Is a Sousaphone really that strange?

In the October 12, 1902 edition of The Sunday Call (San Francisco, CA), there is a full page article, written by John Philip Sousa himself, titled . . .

Just what Sousa is doing hanging out with those curvy gals is a fair question, but such is the life of the celebrated bandmaster!

Among "the strange instruments of the military band" is, of course, the Sousaphone. But here's the whole paragraph that talks about the Sousaphone as a member of the tuba family . . .

Later in the article, Sousa reveals that a Sousaphone, in 1902, cost from $300-350. Hows that for a deal?!