The Wasp, 1913 · page 321 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 321: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains prose narrative rather than visual satire. It describes a morality tale of moral degradation: a character named Stanton is depicted as a dissolute drunkard—"three parts coward and one part brute"—who frequents cheap taverns, gambles, and drinks spirits excessively. The passage catalogs his cruelty: he brutally assaults a crippled beggar for requesting a penny. James Burnham, following Stanton, observes this violence approvingly and recognizes it as a template for future predatory behavior. The narrative suggests social commentary on urban vice, poverty, and moral corruption—common *Wasp* themes. Stanton embodies the dissolute gentleman fallen to depravity, while the episode illustrates the callousness of the wealthy toward the disabled poor. James's calculated observation suggests this is building toward some act of exploitation or crime, positioning the narrative as cautionary tale about society's moral decay.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
314 THE WASP was three parts coward and one part brute, looked shamelessly out of the bloodshot eyes. His attire, which still showed signs of its former glory, was rent and unclean. He drank glutton- ously of cheap spirits and threw dice with two companions as disreputable as himself. When Stanton at last got to his feet and reeled out of the place, James Burnham rang a shilling upon the table and followed him. They had not gone far from the pot-house in which they had been drinking when Stanton was accosted by a crip- pled beggar. The beggar asked for a penny, but Stanton gave him a blow with his fist which sent him into the foul gutter cursing and whining. Leaving the cripple to pick himself up and re- cover his crutches, Stanton continued on his reeling way, with the bearded seaman still on his track. James noted the incident with satisfaction, for it suggested to him a plan of conduct for the future. He felt no pity for the cripple. James must have followed his unsuspecting guide a matter of half a mile through alleys and streets, crooked, narrow, and mean, before the jour- Comichooks.com