Life, 1911-11-09 · page 11 of 44
Life — November 9, 1911 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon depicts "To the West," asking a Western visitor's opinion of the President (likely Theodore Roosevelt, given Life's era). It satirizes Roosevelt's contradictions: the questioner notes the President claims he won't run again yet possesses "power and willing to take a strange hold" on people—suggesting he'll escape his own term-limit pledge. The joke is that Roosevelt is hypocritical about his political ambitions. The lower section includes "Ragtime Vindicated," defending ragtime music against a Harvard music instructor's criticism that it's immoral. The article ironically suggests ragtime will inevitably pass through "the mails" despite moral objections—a period-specific reference to postal censorship debates. The "Taft" section compares President Taft unfavorably to Roosevelt regarding decisiveness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIFEs To the West W L, what do you think of our President now? You have had a splendid chance to lock him over, Do you think he will do for another term Do you accept his apology for the Payne-Aldrich Tariff bill Do you think he possesses the power and is willing to take a strangle hold on the trusts and hang on till the peo- ple escape? Just between you and u many people out here feel very doubtful. just talking to gain time, talk isn’t even interesting. we may be hypercritical. ow, What do you think? Wh impression did you get at close rang Anything you tell us will be held in the strictest confidence good nning to hey think he is and that his But, then, Zz COME OX, MANNER, LET'S TAKE ‘THIS better to be wed and hossed, cy Than never to be wed at all u . (nervously) ¢ DON'T YOU THINK BOOKS AND THEIR MAKERS “LaMns’ TALES,” BY THOMAS W. LAWSON Interesting Views S trouble with ‘I vid a lawyer, “is that he hasn't got Aman with a judicial mind weighs both sides and res Tait sees both sides and can't decide, “But Roosevelt, now—he could decide anything. On one side or the other, there you found him, but not on both sides. That's what I call having a judicial mind” To which it might be added that Taft has a highly cultivated mind; Roose- vel, a highly cultivated will, a judicial mind. hes a decision Le eA wr Wis re LOOK AT OLD ETTER 1 STREET pO ovk sid Ragtime Vindicated HAT may happen when a gentle- man who is used to express his sentiments by means of musical nota- tion adventures into mere articulate is awfully evinced by the ition attributed to Mr. Clapp, in- structor in music at Harvard, that “it is utter nonsense to suppose that syn- copation inh: me decla im monization has a was Mr, That iL connotation.” deny ‘ It is an amusing way and somewhat appalling, but still. in- structive, for now we know that rag demoralizing. time is syncopated harmony—or, pos- Which- ever it is, it will pass Dr. Wile ere is no sound reason why it should t go through the mails. sibly, harmonized — syncope. an WALL STREET STORY A BULL AND BARE EPISODE comicbooks.com