Life — July 6, 1916 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Vacation Prayer" Page Analysis This page contains a poem titled "Vacation Prayer" by John Mather, accompanied by whimsical illustrations. The top shows cartoon figures of vacationing people in various states of hurried travel—carrying luggage, appearing frantic or exhausted. The poem humorously asks God to preserve natural wonders (woods, cathedrals, sky) while the speaker is on vacation, ending with the ironic prayer: "there I shall find You." The bottom illustration shows a woman resting beneath a large tree, captioned "Ghost of Colonel Bogey: HOLIE SAINT ANDREWS! HA' YE NO HAZARDS A-PLENTY?" This appears to reference golf, with "Colonel Bogey" being a golf term (a score one over par), suggesting the vacationer's thoughts turn to golf even during relaxation. The satire targets the modern tourist's inability to truly disconnect from worldly concerns during vacations.