The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-04-21
Leonard Wood, the Man Prepared,

Leonard WOOL the man prepared.
Ray stannard Baker, writes a most
interesting sketch Of Gen. Leonard Wood
in the April American Magazine, part
Of which is quoted as follows:
@Many there are who have attempted
to account for the startling rise to pow
or and fame Of General Leonard Wood.
Twelve years ago an assistant surgeon.
with little or no regular military train
ing, how is it possible that to-day at
the astonishingly youthful age OF
fifty Che was born October 9,l880l, he
should be the ranking ma general and
chief Of staff Of the army Of the United
States7
~Somswhsrs in one Of his essays
Emerson observes Of 3 certain extraor-
binary man that be ives prepared for
his age No better description Of the
SUCCESS Of General Wood could possib~
ly be written. Without especially bril-
liant qualities to commend him, with
little promise Ia his sarliar years, be
has been, at every crisis be has had 70
meet, peculiarly tbs man who was
ready There stood Tseonayd Wood
prepared It was not that be sought
tho places, which he has flied 10 sue
cassfully, but hat he was aupTemaly
the man who ives ready for them
at she very beginning Of his career
in the army, although only surgeon.
he was assigned to lead detachment
Of soldiers In pursuit. Of Geronlmos
Apache warriors, far down among the
49,. "a.
Mexico. BE performed this dificuls
task with such courage and efficiency
that he was especially commanded BIZ
his commanding general and rewarded
by Congress with one Of it's rare medals.
Theodore Roosevelt said to him,
No soldier could 0utwalk him, could
live with greater Indifference on hard
and scanty fare, could endure hard
ship better, or do better without sleep
cat the beginning Of the Spanish war,
when It was proposed 20 raise a regi-
msnt Of Rough Riders. the man mature
ally chosen to lead was this same ret
6cent, low-spoksn, weiI-prepared army
surgeon. He became colonel and led
the Rough Riders On the bloody hill Of
Las Guasimas After that, when the
high ones at Washington looked about
them for a man to command the con-
quered province of Santiago, there stood
Leonard Wood--ready. He proved
an admirable colonial administra-
tor, and from that moment on.
ward he has been the Imminent man'
IN connection with the most difficult
problems Of our foreign dependencies,
lie became governor Of Cuba, then he
went to the Philippines.
AS he has held more and more i'm
portant positions, performing each task
with that high sort OF quiet efficiency,
which Americans admire, he has risen,
in rank il the army, until
now he is chief of staff with headquar-
tiers at Washington Objection has been
made that he was advanced again and
again over the heads BIZ men who had
served long and ably in the regular
army, men trained at West Point and
further disciplined By long service IN
army posts All this is true; but Gem
eral Wood was never vet given COM
mand or set to do new task, because
Of his rank; ne was rather given his
rank because Of bis task The name
followed the deed.
And il ever this county should be
plunged into war, M man would be
turned to by rank and fle Of the army,
Or by the country at large, with great.
or sense of security than to the i'm.
efficient, energetic, modest sol
her, who has a way Of doing every
task to which he is set better than
anyone expected For he has the genius
# being always ready"