The Washington herald., 1914-03-27
Statesmen, Real and Near.
By FRED C. KELLY.

BY FRED C. KELLY.
Imagine the sad plight of q boy who
has set his heart on being the champion
kite flyer of his neighborhood, but hasn't
q ball Of twine to his back.
That was the situation OF Charles +.
Marvin. now Chief Of the United States
Weather Bureau.
When Marvin was a lad Of ten, back In
Columbus. Ohio. he was morally certain
that all he needed was simply a lot of
good, fine twine to sail a kite SO high
and 30 far that. he would have the whole
town inquiring his name.
And In the face Of that vaulting ambi-
ton he was obliged to content himself
with little kites that he few with thread
taken from his mothers work-basket.
Other boys who had more spending
money than little Charlie Marvin built
big kites and sailed them with gay
abandon, unreeling yard after yard of
twine that they had gone and bought
In the marts. All the time Marvin knew
that he could build bigger and better
kites than any of them. But what was
the use Of building big kites when he
had nothing to hitch them to but thread.
He simply had to fly his little infant-size
kites and get what fun out Of life he
could. He put up with the jeers and rude
jests Of his playmates-and bided his
time.
That brings US down to the real point
Of our story. All this language up to
now has been simply preliminary. The
| fact that Marvin was not discouraged. but
hopefully bided his time is the essential
thing to keep In mind. Today Charles
+. Marvin not only provides our wealth
er and a never-failing conservational toe
| hold. but Is also about the most con-
spicuous example one can think of. right
offhand. to show what can be done with
deferred hopes. 1t was a great many
years before Marvin finally put IT all
| over those other boys who had jeered
at him and made sport OF his little
| kites sailed with thread. But he did It.
His case should be a great source of en-
couragement, comfort and inspiration to
US all.
Marvin outgrew the regulation kite-fiy-
ing age and got into the United States
weather service. Then he recalled his
| throttled ambition to sail kites higher
than anybody else. This time he had a
government back Of him and he did not
have to bother with thread; instead. he
got plenty OF fine high-priced wire and
he sailed kites to a height and distance
that would have made those boys back in
Columbus heartily ashamed of them
selves. Marvin not only got the laugh
on those Columbus smart alecks but
made more progress and broke morc
| height records in the use OF kites for
government forecasting work than has
ever been done before or since in the
whole big wide world.
You see II was a mere matter Of wait
ing and keeping up hope.
weatherman Marvin was always DIFF
ferent from other youngsters When the
average boy of his age was utilizing a
holiday to go fishing Marvin would dis
appear from his usual haunts and get
permission to go through some manufac-
turing plant. About the hsppiest day of
his life was the first time he got inside
Of a big glass works. BY the time he
was fifteen he had been through almost
every big shop and factory in his home
/ city.
AS a boy. too. Marvin used to delight
in getting hold Of the works Of an old
clock and, taking the wheels all apart.
after which he would make them do
| things they were never intended to do.
When he got into the instrument di-
| vision OF the Weather Bureau he went
right along in the same way-got lot
of wheels and cogs and jiggers and made
them do things they had never done
before.
In consequence Of doing exactly what
he likes to do all these years. Weather
Chief Marvin Is so young for his age as
! to be almost a freak. The records show
him to be ffty-hve years Of age. bnt no
one would take him for more than about
! thirty-nine.
One thing that has helped him to keep
his youthful look is our old friend. the
l.
tango. overeat. or sit up half the night
| talking about the high cost of tires.
| One of the rules adopted and strictly
adhered to by Representative Fess. of
Ohio. is never to bother the President.
He and Mr.. Wilson have met frequently
at educational gatherings when both
were college presidents, but they have
never met face to face since Wilson
entered the White House.
The President is too busy to he both
cred with Congressman about postoffices
or anything not of the utmost impor-
tance," says Fess. land I have never
yet had anything important enough to
say to him to feel like taking up time
so valuable as his"
| Occasionally a prominent constituent
will drop in on Fess and ask to be intro
duced to the President
Fess always refuses with this expla'
nation.
There are more than 40 Representa-
tives and ninety-six Senators. Suppose
each one were to take even just one
constituent a week up to the White
House TO chat for two or three minutes
| with the President. How would the man
ever get anything done?"
Beverly T Galloway, Assistant Secre-
tary of Agriculture is an authority on
eggs and violets.
ICopyrisht. 1914. BY Frrd C. Kelly. All rights
| rpserVedl