Evening journal., 1911-01-30
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Benjamin HarriS7l'S Un-
realized Hearts peSire

D, "nolland.~

General Benjamin Harrison has fire.
quenuy been called the coolest man
who ever sat in the White House. al
though history has Internationally
striyon to give this distinction TO John
Adams
Certain it was the politicians and
public men Of larrison's day esteemed
the twenty-third President of the
United States as one who had great
er intellect than temperament. Es
pecially the politicians, after they had
swarmed TO the White House following
Harriaon's Inauguration, confessed to
one another that they had found the
new president icy They said with one
accord that his greeting waes cold, that
his handShake was limp; and speedily
there grew up popular impression
that there was no warmth of tempera-
ment in Benjamin Harrison. although
there was general recognition not only
Of the brillancy but also of the pro-
fundity of ais intellectual powers.
But none OF the politicians-nor in
fact. any OF the thousands of Ameri-
cans who mot General Harrison while
he occupied the White House-was
more heenly conscious Of this temper
amental defect than was Harrison him
self TO his intimate friends he some
times spoke of it. To one he declared
that he sometimes wondered If his in
ability TO appreciate music was not a
part. or q cause Of his temperamental
difficulties. II do not know one song
from another, be confessed. except
ing that ak last ] have learned to dis
tinguish one Of the military tunes
think it is Yankee Doodle And some
! time later, when he was discussing his
great weakness--or what be looked
! upon as his great weakness-with an
/ other intimate friend. he sald-and
/ there was an unmistakable longing in
( his voice: 4 want TO be a good fellow
l I have tried hard to be companionable
( H. has been my great desire. But
don't know how
Clearly, the mystery of his apparent
GOODNESS OF disposition was as unsolv-
able to Benjamin Harrison as it was tC
the politicians who we're brought into
contact with him during the four year:
that he was President. But whai
neither Harrison himself nor the poll
ticians could clear up, great Demo
crat did, at least to his own satisfac
tion--and that was Grover Cleveland
both predecessor and successor OF Ben
jamin in the White House
After Cleveland had retired from thu
presidency I'm 1893 he fell into th'
habit of chatting freely with his init
mate friends OF events that had occur
red while he was President and of pub
lie men he had met during those tw'
periods
Before J first met Benjamin Harri
son. when he was president-elect." sal
MIR. Cleveland, 81 of course. had grea
respect for his intellectual ability; an
7 may add that had been told tina
he was a man of phlegmatic disposi
tion, having no warmth Of heart. Blu
twice ] had good opportunity to lear
that this was not the truth. The frs
time we met ! arrived at the opinio
that what was thought TO be coldnes
in Mr.. Harrison was, in fact. nothin
but excessive shyness. 7 think he wa
the shyest Of all the men in public lif
have ever met. That shyness, @
/ course, caused some SelI-COuSclOue
ness, and the two together worked Z
make him cold of heart. apparently
And I came to know what his kind
ness of heart and his capacity for couI
tesy were. Nothing could have bee
more cordial than his reception OF m
when ! returned to the White Hous
in 1898. after had defeated him; an
Il was due 10 his thoughtful consider
ton that 7 found the executive mar
sion perfectly fitted for our comfort
, able reception i'm every possible dc
tail. This service President Harriso
himself had done, or ID was done M
I der his direct oversight And this Q,
perience confirmed me in my earlie
/ Impression that General Harrison
!, apparent coldness was due alone TO e,
cessive shyness. which he would nc
control"
Copyright. 1911. by r. J. Edwards. Al
rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell (
-The Politics Of the First Famous NaI