Quip: Rowing: The human being was never intended to get his exercise sitting down and going backwards (1926)

[Garson O'Toole]

Yesterday, at Barry Popik's invaluable website, he examined a joke
about the sport of rowing, and he found a version told  in 1935.

Website Entry Title: “Rowing is the only sport you can win sitting on
your butt going backwards”

Short link:  http://goo.gl/LU7ye
http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/rowing_is_the_only_sport_you_can_win_sitting_on_your_butt_going_backwards/

Here is a variant of the joke in 1926 that may have evolved into the 1935 quip.

Cite: 1926 May 07, Springfield Republican, "So I Took the $50,000" by
Feg Murray, [Appended quotation unrelated to article body], Page 27
[GNB Page 10], Springfield, Massachusetts. (GenealogyBank)

[Begin excerpt]
Feg Murray says - As my old pal Sandy Hamilton said, the reason more
men don't go out for crew is that the human being was never intended
to get his exercise sitting down and going backwards.
[End excerpt]

Garson

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