Judge — April 30, 1921 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This illustration by Roswell Cocks depicts a scene in what appears to be a church or cathedral interior. The caption reads: "I want to tell you, Bishop, that you preached that sermon better than I ever heard it preached before." The satire likely critiques ecclesiastical hypocrisy or performative religiosity. A well-dressed man (presumably a bishop or clergy member) is being complimented by a congregant, but the composition suggests irony—the speaker may be praising the sermon insincerely, or the cartoon mocks how laypeople flatter clergy regardless of actual sermon quality. The crowded background of parishioners reinforces themes of organized religion as social spectacle rather than spiritual substance, a common Judge magazine target during the Progressive Era.