The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1914-03-27


that Office, and feel just as much out
side of it at this moment as did be-
fore was elected to it. l feel just az
much outside of II as still feel out
side of 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 certain part of it the best
he knew how.
THAT would not make him the gov
eminent itself or the thing itself. II
would just make him responsible TO,
running it the best he knew how.
Office So Great; Man So Small.
THE machine is SO much greater
than himself, the Office is so much
greater than himself; the Office is sc
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.
Il can hardly refrain every now and
again from tipping the public the
wink, as much as to say. 1T is only
me that is inside this thing. J know
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
from which l am tipping you this
| wink
For example, take matters Of this
sort. will not say whether it is wise
or unwise; simple or grave, but GER
| tain precedents have been established
| that in certain companies the presi-
| dent must leave the room first and
people must give way to him. They
must not sit down if he is standing Up.
Finds Customs Embarrassing.
at is a very uncomfortable thins to
have to think of all the other people
every time get up and sit down, and
| all that sort of thing So when ] get
guests in my own house and the pub
lie is shut out, | adjourn being pres
! ident and take leave to be a gentle
man. If they draw back and insist
upon my doing something first / firm
| ly decline.
There are blessed intervals when |
forget by one means or another that
| am president of the United States.
One means by which forget is to get
rafting good detective story, get
after some imaginary offender. and
| chase him all over-preferably any
continent but this-because the vari-
Gus parts of this continent are becom-
ing painfully suggestive to me.
THE postoffices and many other
things which stir "reminiscences have
'sicklied them DER with a pale cast
of thought There are postoffices to
which I wouldn't think of mailing a
letter, which / can't think of without
trembling with the knowledge of the
heartburnings of the struggle there
was in connection with getting some.
body installed as postmaster.
Knows Little of Capital Sights.
Now, if l were free, would come
not infrequently up to these rooms.
You know never was in Washington
but a very few hours until came last
year and l never expect to see the
inside of the public buildings in Wash
ington until my term is over.
THE minute l turn up anywhere,
/ am personally conducted to beat the
| L,,~ no ha ciCto mt
curators, and every other blooming Of
| fetal turns up, and they show me so
much attention that | don't see the
| building. l 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 Washington and see 1t. In the
meantime, l am in the same category
| as the National museum, the monu-
ment, the Smithsonian institution, or
the Congressional library, and every
thing that comes down here has to
be shown the president.
IF l only knew an exhibition APP
| pearance to assume-apparently other
! appearances that do not show what is
| going on inside would like to have
| it pointed out, so that / could practise
it before the looking glass and see If
l could not look like the monument
Being regarded as a national ex
hibit, ii would be much simpler than
being shaken hands with by the whole
| United States. And yet, even that is
interesting to me, simply because
like human beings.
1T is a 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 relieve
themselves of all responsibility of
thought-that they are very monoto
nous indeed to look at! whereas a
crowd picked up off the street is just
jolly lot-a job lot of real human
beings, pulsating with life, with all
kinds of passions and desires.
Plain Citizen, His Ambition.
1T would be great pleasure IL. un
| served and unattended, l could be
knocked around as | have been accus
toned to be knocked around all my
life; if l could resort to any delightful
| quarter, to any place in Washington
that l chose. l have sometimes
thought of going to some costumer-