The Wasp — 1880 — page 187: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page combines satirical poetry with two popular song illustrations. **"Signs of the Millennium"** is a humorous list-poem cataloging social reversals that would signal the end times—women owning property at forty, poor laborers becoming wealthy, and English people giving to charity. The satire mocks contemporary Victorian society by presenting modest social progress as apocalyptic impossibilities. **"The Colonization System"** discusses California land settlement schemes, criticizing exaggerated promises made to potential settlers. It exposes fraudulent colony advertisements while acknowledging legitimate agricultural opportunities in the San Joaquin Valley. The two illustrations below—"Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming" and "Meet Me by Moonlight Alone"—are engravings accompanying popular sentimental songs of the era, offering romantic contrast to the page's political content.