Life, 1918-01-24 · page 33 of 40
Life — January 24, 1918 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical schedule mocking **William Gibbs McAdoo**, Secretary of the Treasury under Woodrow Wilson (and Wilson's son-in-law). The joke is that despite holding *multiple simultaneous leadership roles*—chairman of the Federal Reserve, Farm Loan Board, and International High Commission, plus Director-General of American Railways—his day is portrayed as exhaustingly bureaucratic busywork: counting money, dictating hundreds of letters, attending endless meetings, refusing board positions. The satire suggests McAdoo is absurdly overextended and his authority diluted across too many positions. References to "striking firemen" and "freight congestion" indicate labor unrest and transportation problems of the WWI era that he couldn't solve. The final irony—that a "dull day" of relentless, meaningless activity represents success—critiques administrative bloat and the illusion of executive productivity. The quote "All things come to him who waits" suggests McAdoo's power derived from proximity to the President rather than merit.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
153 Big tee 5 x 14%) THE FAITHFUL A Dull Day in the Life of William Gibbs McAdoo (As Gleaned from Hints in the Newspapers) Breakfast Dictate one secretary. Rush through Treasury Building and count a million dollars. Send telegrams to Federal Reserve Banks, as chair- man, asking for statements on deposits, names of depositors, etcet Call meeting of Farm Loan Board, as chairman, and decide on good farmers to loan to, on President, as son-in-law, and refuse chair- manships of various boar's. Break luncheon engagement to receive delegation of visiting brakemen who wish to look at new Director-General of Railways 1-2, Receive newspapermen and deny appointment to. fifty-seven new boards, issue statements as chair- man of eleven old boards, give out interview on freight congestion, and refuse to take blame for existing bad weather, 6-7. 7-8. hundred and ninety-six. letters to 8-9. 9-10. 10-11 1-12. 12-1. 2-3. Call meeting of International High Commission, as chairman, and hastily decide thirty or forty inter- ational questions. Confer with sixteen railroad heads, as Director-Gen- eral of American Railways, on methods of dealing with striking firemen. Attempt as DG. of A. R, ables of Boston & Maine and New Haven railroads, and get a headache. to read tim Sign one hundred and ninety-six letters dictated be- tween 7 and 8 A. M.,, dictate two hundred and forty-three more, telephone twenty-nine people, making appointments for next day. Dinner. -midnight. Read newspapers, sign letters, talk to the dic- taphone, play with the children, answer the tele- phone, call up father-in-law, receive, callers, submit to being interviewed, glance through magazines, and have a good time generally. Kenneth L. Roberts. ” LL things come to him who waits.” That is why the wise man hustles! comicbooks.com