The Washington herald., 1909-03-05

life the two men who rode down Pennsyl-
vania avenue yesterday morning. as PresI-
dent and President-elect have Travelled
more miles than all OF their predecessors
taken together, yet their ages are less
by ten years than the average age al
which the Presidents Of the past have
retired from their high Office. If they
continue 70 travel IN the future N pro-
portion as they have in the past, each
OF them viii have Travelled more than all
Of the Presidents before Roosevelt. Mr.
Taft is the only globe-trotter whose
travels have led him 10 the White House
Mr.. Roosevelt, with the single exception
OF Gen Grant. is The only man who has
ceased 10 be President TO become a globe
trotter.
II IS being said that the African ex-
petition viii not be the end Of the Roose-
yeltian globe-trotting. as the White House
VIII not be the end of 1Ir. Taft's. In
Mr. Roosevelt we have q shining example
Of what the child admired the youth
eIdeavOred, and the man acquired - even
II seven years Of Presidential service had
TO be gone through with before the
acquisition. Il is said TO have been the
cnild-dmbiuOn OF Theodore Roosevelt TO
he naturalist Now he is 10 be one.
and the scenes Of -Africa'S sunny fOun-
tains' are not the only places where
nature stories are 20 De gathered al d
dollar Per word.
Nr- Roosevelt IS now Americas only
living ex-President- For the best part Of
q year the nation has been without one.
Air- Cleveland was the only living one
from the time Of Mr.. Harrison's death.
and when the curtain was rUng down on
his career We had none until Mr. .Roose-
velts retirement yesterday. Only once or
twice before in the nations history has
IT been without living ex-PreSident. and
then for but a brief period. Nr. Roose-
welt has retired from the Presidency al
an age younger than that OF most men
when they assumed IL. Only Tyler. Polk.
Pierce, Fillmore. Grant Garfield. and
Cleveland assumed the Presidency under
the age OF hfty-Oue. AIr- Roosevelt is
younger even than the man who succeeds
him, and nearly ten years younger than
the average age al which the Presidents
n
II he lives as long as the average Of
the lives Of his predecessor-ncar sixty
seven years-he viii see four more admin
lStraIions come and go. No President up
to Van Buren Went out Of office before
be was sixty. and no President I'D 20
Polk died below the age Of siXtv-seven.
Washington and the elder Harrison were
the only two, Up 10 the time Of Polk, who
died under seventy-two The elder
Adams, jefferson, Madison. Monroe. and
The younger Adams all lived past the
f1urscore 10 which man attsins "-by rea-
son Of his strength John Adams leads
IN American Presidential longevity. he
having reached the remarkable age OF
ninCty-one years before he spoke his
dying words, 'And jefferson stil lives"
Madison was the next longest lived. his
age being eighty-six-
one gets a most startling idea Of the
shortening Of human life under the stress
Of Presidential service by comparing the
ages OF the earlier Presidents with those
Of the late ones. Taking the first eight.
al the time Of death 1t is found that they
aggregate So years. OF an average of
nearly eighty-one years 10 the man. The
aggregate ages Of the eight who imme6i-
arely preceded Mr. Roosevelt amounts 40
51 years, an average Of less than sixty
three years This represents a shorten
ing Of eighteen years in the average lives
OF men who have been President Gen.
Jackson and Mr. Buchanan are the only
Presidents who reached the axe of seventy
before retiring from Office
Ey-r-ar-aF~ -.--E-.r.r- ---.-- .E--
same answer 20 the question. What shall
given by 1Ir Cleveland. That answer was
q Jet them alone and allow them 10 at
tend 10 their Own affairs He represents
the greatest earning capacity that has
ever left the White House His world
wide fame. his StraishJ-frou-the-sh
way Of saving. writ
i-g. and doing things have made him
reputation that can cali forth great in
come Equipped with such an earning
power. ne VIII hardly be willing to ac-
rept any sort of pension or place at the
hands of the people over whom he has
ruled for seven years
What Of his future2 All men know Of
his Immediate plans. and those after he
returns from his African enga cement and
his period of hobnobbing With William.
Edward, and the rest Of them But
stranger things have happened than that
,incinnatus should again be called from
the plow- Was II not said Of Cleveland
after his first term that when he went 10
New York after his retirement he made q
noise like a stone thrown into the water
"a splash and then silence forever
But did not AIr Cleveland come back
INTO Office after four years on a political
landslide the like Of which America had
never SEEM Perhaps lfr- Roosevelt may
get i've 20 he the second man who has
been twice an ex-President
The ex-Presidentlal career Of Grover
Cleveland has long been regarded as the
deal one As a writer. university pro
lessor. and angler he lived in a quiet.
HGnifed way Benjamin Harrison began
.1e practice Of law after retiring from
ne White House at the age Of sixty 10
build up the fortune that had been neg
eeted during his active political life
The new Secretary OF Stale. 1Ir. Knox.
ln1e retained him in "a ease i'm which he
Tas general counsel Harrison cid the
work and then asked Knox 20 allow him
90 collect from the clients direct, stating
hat he wanted a bigger Zee than he felt
Knox could approve. He Sot what he (
-sked- In after years when they COM
jared notes his fee was only one-fourth I
IF that charged by Knox. Had he left
he fixing Of the fee 10 the general coun- /
eL he would have gotten ten times as {
nuch
Chester A. Arthur died shortly after
rs retirement Hayes lived some twelve 4
ears after Eis return 10 private life He I
'ecame a gentleman farmer. and attend 4
4 20 his large poUtry yards himself Z
Re and Mrs Hayes were always ide- IL i
led with the great movements Tor tie 4
deviation OF the race Mrs Hayes let /
he White House as dry as the sands of /
sahara. but the wine cellars were soon
completely stocked again
The career of Gen. Grant. after leaving I
White FTnrrcn