The Wasp — 1894 — page 376: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes a hypocritical "moralist"—likely a journalist or public figure—who publicly campaigns for moral reform while privately committing domestic violence. The illustration shows a police patrol officer restraining a man mid-assault against another man, while onlookers watch. The accompanying text discusses a San Francisco journalist who wrote moralizing editorials despite personal failings including alcoholism and wife-beating. The article suggests this figure's public sanctimony about morality rang hollow given his violent private behavior. The satire targets the disconnect between publicly professed ethics and actual conduct—a common theme in satirical magazines attacking prominent figures for hypocrisy.