Life, 1914-04-02 · page 31 of 68
Life — April 2, 1914 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine piece satirizes President Woodrow Wilson's public relations strategy. The cartoon depicts a figure juggling "high finance" — representing Wilson's attempt to control his public image. The satire concerns Wilson's telegram of praise for John R. Mott (a YMCA leader), published in Harper's Weekly. Life mocks Wilson for lavishly complimenting Mott while simultaneously praising *himself* in the same message — claiming he's "diligently trying not to make any colossal blunders" and that he "boils a great deal inside." The magazine's point: Wilson is cunningly using Mott as a vehicle for self-promotion, burdening Mott with impossible praise while reserving the more relatable, humble statements for himself. Life sarcastically congratulates both men on bearing the weight of Wilson's manufactured public endorsements, implying the President is a skilled manipulator of his own image who projects false modesty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY esting and entertaining, but, after all, it is a subject that Dr. Wilson is less qualified to discuss than several other subjects. Nobody seems to know more than a little about himself, and he is seldom able to tell even that little, Sensible people, when they talk about themselves, talk humorously (as Dr. Wilson did) and insensibly and in- evitably contrive a picture that is largely art. The President is more of a person than Dr. Wilson appreciates. Of course, he is a human being and not an intellectual monster, but just as much as another Mr. Wilson has cause to cry: Oh, wad some power the giftie gic us. Plenty of people could tell him things about Woodrow Wilson. A good many people are bigger than they think. Otherwise there would be nothing to balance the people who think they are lots bigger than they are. On the cover of Mr. Hapgood’s Harper's Weekly for March 19 a tele- graph blank is spread, bearing this message: Certainly one of the most nobly use- ful men in the world. I have the 595 greatest admiration for him and the most profound confidence in his ex- traordinary character and abilities. Woodrow Wilson. Now, if Mr. Wilson had said some- thing like that to the newspaper men about the President, that would have been something like a fair notice. But he was not speaking of the President. “Whom Does the President Mean?” was printed under the message. We guessed at it. First we guessed Mr. Brandeis. Next, Colonel House. Next, after due reflection, Colonel Harvey. Next, after more reflection and with effort, Colonel Bryan And we were about to guess Mr. Hapgood, when we looked inside to see. It was none of them, It was Mr. John R. Mott, a very good-looking, good man, who is a power in the Y. M. C. A. and hopes to evangelize the world in a single generation. HAKE hands, Mr. Mott! We are with you. We have known what it is to have to totter out into the open under a great burden of public com- mendation. Once Mr. Brisbane called us “well-meaning”, and only lately the Boston Transcript’s “Listener” described us as “amiable”. We keep trying to live up to those compliments, and you, Mr. Mott, will have to try to live up to those words from President Wilson. We feel for you. You, prob- ably, have never had a bad reputation. We have, often, and can assure you that it is a great deal easier to live down to a bad reputation than it is to live up to a good notice. But, see, Mr. Mott, what he handed you to carry, and then observe what he. helped himself to: “If I seem circumspect, it is because I am so dili- gently trying not to make any colossal blunders.” Why, any of us, Mr. Mott, could live up to that. Couldn't we? Ah, the designing man! And good at it. Very good! But when he confesses that he boils a great deal inside we are all with him. Everybody boils just now. comicbooks.com