The Washington herald., 1917-09-09

appointments are going further and
further into the future. but that Is
inevitable.
Cabinet Growing.
As to the Cabinet itself 1t is made
up OF President Wilson'S selection,
and when he has selected he sticks
by his man. Whether he can do
what other Presidents in his position
have failed TO do. namely. retain his
Cabinet in these trying times OF war,
is a question yet to be decided. But
this much is certain: every one of
these men has grown, every one of
them is growing every day, every one
OF them is in dead earnest In one
or two cases poor health of the prin-
Cipal has thrown much OF the bur-
den of responsibility upon the As
sistant Secretary. But IT has fallen,
luckily for the American people, upon
strong shoulders and a good strong
back supporting a fine head. The
only question is whether the physical
strain of this will be too great. And
here one should explain perhaps what
the strain is liable to be.
Many Of these officials live out
considerable distance from their Of
fees. You can generally count upon
, them beginning work approximately by
3 o'clock. Some go entirely without
luncheon. working straight through;
others make official appointments for
luncheon. Some few of the wisest
separate luncheon from SHOP" bur
take a very short time for this meal.
Their hours vary, but eleven or twelve
is practically their earliest bedtime.
They may do better. but there is the
certainty nf 1n1apafaG
usual matters which may not always
be completed in office hours. 1t is a
hard life, and Washington, while not
hard climate, is not a special sum-
mer resort. 1t is warm. and some
times humid, although the thermome-
/ ter seldom mounts into high figures.
II is nothing like what our boys went
through on the Mexican border, bur
/ neither is it Newport. If a mans skin
is acting properly, 1t is not a climate
to be feared, but on the occasional
/ hot days it is not a stimulating
atmosphere.
Morning Exercise.
Quite a large proportion of these
men value their physical condition
sufficiently TO have instituted a club,
and, turning out Of bed at 8, they
meet and take exercise from 7:30
to $50, followed by a shower and rub
down, thus fitting thmeselves for the
, day in the same manner as did the
! German general staff before the war.
| Several others take individual
sporadic exercise. and thus attempt
/ to keep in condition for work; but
| the President is the only one who
keeps up individual solitary exercise
, with consistency and satisfaction.
Every one should appreciate that
these men are facing a situation for
which there is no parallel. Our gov
ernmental scheme was not laid out
! for the purpose of conducting war.
and as for conducting war under the
| present conditions. no possible fore
| sight could have seen such an emer-
gency. War itself has entirely alter
cd even while we were looking on.
| Hence the one thing that has been
| learned of other countries is that
| there must be the height of co-opera-
ton in departments. because the con-
ditions change with such rapidity
that to meet these conditions with
set formulae is impossible.
Washington's greatest weakness to-
day lies in the lack of cooperation
the failure to coordinate depart
ments. The individual departments
and the individual heads and assist
ing heads of departments are doing
herculean work. and doing it PAINS
takingly and with patriotic forget
fulness and sacrifice of self. Nor are
they heralding from the housetops
this work of theirs or what they have
accomplished or are on the eve of
accomplishing. But the results are
already coming to the surface here
and there. II these men do not break
down under the strain, and if they
once begin to get together" all this
work is going to tell. The question
is: Will they break first, or will they
merge into a cohesive organization
with definite divisions and RESPONSE
bilities, but with an understanding
and cooperation?