Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-09-23
MR. TAFT At COOPER UNION.
Arthur Brisbane Studies the Republic
can Candidate at Close Range
and Draws an Attractive
Word Picture.

Arthur Brisbane, editor of William
r. Hearst's Evening Journal, in New
York, went to Cooper Union last win
ter to hear Mr.. Taft speak to the
workingmen of New York City. Mr..
Brisbane was anxious to study Mr..
Taft at close range. He had never
seen him, but he had employed his
pen occasionally in criticism of things
that Mr.. Taft had done. After listen
ing to Mr.. Taft and analyzing his inn
pressions, Mr.. Brisbane wrote the
following editorial in the Evening
Journal:
"Mr. Taft is the kind of a man you
would expect to find in the presidents
Office of bank, if you went in to
start an account. His appearance
would give you confidence in the
bank. You would say to yourself,
This man will not let the bank fail
if he possibly can help it. He has
pride. You like Mr.. Taft's look
when you see him. He has a good
American face, little tired, little
older than it need be. He has had
his share of worry. His resemblance
to Grover Cleveland is remarkable.
He is not nearly SO fat as Grover
Cleveland was in his second term.
He has better skin, looks healthier,
seems to have better temper and
better control of that temper.
They have talked a great deal
about Mr.. Taft as fat man. He is
not fat man. He has only one extra
chin, and the artificial chin below the
real one is small. He has small, I'M
necessary roll in the back of the
neck, but that also is small. He has
a good, broad chest, and he stands
straight. Below that chest there is
a semi-circle. But it isn't the kind
of a round stomach that comes from
dissipation or self-indulgence. 1t Is
due to the fact that Mr. Taft has
powerful constitution, and has not
given that constitution sufficient ex-
ercise. If he had worked less with
his head and more with his legs that
stomach wouldn't all be there.
"Mr. Taft's face is a.little pale. He
has manly, Straightforward look.
He has bony bump above each eye
brow, indicating perception, and he
has perception His mustache is
nearly white. his hair is brown. 1t
seems to be a natural, youthful
brown The hair in front is not as
thin as usual with Woodworking
Americans of his age who have led
an office, hard-working life. How old
does he look? Not less than fifty
two, not as much as sixty-two. Mr..
Taft's best feature is his nose.
Strong, long, it has character. The
nostrils are smaller than they would
be if he had lived out of doors. Mr..
Taft's head is strong at the sides. He
is a good brachycephalic type (you
needn't look that word up, it means
wide-headed) There is room for a
good, big brain in there, and there is
big brain in there. In one way, Mr..
Taft looks like all of our Presidents
Except Chester A. Arthur since the
knee breeches days. Mr.. Taft's
trousers bag at the knees. They are
about as wrinkled as the front legs
of an elephant.
Altogether, Mr.. Taft is man
agreeable to look at He is a good,
honest, earnest, manly, better-than-
average man to look at. If the boat
were sinking, and he could swim and
you couldn't, you'd hand him your
$50,000-if you had it-saying, Give
this to my wife, and she'd get it, il
he lived to get ashore"