Life, 1908-08-27 · page 9 of 20
Life — August 27, 1908 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts two men in a small boat. The caption reads: "IS THIS BOAT SAFE?" "PERFECTLY! YOU SIMPLY CAN'T SINK HER. I KNOW, BECAUSE I'VE CAPSIZED IN HER HALF A DOZEN TIMES." **What it means:** This is absurdist humor playing on faulty logic—the speaker claims a boat is unsinkable *because* he's repeatedly capsized in it, which proves the opposite point. The joke satirizes overconfident or illogical reassurance. The text below discusses "Petty Graft" and references Mrs. Roosevelt using a presidential yacht (the *Sylph*) for personal trips, with criticism that government property shouldn't be converted for family use. A second article titled "That Thirst for Blood" discusses Dr. Darlington and hydrophobia cases. **Context:** This appears to critique early Roosevelt administration practices regarding government resources.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
2” YOU SIMPLY CAN'T SINK HER. 1 KNOW, Petty Graft Mrs. Roosevelt made a special trip from Oyster Bay yesterday, to sce an open air performance of “As You L h Field, Columbia University Irs. Roosevelt and her party’ left Oyster Ray on the Syi tojo aim., and ran up the Hud » the Gould boathe strcet, arriving there Justa short time before the aiternoon perform- ance ‘was to begin. ‘The party returned to Oyster Bay, leaving at © o'clock. With Mrs. Roosevelt were Kermit, Quentin and Archie, Mrs William Sheffield Cowles and Sheftield Cowles, Jr... Margaret “and Nicholas Roosevelt. a nicce ard nephew of the President, and Capt ant Mrs. Williams, of the Syiph.—New York Sun OT a great matter to become very indignamt about, but important as pointing out a growing tendency away from Republican ideas. It is commonly believed that the Sylph is a United States vessel, manned by officers and a crew paid by the United States, and that the United States pays for the coal, oil and waste she consumes on her various trips. The President of the United States would have a perfect right to use the Syiph to go anywhere on official or semi- official business. There is no law or custom under our system of government which makes it legal for even the President to convert Government property to the pleasure uses of members of his family PECAUSE I'VE CAPSIZED IN HER MALY 4 DOZEN TIMES.’? President Roosevelt is fond of delving into abstruse sub- jects, He might find it profitable for the people, and for the custodians of Government property to whom he sets an ex- ample, to study the close definition of the words mewn and tuum, But who cares, anyway? Uncle Sam's rich! That Thirst for Blocd YDROPHOBIALLY speaking, this summer has been a great success. Several people have been scared to death, and Dr. Darlington, with his untamed emissaries, has Killed a number of unsuspecting dogs. He and the Pasteur Institute boys must be slapping each other on the back. If that hysterical fright had been directed against red- haired babies, for instance, instead of dogs and cats, there would have been deeper mourning among mothers. The re- sults would be the same, however, so far as hydrophobia is concerned But. after all. as a certain New Yorker remarked the other day, “Dr. Darlington may be an ass, but he is not much worse than Harry Thaw. His field for slaughter is more ex- tended—that's all."* comicboo! ) ks.com