The Wasp — 1877 — page 346: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes American ingratitude toward former President **Ulysses S. Grant**, who recently left office. The article criticizes how Grant—despite his military heroism and public service—received shabby treatment upon departure. The text notes Grant's sacrifice of comfort, his wise foresight in leaving politics, and his dignified restraint. The satire targets the American public and press for failing to honor Grant appropriately, contrasting this with how European nations treat departing leaders. The piece uses Grant as a symbol of republican hypocrisy: republics claim to value their heroes but often abandon them ungraciously once they're no longer politically useful. It's a pointed critique of American ingratitude masquerading as democratic principle.