Life, 1909-10-14 · page 11 of 36
Life — October 14, 1909 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page features a satirical cartoon titled "Why Don't You Take Somebody Your Own Size?" The image depicts a large elephant confronting a tiny human figure at what appears to be a workbench or table, while onlookers observe. The accompanying article discusses Alaska as a potential source of "great Americans," referencing Major Charles E. Woodruff's theories about climate's effects on human development. The cartoon appears to critique this notion through absurdist humor—the massive elephant represents Alaska's scale or resources, while the diminutive human suggests the impracticality of Woodruff's breeding/development theories. The "own size" reference likely mocks the mismatch between ambitious Alaskan ambitions and realistic human capabilities or resources required.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Why Don't You Take Somebody Your Own Size Alaska as a Nursery of Great Americans nettes, and it is arguable that, being so, HE specialty of Major Charles E. Woodruff, of the medical corps of he army, is the effect of sunlight on white people. Too much of it for them, he says, especially for blondes. The blonde races, he points out, came from the north of Europe, where it is foggy, and they are blonde because the them so. What North merican sunshine will eventually make blonde races who have been ex posed to it in increasing numbers for the last three centuries Dr. Woodruff does not know; but, obviously, it w not leave them as it found them. The Indians, whose complexions the climate had had a fair chance at, were black haired and copper colored. No doubt most of the Americans of the United States will tend, more or less, to the brunette type which the Indians disclose. The Jews and the Malis y made bru- is bad climate made of the they are better adapted than the Saxon races to thrive in the average Ameri climate. But Dr. Woodr nursery of blondes on America Alaska, he ig just the place for them, Its climate, he says, is identical with that which produced the dominant type in Ev dhe con- siders it the healthiest cli He believes it is going to be the land and the Scandinavia of the United States, and that the “ big northern, stolid, strong men, raised under the cool sl of Alaska’s clouds and rains, will surely repeat the y of Scotland, which has been and is the breeding ground for the rulers of the British Empire." Cracky! It is mortifying to consider what a bargain we got only forty years Its fisheries have turned as discovered truc territory ades ago in Alaska. out to be very valuable; it is producing more gold every year than it cost; its ht and easy of ac- billions of dollars; there are in it able con coal deposits in si cess are valued at what other Heaven only knows; lands are being sidered every year, and here is Dr. Wood- ruff telling us that it is the best place in the whole country 10 raise mighty men! minerals its extensive re respectfully No wonder they've been raising statue at Seattle to Secretary Seward ! Too Harsh RETCHED woman! you advantage of my hospitality to steal my husband.” “Pardon me, but is it exactly steal ing where a guest, wishing a souvenir of an visit, away with her some trifling thing which her hostess gives every token of caring little for?” took grecable carries comicbooks.com