Life, 1921-08-11 · page 13 of 40
Life — August 11, 1921 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page by Gluyas Williams mocks President Harding's devotion to golf despite serious national responsibilities. The cartoons depict: **Main joke:** While "the whole world hanging on his every word," Harding prioritizes golf, making absurd diplomatic pronouncements about a lost golf ball instead of addressing real issues. **Specific scenes:** - 652 golf balls recovered from the municipal links after Harding lost one - Congressmen waiting while the President plays - A groundskeeper replacing American flags with communist red ones (dark commentary on Harding's inattention to threats) - A club member expelled for the "presidential party" discovering his foursome included the President The satire attacks Harding's perceived neglect of governance for leisure, suggesting his distraction endangers the nation during a tense post-WWI era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
11 August Golf Notes from Washington By GLUYAS WILLIAMS om The day the President turns in a score of 122 is no time to urge him to appoint your brother-in- law to something or other. The four congressmen- in-waiting also have brothers-in-law The municipal links on the evening of the day that Mr. Harding lost a ball in the rough. 652 balls were recovered in all With the whole world hanging on his every word, what is a President to say in a situation such as this? Perhaps he has prepared type- written statements for the reporters, express- ing, in dignified and statesmanlike terms, his opinion of a golf ball that will flirt around the hole without going in CLova’S witlans A really delicate act on the part of the grounds- keeper who, whenever the President plays over the course, replaces the communistic red flags with the stars and stripes Mr. Blaw, happening to catch the President’s eye after Mr. Harding had sliced the ball, tried to assume an expression showing pity, understanding, sympathy, with a suggestion of not having seen the shot at all. The result was so remarkable that the secret service man kept his eye on him all afternoon A member of a fashion- able golf club, shortly after discovering that the foursome he had bawled out for not letting him through was the Presi- dential party comicbooks.com ——