The Wasp — 1889 — page 288: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains several satirical pieces rather than a single cartoon. The main sections include: **"A Story of a Drum"** — A patriotic poem celebrating military valor and drumming. **"A Squelched Statesman"** — Mocks a newly elected rural Michigan congressman who awkwardly attempts to rival established speakers' oratory. The satire targets his pompous ambition and poor rhetorical skills, with "Instantly Cox, the clown of the House" delivering a witty rejoinder that silences him. **"A True Gentleman"** — A anecdote about Senator Blanche K. Bruce (an African American senator) and his formerly enslaved wife, satirizing the racist social constraints that made her situation noteworthy for "immense social revolutions." The remaining sections are humorous short pieces lampooning lawyers, doctors, and other professions, typical of Wasp's satirical format targeting American social pretension and incompetence.