The Wasp — 1878 — page 46: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains **"Answers to Correspondents,"** a satirical advice column responding to fictional reader questions. The humor derives from absurd situations and deliberately unhelpful or ironic "advice." Notable entries include: - **St. John** (temperance leader): Mocked for asking about soda, told to substitute whiskey instead—satirizing the perceived hypocrisy of temperance advocates. - **Saginaw**: Critiques an "influential politician" unable to speak proper English, suggesting the politician is incompetent. - **Agost**: References wool crop statistics, likely satirizing agricultural/economic reporting or specific policies. The column's humor targets hypocrisy, incompetence among public figures, and social pretension through mock-serious responses to absurd queries. No major political figures are clearly identified.