The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-08-21
LIFE ENJOYED At
OYSTER BAY HOME
How President Spends His Sum-
mer Vacation
LIKES TO SAIL ON TIE BAY
To the Casual Visitor There Is No Ev-
dence That Nations Chief Exec
utive Lives In Simple Home
On Sycamore Hill.
LIKES TO SAIL ON TIE BAY

Oyster Bay, August 20-(special. with
the recent visit OF the Russian and Japan
csc ENJOYS to Sycamore Hill, the summer
home of President Roosevelt, Oyster Bay
attained the climax of its fame. Al
thought 1t has never before meddled in
international politics, the little Long Is
land village has been in the eyes of the
world for some time, and this year 1t is
enjoying to the full its brief season of
prominence. The hotel and boarding
houses are full of newspaper men, yachts
of every size, from the great steam pal
ace to the little twenty-foot knockabout
swing at anchor In the beautiful harbor
and rows of private carriages and hacks
meet every train from the city. Every
day flood of visitors from every part
of the country, bound on business or
pleasure, pours through the village from
the station close to the waterfront
Some only get as far as the executive
offices in the heart of the village. where
Secretary Loeb is waiting for them. but
many are sightseerers who have come
Tor the sole purpose of seeing Sycamore
Hill and the Roosevelt home.
The tourist at Oyster Bay has an easy
time OF 1t. Extreme simplicity marks the
Presidents life there and 1t is hard to
realize that the quiet country house look
ing out over it's surrounding belt of
woods to the waters of the harbor and
Long Island Sound beyond is the home
OF the chief magistrate of the United
States Where the driveway tumbling
down the steep hill from the house joins
the high road skirting the harbor, there
is not even gate or a fence to restrain
curiosity seekers. Only a battered sign
post announces to the public that this
Is a Private Roau. Automobiles not al
lowed" Thick woods hide the house,
and the sandy road, climbing up through
them for more than half a mile, carries
no suggestion of pomp or ceremony. The
secret service men who guard the grounds
night and day keep dscreetly out of sight
and 1t Is not until the carriage is close
to the main entrance that one realizes
that after all some precautions have
been taken to ward off the rush of Wis
itors A man quietly reading in the
shade of a tree looks UP from his book
and the driver understands. There is
only one rule that the President has
laid down for his own comfort. but that
one is rigidly NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. must in
the phrase familiar to all policemen,
keep moving" Throughout the day
the house, but relic hunters are not per-
mitted. as many of them show an incli-
nation to do, to carry off mementoes in
the shape of flowers and pieces of trees,
nor can camera fiends swarm across the
lawns In search of the best place for
a snap shot.
Allied With Livery Men.
That the secret service men have been
able to enforce this rule without any
apparent exercise of authority is largely
due to the alliance they have formed
with the livery men of the village. The
driver whose fares raise any objections
to proceeding quietly along the route
marked out for them hears from the
detectives very quickly, and If he insists
In bringing ili-behaved persons into the
grounds he finds that they are closed to
him altogether. The livery men. however.
who rely on the short season of the
Presidents stay at his old home to COM
pensate them for the dull times of the
winter, are not altogether pleased with
the prominence of their fellow townsman.
at was better for u.s." they say, when
he was only governor. Then anybody
who wanted to could just drive up to the
house and it was up to the maid at
the door whether they got in to see him
or not. Now only those who have got
appointments through Secretary Loeb
can get past the secret service man. the
others have to keep moving right along
Although the President of the United