Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-21


myself as the President of the United
States because | never have had any
sense of being identified with that Of
fee | feel like "A person appointed for
certain length of time to administer
that office, and | feel just as much
outside of it at this moment as | did
before | was elected to il. ! feel just
as much outside of it as | still feel
outside the government of the United
States.
mo man could imagine himself the
government Of the United States; but
he could understand that some part of
his fellow citizens had told him to go
and run a certain part of it the best
he knew how That would not make
him the government itself or the thing
itself 1t would just make him re-
sponsible for running it the best he
knew how The machine is so much
greater than himself, the Office is so
much greater than himself, the office
is so much greater than he can ever
be, and the most he can do is TO look
grave enough and self possessed
enough to seem to fill it. | can hardly
rferain every now and again from tip
ping the public the wink, as much as
to say, 1t is only me- that is inside
this thing. | know perfectly we'll that
! will have to get out presently. !
know that then | will look just my
own proper size, and that for the time
being the proportions are somewhat
refracted and misrepresented TO the
eye by the large thing ! am inside Of
Blessed Intervals of Forgetfulness.
For example, take matters of this
sort: will not say whether it is
wise or unwise, simple or grave. but
certain precedents have been estab
lished that in certain companies the
President must leave the room first
and people must give way to him
I They must not sit down if he is stand
ing up. 1t is very uncomfortable
thing torhave to think of all the other
people every time | get up and sit
down, and all that sort of thing. So
that when | get guests in my house
and the public is shut out, | adjourn
being President and take leave to be
gentleman If they draw back and
insist upon my doing something first
| firmly decline.
There are blessed intervals when
| forget by one means or another,
! that | am President of the United
States. one means by which I forget
! is to get a rafting good detective
story. get after some imaginary Of
| fender, and chase him all over-pref
]
cause the various parts of this con-
/ tinent are becoming painfully sug
gestive to me- The postoffices, and
many other things. which stir rem
! inisCence, have sicklied them DER with
pale cast of thought. There are
| postoffices to which | wouldn't think
of mailing a letter. which ! can't
| think Of without trembling with the
! knowledge of all the heartburnings Of
! the struggle there was in connection
, with getting somebody installed as
! postmaster
Nov, if were free | would come
.not infrequenty up to these rooms
! You know j was in Washington but
| few times and for a very few hours
until | came last year and / never
expect to see The inside of the public
! buildings = in washington until my
/ term IS over The curator and the
assistant curat tors, and every other
blooming official turns up and they
! show me- so much attention that |
/ dent see the building. | would have
| to say. Stand aside and let me see
/ what you are showing me- Some day
after ] am through with this office
am going to come back to Washing
| ton and see ii.
Would Like To Be Monument"
In the meantime. | am in the same
| category as the National Museum, the
! Monument, the Smithsonian Institu-
| ton, or the Congressional Library. If !
only knew an exhibition appearance
to assume-apparent | can assume
! other appearances that do not show
what is going ON inside would like
to have it pointed out so that ! could
| practice il before the looking glass
and see if ! could look like the mon
ument. Being regarded as national
exhibit would be much simpler than
! being shaken hands with by the
/ whole United States
And yet that is interesting TO me
! simply because like human beings.
1t is pretty poor crowd that does
not interest you, ! think they would
have to be all members of that class
| that devotes itself to expense regard
| less of pleasure in order to be en-
! tirely uninteresting, These look so
much alike-spend their time trying
TO look so much alike-and so re-
lieve themselves of all responsibility
Of thought-that they are very mo-
notOnous indeed to look at whereas a
crowd picked up off the street is just
jolly lot-a job lot of real huma
beings, pulsating with life, with all
kinds of passions and desires. 1t
would be a great pleasure if, unob-
served and unattended could be
knocked around, as | have been ac-
customed to being knocked around all
my life: if / could resort to any de-
hghtful quarter, to any place in
Washington that | choose. | have
sometimes thought of going to some
costumer s-some theatrical costum-
ers-and buying an assortment Of
boards, rouge and Cooring, and all
Inc known means Of Disgusting my
self If il were not against the law.
y gu see. ! have a scruple as Presi
dent against breaking the law and
Disgusting ones self is against the
,aw; but if ! could disguise myself
nd not get caught, | would go out,
be a free American citizen once more,
and have a jolly time ] might then
meet some of you gentlemen and ac-