The Wasp — 1879 — page 141: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three distinct illustrations addressing labor and religious issues circa late 1800s. **Top illustration**: Shows a mail carrier struggling with an overloaded mail bag, illustrating the text's complaint about postal workers being overburdened—Congress allegedly paid carriers only $125 annually while demanding excessive work hours. **Middle illustration**: Depicts a suburban mail carrier on horseback, contrasting rural delivery conditions with urban routes. **Bottom illustration**: Shows a figure in prayer or contemplation, accompanying the "National Sabbaths" section, which debates whether various Christian denominations should observe the Sabbath consistently. The page's satire targets government treatment of postal workers (low pay, excessive hours) and religious hypocrisy regarding Sabbath observance among competing Christian sects. The cartoons visualize labor exploitation and sectarian disputes.