The Wasp — 1879 — page 245: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* contains serialized fiction rather than political cartoons. It's Part V of "Phases of History Not Generally Given in Detail," written by Salmi Morse, continuing a narrative about a clergyman's daughter named Mrs. Martin who escapes her family's strict religious control. The story satirizes Victorian-era religious hypocrisy and patriarchal family dynamics. Mrs. Martin rebels against her father's tyrannical authority, eventually leaving to establish an independent life in San Francisco. The narrative critiques how rigid religious doctrine, masked as moral righteousness, actually perpetuates cruelty and emotional abuse within families—particularly toward women constrained by duty and obedience.