Judge — April 16, 1921 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This illustration by Waiter De Maus depicts a domestic scene with a father and son at a desk. The caption presents a math problem about work productivity: "Pa, if it takes one man ten days to do a piece of work, how long will it take five men to do it?" The father responds, "It will take five men just as long these days, my son." The satire targets **labor inefficiency and worker productivity**, likely referencing early 20th-century concerns about workplace management. The joke suggests that having more workers doesn't actually speed up completion—a critique either of poor labor practices, worker laziness, or overstaffing. This reflects common period anxieties about industrial efficiency and the rational organization of work.