Life, 1909-06-17 · page 15 of 32
Life — June 17, 1909 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes Theodore Roosevelt's 1909-1910 African hunting expedition, specifically controversy over his Sunday rhinoceros hunt. A Baltimore clergyman publicly criticized Roosevelt for killing game on the Sabbath, arguing he should have waited until weekdays and set a better example for young men. **The satire's point:** Life magazine defends Roosevelt while gently mocking the clergyman's rigid moralism. The text argues that Sunday observance matters *socially* (respecting others' sensibilities), not absolutely—Roosevelt hunted in a remote jungle location where he offended no one, making his actions acceptable by practical standards. The cartoon shows two well-dressed men (appearing to be comparing notes), with onlookers in the background. The caption "Who's the good-looking chap with Jones?" suggests casual social observation, mocking how such controversies become fodder for gossip rather than serious moral debate. Life's position: context and discretion matter more than rigid religious rules.
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Wireless N all its purity Leaving no mark Out of obscurity Only a spark Flashed to futurity Cleaving the dark Lightning's celerity Swifter than wind Harnessed Caught and confined Boon to posterity Help to mankind. —Francis Livingston Montgomery in. verity Sunday in the Jungle HERE js another interesting question of Sabbath observance before the country besides the one that concerns the pleasures of the multitude at Coney Island. It seems—maybe it isn’t true, but it seems—that Mr. Roosevelt, on a recent Sunday, sallied into the and killed a lady rhinocerous. A Bal- timore clergyman, who admires and ex- tols Mr. Roosevelt, rebukes him for this untimely exploit. The minister says he ought to have stayed in camp; that he had all the week to bunt in and had no valid excuse for bunting on Sunday, and that he should have considered the ef fect of his example on the young men of the land The details that have come to hand Maybe Mr was out walking in the jungle with a gun for his protection, and the rhino charged him. Maybe he feels that big game hunting is a form of war, and its opportunities have to be improved when they offer, Sunday or no Sunday. We should be glad to learn what was the Rev. Dr. Rainsford’s pracuce in this matter, and whether he lad by on Sunday when he was hunting in Mom basa. Dr. Lyman Abbott also. should are very meagre. Roosevelt jungle | AO wacker “WHO'S THE GOOD-LOOKING CHAP WITH JONES? have an opinion about him somewhere that would be of interest Our own notion is that while Sunday is an exceeding valuable institution and worth protecting to a considerable extent by law, there is very little absolute right or absolute wrong about its observance, the details of which de- pend upon locality, expediency and custom. We suppose Mr. Roosevelt did not play tennis on Sunday on the White House grounds, and that he would not go out bunting rhinos on Sunday at Oyster Bay. That was partly because he didn’t want to and partly because he was tender of the feclings of others. When we play tennis or hunt rhinos on Sun- “WILD ANIMALS 1 HAVE SEEN” Mlustrated by the Author day we prefer to do it in a retired place where our occupation will not offend the sentiments of persons wis sister.”’ who have different views from ours about Sunday observance. Mr. Roose- velt seems to have done as much in Africa. Apparently he went jungle, a place of great retirement, and popped off the rhino just as privately as he could That is all that could be asked of him. Whether he waited til Monday morning is a question that must be left to his own judgment ought to be just as free and useful a day as possible. Everybody should enjoy, in so far as laws go, the freest use of it is consistent with the free, bene- ficial and orderly use of it by other folks. into the should have Sunday T the trouble with gilt-edge se- curities is that's where all the gilt is located. comicbooks.com