Puck's Suggestion to the Congress of Religions

Frederick Opper's full-color centerfold depicts a crowd of religious delegates arriving at the Great World's Fair Parliament of Religions—the famous 1893 Chicago gathering—while the imp Puck distributes placards reading "Do unto others whatsoever thou wilt that others shall do unto thee," which the caption declares "the best religion in existence." Figures are labeled by faith: Parseeism, Confucianism, Brahmanism, and others, rendered in the period's stock ethnic shorthand—exaggerated physiognomies assigned to Chinese, African, South Asian, and Jewish figures that reflect late-19th-century American caricature conventions and their casual dehumanization. Opper's joke cuts ecumenically: no creed escapes mockery. Puck urges the delegates to skip debate and adjourn early to enjoy the World's Fair instead. The underlying argument is classically liberal-secularist—the Golden Rule supersedes institutional theology—delivered with the magazine's characteristic irreverence toward organized religion of every variety.