The Wasp — 1888 — page 154: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* consists primarily of three columns of poetry and satirical text rather than visual cartoons. The content includes: 1. "The Modern Collegian" — verse mocking Fitz William, apparently a wealthy college student known for romantic escapades and frivolous behavior. 2. "Wives" — a satirical poem listing reasons men tolerate their wives (comfort, habit, children, fear of scandal), suggesting marital unhappiness was a common contemporary topic. 3. "A Summer Idyl" — romantic verse about pastoral pleasures. The page also features editorial discussion about what constitutes "funny" writing and includes anecdotes about public figures like Joseph Dana Miller and Henry Irving. The satire targets upper-class pretension, failed romance, and marital discord as recognizable subjects of contemporary social commentary.