The Wasp, 1913 · page 8 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a title page for a serialized story called "The Wasp," rather than a political cartoon page. The content consists of: 1. **A promotional poem** (Section I) that addresses readers who've experienced exotic travel and adventure, inviting them to follow a narrative about sailing through "summer isles" and traversing "the straits of Youth and Joy and Pain." 2. **Story opening** describing James Burnham arriving in London in October 1698, stepping aside to allow jailbirds from Newgate prison to pass by with guards. The page is literary rather than satirical-cartooning in nature. Without additional context about *The Wasp* magazine's typical content or who James Burnham represents, I cannot identify specific political references or explain the intended satire. The 1698 date suggests historical fiction, but the exact purpose remains unclear from this page alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP I is Ye who have seen the blush and bloom, The pearly sheen and opal gleam At sunrise, in a wide sea-room, Of a néw landfall sweet as dream; ‘Ye who have seen the corpse-lights slide On swaying spars; ye who have known The scent of spices on the tide, And roses, from the horizon blown; And ye who dream these things—for you I cruise these summer isles again, And drive my adventurous children through The straits of Youth and Joy and Pain. An honest tale for honest hearts; Good men and bad to do and dare, And lovers blithe to play their parts— Lay on to my salt sailor fare! AMES BURNHAM had been in London a mat- J ter of three weeks when, one October morning in the year 1698, he stepped into the doorway of a Cheapside shop to let_a company of jailbirds from Newgate go by with their guards. 7 Comichooks.com