The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-07-16
WHEN you MEET THE PRESIDENT.
BY DAY ALLEN WILEY .


entrance their cards being handed in by the
Presidents doorkeeper. The other way to
reach him is through the Secretary's, Office,
but only those who have an GRAND worth the
while get beyond this apartment. The num-
Der of people whose names are given the Secre-
tary weekly, but who do not see his superior,
runs into the hundreds for the term "Secre-
tary" in Mr.. Loeb's case means timekeeper,
and the hours he saves daily are indeed golden,
so many are they.
But perhaps you are among the favored.
Preceded by the Secretary You walk into the
big, square room, in which q man is sitting be-
hind fat-top desk, which looks as IT it
might be mahogany. You have no time to
decide, for as the name is pronounced the man
rises with outstretched hand which grips, not
grasps, yours. 1t is the sort of handshake that
makes you feel the owner meant it by its hear
tiness. Then he resumes his seat, turns 80 he
can look you squarely in the face, and is rea-
dy to hear what you have to say.
If you are puzzled how to begin-perhaps are
a trife nervous-he may surprise you by put
ting question or two which strikes rightsat
the point of what you ought to tell, for the
Secretary has given him hint in advance as
to why you have come, and perhaps an idea Of
the actual importance Of your visit. Thus
prompted you begin to talk. So long as the
the President may say nothing, but if it slips
away he may ask question which brings you
back into the right track again, and, uncon-
sciously, the visitor forgets personality in the
theme on which he is talking, and after 1t is
all over he may be surprised at how much ne
has said, considering the time in which he said
it. Such is one impression; but while talking
the camera of his mind is busy taking photo
graphs-and some of them are so different from
the kind we see in the shop windows, the newB-'
mko~, Ar.~x<
tered the room expecting to see human illus
tration of perpetual understanding his I'm
gers through his hair, pacing the floor with
hands in pockets, shifting from side to side in
his chair. lingering the ink bottle or drumming
with his pencil. The paragraphers and car
toonists may have led you to believe that the
President tries to do all at once judging by
some of the accounts of his activity.
Not bit oft.
His nerves are so steady that he doesn't even
twirI his fingers and II you note closely you
will see that not o muscle of his features
witches. It is Just the activity of which so
much has been said-the welding of the ak,
the swinging of the clubs, the bouts with the
single stick, the mile after mile of trndging
through the woods or on the back of the sure
footed "Blestein, I" have given him steadiness
OF nerve that many man would covet more
than his fortune-the nerve that comes from
good digestion, sound sleep and plenty of red
blood. Resting himself comfortably against
the back of his chair, with hands quietly
folded or one stretched carelessly on the
desk, his attitude is anything but restless.
When he joins in conversation the words are
uttered slowly, distinctly, unless the theme
especially interests him. Then he may put an
emphasis to them which tells you more plain
" than the language that be means what he
says. If 1t is worth while be takes heart in
terest in the talk. II an idea especially pleases
him, perhaps the visitor will hear something
b fu hat
is certainly encouraging" with the special en-
phasis on the words italicized. But be is not
q fiatterer. If he does not agree with you be
tells you so promptly. If he does not care to
hear more of subject he gives the thread of
the conversation sudden twist, and you I'M
derstand.
But there is one thing that your camera will
not reproduce, mo matter how sharpits lens may
be focussed-the tone of his voice in ordinary
conversation. Probably its effect is heightened
by his manner-that of one so accustomed to
being gentleman that this trait is displayed
unconsciously. As you glance al the features,
Drowned, not bronzed, by exposure, and the
sturdy, almost massive physique, the softly
mOdnlated tones surprise you. 1t is the sort OF
q voice to attract wOman-such as one might
expect to hear in the drawing room, but hard.
ly in public Office. There Is no infection Of
authority, no brisqueness in it which one &C.
customed to talking to prominent men so often
notes. Yet it is not the suave tone of the poll
tician nor is it effeminate. Possibly the Preui-
dent believes that the etiquet which should be
observed in the society of ladies' should be fol-
lowed in his relations with his visitors and OF.
fetal family. Probably no one has ever heard
him order any one, even a messenger, in the
ordinary sense of the word. His orders are in
the form of requests. The interview may be
interrupted while he summons the Secretary :
"Mr. Loeb, shall be obliged to have you at
tend to this or, "Mr. Loeb, must get you to
10 1.atI Sea- ha v1srfc Io Vu0
der that the Secretary's nerves are constantly
-nkuy 0a6S6 tie President d little discomfort
Just little slip in the movement of The White
House business mechanism?
II you have had time to glance at the desk
you may see that it is bare of even a card-no
piles of letters, no litter of documents no pack
ages done up in red tape. Needless to say the
polished top does not reflect speck of dust
Any one who never heard of Mr.. Roosevelt
might think the desk was merely ornamental.
In fact, the Office contains no indication of
business, and its only regular occupant is the
man in the chair. The head of seventy mil
lion people has not even stenographer in at
tendance; but, as already stated, the interview
may be interrupted There is a paper which
must have his personal signature at once. 1t
may save life. it may end a life, but the
signature is placed there firmly without hesi-
tation,. for the signer knows the contents Of
every document which his pen touches. and its
strokes are not made thoughtlessly. But you
can talk to him while he dips his pen in the
ink. If you stop, he tells you to go on and
there is an interesting fact about the signature.
Look at it through microscope and you could
not detect any difference in the shape of the
letters from the way he formed them when
merely Assistant Secretary of the Navy. The
lines do not follow the artistic curves of the
Spencerian system, and the writer does not
hesitate to use plenty of ink, but the hand
writing expert says the signature indicates
character. Apparently it is written slowly,
but its appearance is deceptive, for the President
is rapid penman.
Another impression is made upon you, but
this may not be recalled until with another
handshake and bow the man behind the desk
ends the interview and turns to greet the next
caller. Perhaps you have read of the audiences
at Windsor or Buckingham, or in the Elysee
where the head of another republic receives his
visitors with the pomp of monarch. Here
you have merely walked into building at the
entrance of which is a couple of doorkeepers.
no rows of liveried footmen no files of soldiers,
no sign of guard, save the solitary police Of
ficer pacing his post. You follow your card
from the anteroom into the Secretary's office.
You follow the Secretary into the Presidents
room. You talk to the President as you would
to any private citizen. He talks to you as
man to man, with this difference-he may
treat you with more courtesy and cordially
than some you have met in private life.
As you go away thinking it over, somehow
it makes you glad you are an American.-1he
Independent, ". 7.