The Wasp — 1879 — page 720: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* (page 739) contains two distinct pieces: **Left column:** A legal case commentary titled "THE GOVERNMENT OR WORSHIP OF THE RAT" discusses a lawsuit involving Mr. Louderback and Mr. Kalisch regarding a disputed property interest. The text sarcastically compares human worship of property to animals' instinctive behaviors, using the case as a vehicle for social criticism about greed and materialism. **Right section:** An article beginning "'I always had a horror for rats'" recounts the author's experience introducing rats to San Francisco in 1849-1850. It describes yellow plague rats that spread disease, later replaced by black rats. The piece uses the rat infestation as a metaphor for examining intelligence and civilization in both animals and humans. Both pieces employ animal behavior as satirical commentary on human society's moral failings.