Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-25
Woodrow Wilson, The Man,
As Seen By One of His Family

together Tor hours on end. conyersu
lions largely speculative
But gradually ! felt that chanr.
was taking place. For one thing, he
hao Deen through an illness, from
which he emerged more vigorous thar
before. He had always been n nm
poSefui man, but now he was n MAJ,
OIL hxed and resolute purpose. He wns
10 uh sctionate ana companionable as
over, but he did not have time no,y
Tor such prolonged and drifting. con
Vc:Sat TONS The task was calling hin,
Anu must believe that besides M,
merely personal change his own M
cure was unconsciously rejecting IN,
nlS ana Dasic changes which wer.
taking place In the nation and I'm ~,
tional conception. changes that un.
ichdlng America out of isolation I'M,
world relationships. Perhaps he wa.
All unconsciously. enduring hfs vioII.
preparatory to the greut couflic, IT,,
Jay ahead OF him in the dim mists oC
iuturitE. Tic grew more and more
impatient OF merely theoretical di.
cussions: he must handle facts IN Al,
.neir diliicu!t reality. I often heard
MIN eXclain. 81 am so tired n, n
merely talking profession! want In
40 something" This wax before r.
became president Of Princeton.
His Tenderness,
IN snort. he was growing into what
ne mas now become. n man with tha
sufest and firmest hold on the facts
~ 'n.nts. Ih't IS why he scemu In.
consistent TO some shallow peoplo
There is another and kindred ,hi
ABOUT him. which perplexcs .orno
people though the tendereHt of p,.,
ne Is the least sentimental On
since he has been President of ~,
oni'eu states. was much exercised
over the cnse OF Il man who ho,l 900
1t,tt
seemed TO me merely technicaI. ha
W"s technically guilty. but yirtuoli,.
innocent and so ] did what 1 Inv.
Sciaom consented to do: wrote
,ohs letter to MIR. Tumulty. to n.
~" pelorc INC President Mt his con.
,II,. -, TREND OF mine. person.
~! more concerned with the c,go
,""h !, read me "A long letter ,xbIch
nc itu framed. In which rtpony -
.n'nss: nc appealed to the prest,la,,,
10 relieve the pitiful anxiety or ,h,.
.,d,u mans wife and parents. /
...rt, MN 20 cut that out. and said.
me President cannot and vii, ~,
'ct on those grounds "a. $50,
WIZ, seems TO him justice, hnw.vnr
.nuch ms synpathics may excIte h;n,
20 mercy. Show him the c.sn, I'm
JuFticc OF what we are asking far n,',,
atop there" 'o'' an"
NJ case was examined. hv the no
,'e"l oi Justice. which decided tb.,
~, ',"" technical guilt VAS TOO mani
,crfo,., ..., am the departments in
.eFicrehcc with the due cour.c ~ ,,,,
mn me president stepped in and pur.
"o"e" 'he man outright. not because
re ma" Il family whose hearts womb
~ e"k' OUT because In the higher ms.
'icc the man was innocent
I."hrifest Man In the Xor,a"
'hiN Few of us know what Wood.
70" wilson was really undergoing +,
we summer and autumn OF 1914. when
'ne world was catching fire from war
""" INC foundations Of his own lifc
were crumbling under him. Jus, us
.ne war opened my sister died "r
cannot help thinking" he said. "tb.t
perhaps she was taken so that she
might hc spared the spectacle of sou,.
awful calamity
was AT the White House a great
dcai that autumn, and know that 1,
~ II" Exaggerated use OF words to say
that lie was thn lonelicst man in ali
the world remember in par,icular
II rev bitter days when there were
oniy three OF us In tho family circle
With characteristics solicitudc FOR Others
and spartan fortitude he had dciihnr-
ately and pcrcmptorily th!nncd the
household for the welfare OF others
He had compelled Margaret and Jessie
and Frank Sayrc 10 20 to the summer
home in New hampshire for Il change
Of air. He had forced even Doctor
Grayson 10 take a few days OF rest for
he saw that the doctor himself was
in danger OF illness after the strain
OF Mrs. Wilson'S Illness and denth
can see tho lonely figure OF the
President now walking down tho long
hallway. the hair so much whitencd
In the few months. His intimate
friends often expressed To me the wish
thnt the President could marry again.
as he was utterly desolatc.
We who love him feel that God him
self must have directed the circum-
stances which brought Mrs. Gait into
the White House circle. BUT for her
he can only surmise what might have
happened. for not even the strongest
man in tho world could bear up in
definitely under that dumb grief.
Sunlight and grace radiatc from Mrs.
Gait. Her nature Is big and generous
and health giving. ana in that pres
encc the President found new lie.
found that love without which he can
not live. Their love for each other
is perfect. and We all love her. both
for what she has done for him and
for herself, for TO know her is to
love her.
Purpose of This Article.
have lifted the veil from some
pretty sacred things. and | wonder IL
should have done so. My sustaining
thought Is that some day these things
would have TO be set forth, for men
like Woodrow Wilson belong to the
world at large. and ultimately the sec
rets Of their lives must be made
known to the world. The future biog-
rapher Will relate In detail what
have summarized. when death shall
have mndc Woodrow Wilson imper.
sonal But In greatly conspicuous Of
lice there is already something OF
the impersonality of death. and so
nave. though not without misgivinc.
set down some things which It would
10 sacrilcge to publish il Woodrow
Wilson were still safe In the obscnr-
ity OF college profcssorshin. Be
cause he Is what he is In public. Il
~ perhaps true that the public has
some right to know what he is In
private and SO have written these
things, every word OF which is III
cral truth.