Life, 1917-09-27 · page 9 of 40
Life — September 27, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The Cartoon "Somewhere in Space"** depicts two angels attending to an unconscious or deceased military officer amid clouds. This appears to be a WWI-era commentary on military casualties—specifically, the article "President, But Not an Athlete" discusses whether President Wilson (referenced in the text) possessed sufficient physical vigor for the job. **The Article's Point:** The author argues that while Wilson lacks the athletic robustness of predecessors like Roosevelt and Taft, a President needs mental capacity and decision-making ability more than physical strength. Wilson's administrative competence matters more than his "horse-powers." **The Cartoon's Irony:** It juxtaposes this debate about presidential fitness with the grim reality of soldiers dying in actual combat—suggesting the philosophical question becomes moot amid wartime casualties.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
xUM "LIFE: 493 SOMEWHERE IN SPACE President, But Not an Athlete VEN or eight years ago, when Dr. Wilson had begun to be talked about as candidate for President, he said one day that if there should come to be a serious prospect of his being nominated he would take medical advice as to whether he was physically competent for the job. He has had the job going on five years, and has got along with it, and seems at least as fit, physically and men- tally, as when he began. He is not an extra robust man. His Princeton fight almost floored him. His eyes broke down for a time as a consequence of it. Probably he hates to fight, and it does not agree with him, But see how he has upset the Roosevelt and Taft tradi- tion of immense physical energy required of a President! He tennises not, neither does he*spar, but in some details of public business neither T. R. nor Mr. Taft is his match, Certainly, neither of them can trim down discourse into readable dimensions to match him. . He does not handle the job as the Colonel did; doubtless he is not as good an administrator as the Colonel was, but in a fashion of his own he does undeniably handle it. It was coming to be thought that the presidency could only be undertaken by an athlete. Mr. Wilson has amended that idea. He has demonstrated that our highest office can adapt itself to the powers of an able man The chief duties of the President are to think and de- cide, Mr. Wilson has thought abundantly, and un-thought his conclusions so far as necessary. He has decided when he had to, and often revised his decisions. He has made his mistakes, and corrected some of them. But there is no doubt that he has administered the office he occupies, and impressed -himself on the public imagination as one of the most positive characters that has ever lived in the White House. And he has done it all with no more driving physical exertion than golf. Our President must have capacity to work, for he will have it to do. He must be able to think straight, and some- times to think quickly. He must have health and habits good enough for that, but he need not be a physical super- man. The quality of his mind and the strength of his spirit are more important than anything in him that can be meas- ured in horse-powers AYLUSH (One 4. M.). How a habit grows on one! My wife's away, but I hate to go home, just the same. comicbooks.com