Judge, 1920-07-24 · page 34 of 36
Judge — July 24, 1920 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a satirical poem/cartoon by Wanda Petunsevitch titled "The Prophet," depicting a prehistoric Rhamphorhynchus (flying reptile) conversing with other extinct creatures about the future. The satire targets **optimistic progressivism and forced cheerfulness**. The dinosaur expresses grim pessimism about humanity's future ("This world will go to worse from very bad"), yet keeps repeating hollow platitudes ("Be cheery, O! Be happy, O! Be glad!")—mocking those who maintain forced optimism despite evidence of decline. The creatures debating what will inherit Earth after humans suggests **skepticism about human superiority and progress**. The final section's "Convention Query" joke—where politicians care more about *who created* platform planks than *what's in them*—extends this critique to political superficiality and empty rhetoric. The cartoon satirizes both misguided optimism and political phoniness circa the early 1900s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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