The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-22

frequent While the President of the
United States at any particular, time,
whoever he may be, is doubtless the best
known man in the country, it is also
true that he is the easiest man to per-
senate This is due to the fact that
the mental picture most people have
of the President is composite of the
various likenesses they have from time
to time SEEM A composite is never dis
tinct. This mental picture Isl SO blurred
that whenever a man possessing the
general physical characteristics of the
President for any reason gives out the
hint that he, is the President, he has no
trouble in getting himself accepted at
that face value Whenever one person
in a crowd makes up his mind that a
certain man is the President the rest
readily accept the conclusion and IL
there be skeptical ones they dare not
raise a voice in protest.
A COMMON HAPPENING.
The guides at the White House say
that it is the commonest of all happen
ings for groups Of 1eisurely tourists to
gather and watch man possessed OIL a
smooth face, Roman nose and dark
complexion who happens to go in or out
of the White House. He may be the
humblest office-seeker or an everyday
citizen of Washington; he may be
foot taller or a foot shorter than the
Chief Magistrate, but still somebody in
the crowd minister's There goes the
President" Those who hear the re-
mark suppose that it's author knows
what he is talking about. A crowd
gathers. and the very fact OF its
gathering is conclusive that there IS
something TO see, and when the object
in view is man going up or down
the steps. it is taken for granted by all
corners that lie must certainly be the
President of the United States. Whom
else could a crowd stop to look at? In
this wav thousands Of people go away
from Washington to tell for the rest of
their lives about seeing the President
when they have really seen the hero
of one of these impromptu gatherings.
ANY man in the country bearing the
slightest resemblance to Mr. Mckinley,
who might be seen quietly walking on
Sunday afternoon in the grounds back
of the White House, would surely be
taken for the President, and so pro-
claimed by all passers-by.
An interesting case in point occurred
about wear ago. 1t was known that
Mr.. Cleveland, then an ex-President,
had arrived in the city from Southern
fishing trip. and that at later hour
the same day he would take the train
to his New Jersey home. As Mr.
Cleveland afterward declared. the in
terval between the arrival of one train
and the departure of the other he had
passed in the Pennsylvania Railroad
Station, and had not set foot upon the
streets of washington. But the news
gatherers of this city were rather look
ing for Mr.. Cleveland that day, and 1t
is not surprising that several enterpris-
ing Journals contained story the next
morning of how the late Chief Execu-
tive had been seen gazing into store
window on F street, and how the peo-
pie. particularly the children, had gain
cred about him, and how silent and de-
mure he seemed.
1t was assumed that he was looking In
the store window with view to select
ing presents for Ruth, Esther, etc,
when the onlookers disturbed him, and
the newsgatherers commented phllo-
sophically upon the fact that man
could have been strolling through f
street, who only year before had held
the destinies of the nation in his hand,
and was still leading figure in the
coIntry's history.
NOT A TRUE STORY.
The story of this incident travelled
far and wide. 1t was copied into the