The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-05
BEING PRESIDENT A HARD JOB


job of being president of the United
States as by any means a sinccure
At best the duties and responsibilities
of the Office are trying in the extreme
In times of stress when important is
sues are involved and the welfare OF
the nation is at stake, as was the case
in Lincoln's time and as has been the
case more or less during President
Wilson's administration, the presi
dents position is a most difficult one
and only a strong, well poised man
could stand up under the strain.
A story is being told which illus
trates this: In the early part Of the
civil war an intimate friend of Presi.
dent Lincoln called on him at Wash.
ington. He found Lincoln feeling
rather depressed and blue because the
federal troops had been getting some
what the worst of it in the war. "This
thing of being president, said the
visitor, is not at all what it is crack
ed up to be, is it, Mr.. Lincoln?"
NO" the president answered, his
eyes twinkling with emirrment; 81
feel a great deal like the Irishman
who after being ridden on rail, re-
marked: "If it wasn't for the honor
av tn thing I'd rather walk
President Wilson takes his duties
as chief executive seriously, and
works hard and intensively. Long
continued, steady application to this
kind OF work and under the condi-
tons that inevitably attach to it would
ruin the health of the strongest man,
if it did not incapacitate him complete
ly. President Wilson recognizes this
fact, and his daily and weekly pro
grams are made to provide a judicious
of recreation of kind that
will insure the change and relaxation
necessary to conserve his health and
strength.
With Mrs. Wilson he frequently
goes for little voyage on the May
flower the naval yacht assigned for
his use. They leave Washington near
the end of the week and steam leisure
ly down the Potomac and into Chesa
peake Bay, usually not leaving the
vessel until she returns to Washing
ton in time for the president to begin
his days work on Monday. Frequent
iy the president finds it necessary to
take some work with him on these
trips, but he always resigns himself
as fully as possible to rest and recre
alton.
Mr. Wilson is fond of walking. One
night some time ago when it was rain
ing he and Mrs. Wilson donned rain
coats and other rainy weather apparel
and went for long walk through the
parks and about the streets of Wash
ington. The secret service men as
signed to the duty of guarding the
president are constantly on the alert
and If he starts for a walk they "tag
along" only few PAGES behind him
Naturally this robs walking of much
of it's pleasure for him, although he
realizes that it is necessary that he
should have the secret service men
to watch over him.
He delights in giving them the slip
whenever he can, but they are too Wig.
liant for this to happen very often
Not long ago he stole out of the White
House unnoticed and walked through
the streets few blocks to bank
where he has safety deposit vault
He had ben gone out but few min.
utes when the secret service men
learned that he had left the White
House, and several dashed out after
him, some hatless and several coat.
less. They caught up with him just
as he was going into the bank.
Both Mr.. and Mrs. Wilson are en-
thusiastic golfers, and they spend con.
siderable time together on the links
Recently they were playing when a
big rain came up and they both got
drenched before they could reach shell
ter. Rather than give up the game en-
tirely they put on rain coats and
played it out. They both enjoy auto
MODELLING, and frequently motor about
the streets of Washington and in the