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

WASHINGTON, March 21.-Tell-
ing just how it feels TO be President
of the United States, revealing in a
personal, conversational way the diff
hculties he has to meet and the emo
lions of his own nature with which
he has to struggle for control Wood
row Wilson. President, confided a re-
markable statement to the members
of the National Press Club. of Wash
inston, of which he long has been
member
He said
Il was just thinking of my sense OF
confusion of identity, sometimes, when
| read articles about myself ! never
have read an article bout myself in
which | recognized myself, and have
come to have the impression that !
must be some kind of a fraud, because
| think great many of these articles
are written in absolute good faith.
| tremble to think of the variety and
falseness j the impressions | make
and it is being borne in on,me so that
it may change my very disposition
that am a cold and removed person,
who has a thinking machine inside
which he adjusts to the circum-
stances, which he does not allow to be
( moved by any winds of affection or
emotion of any kind, but turns like q
cold searchlight on anything that is
presented to his attention and makes
/ it work
Il am not aware of having any de-
tachable apparatus inside of me. on
( the contrary, il | We're to interpret
myself | would say that my constant
embarra ssment is to restrain the emo
lions that are inside of me You may
not believe it, but | sometimes feel
| like far from extinct volcano and If
/ the lava does not en- to spill over ii
is because you are not nigh enough 20
see into the basin and see the caldron
/ boil. Because. truly gentlemen, IN
/ ths position which ! now occupy there
4 is sort do not know how else 10
/ express it than to say passionate
/ sense OF Icing connected with my fe'-
/ low-men in peculiar relationship OF
respo Utility. Not merely the re-
I sponsitlity of office, but God knows
/ there are enough things in this world
/ that need to be corrected.
Knows all Sorts OF Men.
Il have mixed first and last, with
all sorts and conditions of men-there
are mighty few kinds of men that
! hive to be described to me, and there
are mighty few kinds of experiences
that have to be described to me-and
when ! think of the number of men
Nho are looking to me as the repre-
sentative of a party. with the hope Cor
all varieties of salvation from the
things they are struggling in tue
midst Of it makes me tremble. IT
makes me tremble OF only with a
Il md
/ weakness, but as If were shaken ~
4 the very things that are shaking
4 them, Ard If ! seem circumspect, 1t >
! becau | am so diligently trying not
4 to make any colossal blundtrs. II YOU
! lust calculated the numoer or blum
/ ders a fellow can make in "a hours, If
/ he is not careful and II he does not
| listen more than he talks you would
! see some' hing o. the feeling that l
4 have.
Feels Like Masquerade.
81 really feel sometimes as II | were
masquerading when | catch picture
of myself in some printed description.
In between things that i nave TO do
as public officer | never think of
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
a certain length of time to administer
/ that office, and I feel just as much
outside of it at this moment as | did
! before | was elected TO it. ! feel Just
as much outside Of ii 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 1t 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 elf-possessed
enough to seem TO fill It, | can hardly
rferaln 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 well that
| l will have to get out presently ]
know that then ! will look just my
/ own proper size, and that for tho time
/ being the proportions are somewhat
4 refracted and misrepresented to the
/ eye by the large thing | am inside of.
There are blessed intervals when
/ I forget. by one means or another,
! that | am President OF the United
/ States one means by which | forget
! is to get a rafting good detective