The Wasp — 1889 — page 299: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains satirical articles and humorous anecdotes rather than illustrated cartoons. The visible content includes: **"Exit Office-Holder"** — A poem mocking a postage stamp distributor stuck in his position, satirizing government bureaucracy and patronage systems. **"A Mournful Difference"** — Anecdote about Hon. John W. Hickle, a wealthy man in the Poplar Shade neighborhood, discussing spring flowers with a neighbor. The satire appears to mock pretentious wealthy men's affected sentimentality. **"How to Kill Bears"** — Humorous hunting advice from an old man to young sportsmen, likely satirizing overconfident hunters and frontier stereotypes. The magazine's approach uses written satire targeting government inefficiency, class pretension, and masculine bravado—typical concerns of 1880s American satirical journalism.