The Wasp — 1879 — page 656: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be a text-heavy editorial page from *The Wasp* rather than a cartoon page. The content consists of a lengthy column discussing religious controversy, specifically addressing the "Passion Play" controversy and debates between Protestant and Catholic clergy in San Francisco. The author defends the theatrical production of Christ's Passion against religious objections, arguing that depicting religious stories need not be inherently blasphemous. He criticizes both Protestant and Catholic authorities for their opposition and discusses broader questions about religious tolerance and artistic freedom. The page engages with late 19th-century San Francisco religious politics and tensions between different Christian denominations over theatrical representations of sacred subjects—a significant cultural debate of that era.