The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-05
WOODROW WILSON As AUTHOR
"HISFORi az THE tuERH AZ
People, HISCHfEF MORN.
History aBss the science 90 t.e>rrnusnt
the shirf Topics nj his Othrr tso@As
ami fJSays Not an author Prom
Pref Sr~nee hls style ID ln,i,, isiuai

AMI HSays Not an Aushor Prom,
Pref Nr~nee hiS style ID ln,i,, isiuai.
Before Woodrow Wils6-l started run
ming for Governor of New Jersey .Ie was
distin g,iished among college presidents,
before he advanced tn. interests OF
Princeton he was distinguished ar an
author. You could go back of that Of
course and say that before he became
an author he was notable among college
professors. "A an author MIR. wilson
he prefers thus TO be addressed first
achieved a degree Of fame outside Of
Princeton. As an author he il now least
known.
lie IN not an author from choice. He
himself explains that he never set out
consciously to become an author. Of
his Ave volin. History III the American
People," his most brilliant a. well as Ris
largest literary achievement. Mr.. Wilson
saws:
u IL grew ont Of series of papers or
essays on different phases OF American
history. "a number OF which were printed
in Hdrpsrs MGgGsins. They were not IN
any way related
4 wrote these historical essays as
much AZ anything to make my own CON
ceptions Of American history definite.
TO give them body and substance
Then. too. wished somewhat to ls' others
see American history and American men
as I MY self viewed them
A perfectly natural and legitimate de-
sire surely. to bring others TO ones own
point ct view But that reason was
secondary The desire to crystalline ones
own thought. the desire which AZ bottom
led Mr.. Wilson 20 write his history IN
chunks. 10 characteristic OF the scholar
pure and simple. II agrees well with Mr.
wilson's temper Of mind and mod" ~
work
He is not a man who can h" induced TO
ACCEPT any view ready made. says his
brother in law. Mr.. ASsnn. He has al
ways insisted on digging for facts and
arriving az his own opinions on the facts
he found.
After he became president q Prince
ton h. found no tim. 10 wnt" hooks. 4
rare essay educational sdlr"ss"s and "A
few spr"ches commenting on p"litirs and
economic questions II the dnv ~"ro all
that escaped him.
As a college professor he ps"d I" de-
vote all the forenonns ne didr'' lecture
,o writing. H. oft"n forced himself 10
work. H., trained himself 10 work
met hodicaiy He could not work in any
ca~.. until his desk was in perfect order
mir Wilson never waited for insplrs-
,,on tn writ" He started and trusted
10 forcing tho inspiration. and usually
IA came sooner or later Af'Nr while he
found that h. could almost command il
Mr. Wilson knows som" .almosr oi,so-
Iete kind ut shorthand and used To do his
writing. in that II" found that 1t enabled
him 10 keep mp with a train Of Thought
Aftcrwar he would sit down before
typswritcr and transcrl.,e what he had
written.
Mr.. wilson's fra, book was -Cnngres-
sional Government n It he end"avor.Nd
20 set forth tn" actual working of tn"
American Constitution and incidentally
10 bring out the difference between u {"
theory and tho practic" Of th" Cons,ittI-
ton. In this book h" called attention to
the entire lack IN th" American sysr"-T Of
government ~ any kind Of responsibility
TO the electoral" such as ths British Cahi-
net feels The book was published in 1883
In 1903 Mr. Wilson dsliv' red a courS,
Of lectures at Columbia University They
yer. aftarward published IN book form
and cors,itu,. his latest volume In
them the substance Of Congressional
Government IL brought up TO date Tho
/ author undertakes TO show how " the
! years ber x.en 1854 and ia,s rpsDonsibilitv
I has gravi-ated toward IN" President of
the United States
Mr. Wilson's second book The state =
: IL ussd a. n textbook III nanr schools and
/ colleges II has probably had a larger
, AL. than any other work ~ his. not eX-
cepting tn" History Of IN" American
People
There followed two books 81 ESSAYS
An Old Master and -N.r.. Literature %
d They show very clearly Mr. Wilson
literary concerns which are quite a. deep
n no, a. widely published a. his views On
politics and education -Mer" Iit"ra-
lure the .sSaY from which the second
volume takes its name. 10 a protest against
the making 81 lItsratur" scientific
study
George Washington vas the subject
|, and tit. of Mr. Wilson's fifth work and
preceded his big history Over tn" has
tory. written first pIeceinesl and then
correlated. he spent six wears
Mr. wilson's educational addresses
have never been collected He has
written "A great number n ESSAYS on
poli,IcsI cCiicat ional and economic topics
which have never been pu; IN book form
HIS literary stylc L. his own. u Is not
nv any means Identical with his style
in speaking In public addresses h" re-
minds one often Of Stevenson IN the Us"
Of the word Handsome. In his alert phra.-
ing His style in writing IL clear. vigOr-
Gus. and his dic'ion il notable IN it, choice
n,.ss
In =, far "A he can ne said TO ha -