The Wasp — 1888 — page 174: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three poems and one prose section—no cartoons. The content is literary satire typical of *The Wasp*, a San Francisco-based humor magazine. "My Vanity" mocks a woman's superficial charms and vanity. "Toxophilite" satirizes an idealized male figure ("darling") whose noble appearance masks emptiness. "Turning an Old Superstition to Good Account" presents dialogue about a farmer's wife's folk remedy (burning butter to cure churning problems), satirizing rural superstition and ignorance. "Last But Not Least" offers romantic nature poetry, while "Lay of the Real Estate Agent" mocks real estate speculation and sharp business practices—likely relevant to San Francisco's 1880s-90s boom period. The final prose section humorously comments on a man named Ben, a "boomer" and coal advocate.