The Wasp — September 27, 1879 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Page 149 from The Wasp This page contains two distinct elements: a lengthy editorial critique and an illustrated article titled "The Arab, As Seen by the 'Wasp': From Reindeer to Camel." The editorial attacks Denis Kearney and the labor movement's anti-Chinese agitation, criticizing their attempt to interfere with religious observances (specifically mentioning the St. Andrew's Drew orgies and Dupont Street saints). The writer sarcastically suggests only Kearney could accomplish the "whole trick" of disrupting these events. The illustrated section describes Arab character and customs—their nomadic nature, appearance, and behavior—with ethnographic detail typical of 19th-century Western periodicals. The accompanying sketches depict an Arab figure and a camel. The page reflects The Wasp's pattern of mixing labor-politics critique with exoticized cultural commentary, representing period attitudes toward both domestic labor agitators and foreign peoples.