The Wasp — 1890 — page 368: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains several satirical pieces about California life and society. **"A Slur at San Francisco Architecture"** mocks the city's obsession with ornate chimneys, with a character sarcastically praising "fancy chimneys" as representative of San Francisco's architectural pretensions. **"A Woman's Reason"** depicts a domestic argument where a husband questions his wife's purchase of toys for children during economic hardship. The wife's response—"I had to do it to keep them quiet!"—satirizes mothers' use of material goods as a parenting shortcut, a common complaint in Victorian-era humor about consumer culture and child-rearing. The page also includes various social commentary about California visitors, fencing as sport, and banking practices, reflecting late-19th-century American concerns about wealth, class, and social behavior.