The Wasp — 1891 — page 334: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes Principal O'Connor's disciplinary methods in San Francisco public schools. The bearded man wielding a club represents O'Connor, depicted as brutally harsh—literally beating a young student in the "Principal's Office." The two globe diagrams above suggest he's trying to shape young minds, but the cartoon's message is clear: his approach is crude violence rather than education. The satire criticizes excessive corporal punishment in schools. By exaggerating O'Connor's club-wielding posture and positioning him as a threatening authority figure looming over a helpless child, *The Wasp* mocks what it views as barbaric educational practices. The title directly indicts "The O'Connor Method of Preserving Discipline in Our Public Schools" as inappropriate and harmful.