The Wasp, 1918 · page 185 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 185: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page depicts a narrative scene rather than a political cartoon. The text presents dialogue aboard what appears to be a ship, featuring character "Welsh Owen," a drunk sailor who justifies his behavior by claiming intoxication reveals his "true self"—contrasting his sober ordinariness with his drunken boldness. The scene then shifts to "Slim Sam" (the first mate) pulling aside "Burnham" to discuss "Trimmer," another officer who failed to punish Welsh Owen after a knifing incident. The mate suggests Trimmer showed weakness and fear, attributing this lapse to romantic distraction ("the wench"). This appears to be serialized fiction rather than satire—likely exploring themes of maritime hierarchy, masculine authority, and the consequences of weakness among ship's officers. Without seeing illustrations or knowing the broader narrative context, the specific satirical targets remain unclear, though the passage critiques both drunken working-class behavior and officer incompetence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
176 ~~) THE WASP consider it very handsome of 7 ; ae may i ask why you did it =” “Ye know two men when ye know me,” said Welsh Owen ponderously. ‘“ Ye know one man when ye know me sober an’ another when ye know me drunk. That’s how ye see me now. Ye see the real William Owen now—only a bit knocked about. Sober, I’m an ordinary shell- back—mighty ordinary. Man o’ whims I am —and education. Admire a gentleman—even a bad one. Bad one myself, even if I am a parson’s son. Excuse me, I’ll just lie down an’ take a nap.” Slim Sam plucked Burnham Se the sleeve and drew him away from the group squatting about the door of the galley. Burnham _ wondered, for though he had frequently felt — the first- mate’s darkling glance upon him he had never before been addressed by him. “Trimmer made a mistake,” said the mate in a curiously thin and gentle voice. “He loosed his grip; he weakened. He let Welsh Owen go unpunished after the knifing, though yesterday he would have struck him down with his own hand. He is afraid; and once a man shows fear of trouble, trouble courts him. It is the wench, doubtless. He is a fool about f f 1 , ce & aa? icomicbooks:com)