The Wasp — 1879 — page 278: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two distinct sections: a letter to the editor ("My Dear Grandmother") and a separate illustrated piece titled "Human Trash and their Deserts." The main letter discusses San Francisco boarding houses and their unsanitary conditions—specifically complaints about butter contamination and poor food quality. The writer advocates for schoolteachers boarding in town rather than traveling, and criticizes those who mistreat their servants. The lower illustration and accompanying text concern Police Judge Kearney's sentencing of an escaped convict. The satirical point appears to criticize both the harshness of the legal system and society's treatment of the poor, suggesting that poverty and desperation—not moral failing—drive such crimes. The overall theme critiques class exploitation and social indifference toward vulnerable populations.