The Wasp — 1890 — page 277: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains several satirical sketches and humorous dialogues typical of late 19th-century American humor magazines. **"Conversational Amenities"** mocks polite social exchanges, showing how people hide their true feelings behind pleasantries—a common target of social satire. **"Wanted Breadth"** depicts an artist criticizing another's work as lacking ambition, reflecting contemporary art-world debates. **"He Wouldn't Be Run"** presents a schoolteacher's monologue about disciplining an unruly boy from a rough district, satirizing education challenges and class differences in America. **"A Proselyte of Henry George"** shows a conversation about taxation and economic philosophy, referencing Henry George's 1879 land-reform movement, which advocated taxing land values—a major political debate of the era. The humor relies on recognizing contemporary social tensions and reform debates familiar to educated readers of the period.