The Wasp — 1881 — page 396: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three distinct items: two literary pieces ("Stolen Kisses" and "A Romantic Story") and "The Hoffenstein Method," which appears to be satirical dialogue. **"The Hoffenstein Method"** presents a Poydras Street merchant named Herman discussing selling goats. The humor involves Herman's broken English and a transaction regarding "cheap shoes" for a "negro." The satirical point seems to target either immigrant merchants or racial attitudes of the era through caricature and dialect humor—common in period American satire. The literary pieces are sentimental romantic stories typical of magazine filler content. **Note:** Without seeing illustrations clearly or having publication date/context, precise identification of satirical targets remains limited. The dialect-based humor and racial language reflects period conventions but would require additional historical context for complete interpretation.