New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-17
OUR Misunderstood PRESIDENT
His Inability to Make His Ideas Clear Laid
TO Word-Entoxication
o The Editor Of Tho Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: How does it happen that. apparently
20 his surprise. one part of the Presidents
peace note is generally accepted as an as
sertion that in his judgment the Allies and
the Central Powers are fighting for the same
thing2 Why is IL that even after the Secre-
tary Of State gave an official Interpretation Of
the authors intent, followed in few hours
by DECIDING Of his own explanation, which
was in turn in the course of few weeks
further authortatvely explained on the floor
of the Senate successfully by Senators Stone
and Lewis? Still, everything to the contrary
Notwithstanding, the Allies in their reply TO
the peace note and the Belgian government
in it's supplementary note apparently cling
10 the widely spread impression that the
President has failed to grasp the moral sig
nifcance Of this death grapple in the dark
ness" All this painfully recalls to US that
oil many previous occasions he has failed to
get his meaning across to his worldwide
audience.
Can it have been that there was little or
no meaning in his words, and that the fault
is not that of the audience? These considera-
tions appear to me to indicate that it is time
" TO inquire: Why has the President been so
signally unsuccessful in making himself I'M
derstood?
An acknowledged master of the English
language, and having at his command an ele-
CANT diction, copious flow of words, Ia
ciity in coming phrases which have re-
markable impact on and establish a perma-
nent Judgement in the more superficial areas
of the brain, and great rhetorical and ora
torcal power, it is extraordinary that he has
so frequently failed in making himself ap-
pretended
The situation is surely worthy of some
thoughtful and sympathetic study as an in
teresting psychological puzzle. AS a contri-
button to such study | venture to suggest
that President Wilson is singularly unfortu-
nate in possessing a mentality that becomes
so inebriated with words and the sounds OF
them when assembled in sonorous, musical
sentences that he frequently overlooks that
words are things, have meanings and conse-
quences, and therefore are potent either Tor
bane or blessing.
Acknowledging to the full the delicious ring
to the ear, the intrinsic beauty, the fascina-
ton Of such gems as "too proud to hght'
and numerous other catching and never to be
forgotten sentences with which he has en-
riched literature it has for some time oc-
Cured to me that it may be that in the Joy
Of coming and uttering them the author pc
comes so auto-intoxieated with the symool
for words are at their best but symbols-tha1
he overlooks the thing symbolized
We others who have not his charm OF eX-
preston consider that the end and object OF
language is not the word spoken, but the
thought. the thing which the sound emoodies,i
CONVEYS, forces upon those hearing IT. Is 1t
the exclamation Of so much that puzzles us
about him that his mentality fails TO re-
spond TO the reach and meaning OF words?
Is il result of the unfortunate mentality
Of the President, further, that this self-im-
mersion in and joy over the musical cadences
OF his words and his lack OF corresponding
sense Of obligation to make them GOOD have
led him unconsciously into one OF the lnev-
table consequences Of his valuation Of his
own words as fnalities. namely, failure TO-
grasp the significance Of the words OF others u
| venture 20 say those vii! be few and fal
between who misapprenend the meaning Of
the reply Of the Allies 10 the Presidents
peace note. | greatly fear that among them
will be found the President of the United
States Already there are limitations from
Washington that shortly he will be founc
assuring the world with his nimitaole flowers
Of rhetoric that wha: the Allies really said OF
meant was that they are anxious for peac,
and are looking expectsntly 10 the Waite
House for the winged word which By It's po
ten: charm shall get the boys out Of tn
trenches" Immediately.
This is a strange and puZzling meatslit,
which has such skill in using words withou
coordinated recognition Of their highe
values and potencies and the deporable cor
sequences that may follow when they al
used lightly and unadvisedy by one sittn
in the seats of the mighty.
JOHN GORDON.
New York, Jan. IS, 1917.