Life, 1902-10-16 · page 5 of 22
Life — October 16, 1902 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon depicts two figures in what appears to be a historical scene, with a caption referencing Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry swearing about Washington. This is a humorous commentary on historical figures' language. The main content includes "Ballade of the Polar Quest," a satirical poem mocking explorer Robert Peary's failed attempt to reach the North Pole. The poem's repeated refrain—"Don't you leave it for a minute!"—sarcastically encourages him to try again, while suggesting he'll gain fame and financial reward from magazines and Uncle Sam. The accompanying illustration shows silhouetted figures in what appears to be Arctic exploration conditions. Below is a brief humorous anecdote titled "Hands Off!" about a nurse removing a pin from a baby.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Shade of Thomas Jefferson: wuat 18 Grunce WASHINGTON SWEATINU 60 HORRIBLY anouT? Shade of Patrick Henry: venuars ue was BEEN READING SOM OP THOSE HISTORICAL NOVELS THAT UE FIGURES IN, Ballade of the Polar Quest. W Hat a pity, Mr, Peary, ‘That you didn’t find the Pole! Oh, it makes us sad and teary, Something like the price of coal. ‘Try once more to reach the goal, And if you should really win it, Hide it quickly in a hole— Don't you leave it for a minute! We beseech you, Mr. Peary, We implore you and cajole, Not to let your heart grow weary ; Your success will much console All of us, if when the Pole Has been found, you'll stay and shin it; Keep it under close control— Don’t you leave it for a minute. Fame is making, Mr. Peary, For your head an aureole ; Unele Sam will keep you, deary, On his little salary-roll ; Magazines will pay the toll For your de arn, so spin it; You've a Good Thing. ‘pon my soul— Don't you leave it for a minute! Peary, it’s a very droll Fad, although there's nothing in it. What a gratt it Don't you leave it for a minute! Frank Roe Batchelder. —your Pole! Hands Off! “ OW!” howled the baby. “There's a pin sticking in me.” “But,” replied the wise nurse, gently, ‘if I remove the pin your clothes will fall off !"" Mora : Don’t touch the tariff. «LIFE * 323 The Sport. HE limitations of automobil- ing as a sport lie largely in the weakness of the material of which steam boilers are made. At the recent tests in France, a machine was about to make eighty- four miles an hour,when the boiler or some of its connections gave way under the pressure of one thousand pounds tothe square inch. The sport would be greatly stim- ulated by the discovery of a material strong enough to stand a pressure of about a million pounds to the square inch, particularly if, as might not unreasonably be ex- pected, such material were, more- over, to beso expensive that nobody worth less than ten millions could own a really fast machine. PRRENSES SNAPSHOTS IN HADES, Demon: TOMLESS Fir, TMAVE TO ANNOUNCE THAT A GREAT OIL-OUSHER BAS BEEN STRUCK IN THE BOT- Superintendent; Goop! NOW W2'LL HAVE SOMETHING IN WHICH TO BOIL THESE FAKE Oll~ WELL PROMOTERS. comicbooks.com