Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-05-13
a E'Cn Picture OF the presid en- I .
BY GRACE GREENWOOD.

Though so quiet and undemonstrative,
President Grants manner is not cold.
Though somewhat set and quite reticent in
expression, his face is neither hard nor for
bidding. Though his eyes Of grayish blue
certainly do not radiate geniality and good
fellowship, | have always seen in them
still and steady fiendliness impartial, al.
most undiscriminatng, but singularly un-
forgetful. His look into your eyes on a
first meeting is clear, direct, but not pier
cling. He ''makes no deep scrutiny" into
your character, but you feel chat he reads
YOU well, as far as he goes, and yon may be
sure he will know you the next time. His
words are few, as he has occasionally re-
marked, and his address simplicity itself,
Some one once called it a courageous sim
plicity." don't think the term suited to
him; it implies too much consciousness.
Franklins appearance at the Court of Yer
sailles was courageous simplicity." JET.
tersons riding on horseback from the White
House to the Capitol was dramatic simple
ity. But Grant gives no thought to effect
makes no parade of not making parade.
In walking he carries his head-that won
derfully compact, evenly modelled head
slightly forward and he has in public
places an absent yet acqulescent air, az of
one Icing taken somewhere rather than 60
ing OF his own volition-which is usually
the case, as he is the most obliging, infor
NAL and unmagisterial Of Chief Mag strates.
70 me there is something strange in the or
dinary passiyity of such will as his. He
seems not only modest, but diffident
man. Great heroes before him have been
so. This diffidence may often be taken for
Indifference and insensibility. think
have seen the sure marks of it in his inter
course with children, for whom he really has
the fondest characteristic of Mr.. Lincoln.
He has no small talk for small interviewers,
| but he is not above listening to them, and
have noticed that they never account him
hard or cold. They have, perhaps, the in
stinct to understand and the grace to inter
pret that riddle for statesmen, reporters and
fine ladies-the face of President Grant
few evenings ago, as a little party of
US assembled to witness some private theat-
ricals Of tie simplest and most juvenile sort,
at the house of one of the Cabinet Minis
ters, the family from the White House call
ed, quite unexpectedly. On being told what
was on the tapis, the President expressed
a desire to see the performance, IF the
children would not object OF course they
did not, though qnaklng in their buskins,
but did their best before their august au-
dience, and We're rewarded by Presidential
laughter and applause. Watching our
President as he sat smiling kindly at that
little comedy, that BIT of childish mimic
life, it seemed almost impossible to realize
that he was indeed that great Captain Of
Captains, who few short years ago, was
the central figure in mighty drama of bat
tie, whose stage was a continent, and whose
audience was the world. ! think we ough
to strive to realize this more; it seems tc
me there is too much petty cavll at thi
mans non-observapce OF some of the small
conventionalities which we call "the Ell
Guette of the position = too many newspa
per platitudes that he enjoys his cigar, tha
he loves horses bless him for that, that III
does rot make speeches on all trivial oecas
ions (bless him for that. 700 J in short, tha
he does not edo tie department. Of hi
place, according to the arstocra,ic demo
cratic theories, that he is not the Presden
| ,f nracp1put