The Wasp — 1914 — page 322: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page appears to be a literary excerpt rather than a cartoon. The text describes a dissolute character named Stanton—described as "three parts coward and one part brute"—who drinks cheap spirits and gambles. James Burnham follows him from a tavern and witnesses Stanton brutally strike a crippled beggar who asked for a penny, knocking him into a gutter. Burnham observes this cruelty with satisfaction, noting it suggests "a plan of conduct for the future," feeling "no pity for the cripple." Without seeing accompanying illustrations, the satirical target remains unclear. The passage may critique callousness toward the poor or expose the moral bankruptcy of certain social types, but the specific political or social reference cannot be determined from text alone.