wa to the slavish followers of imperialism. Read the story of his life s for ent—only one of m marvel s told in the 16 volumes of the Immortal Edition of an eminence so exalted that all men ering nant with les ind true stor Famous Characters of History 4800 Pages—Large, Clear Type—Extra Heavy Paper—Rich Cloth Binding 16 Volumes—Each Volume 8 x 5', Inches 48 Full-Page Illustrations in Sepia man most necd mons AFFAIRES «AMOUR aif the courts wl Europe ia MONEY BACK IF NOT SATISFIED THIS COUPON TODAY _ JBSCRIPTI ick Buildin: COMPANY New York City o,f will, within f nat your expen’ comicbooks.com