The Wasp — 1878 — page 32: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a demonic or monstrous figure labeled "Argonaut" (likely referencing The Argonaut, a San Francisco publication) attacking the "Cosmopolitan School" building. The creature wears a top hat and appears rage-filled, while protesters with signs demanding "Superintendent," "School Teacher," and "Israelites" react in alarm. The accompanying quote attributed to Frank Pixley expresses xenophobic views, opposing education for German and Irish immigrant children, claiming excessive education makes them unwilling to work—reflecting late 19th-century nativist anxieties about immigration and labor. The cartoon satirizes what appears to be Pixley's inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric by visualizing his views as a destructive monster threatening the community and public institutions.