The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-02-23
Diifercnce Between Wilson and
Roosevelt.

In the May American Magazine
lay Stannard Baker, who has been
called the greatest reporter in the
world writes a wonderful article
ABOUT Woodrow Wilson, in which he
shows that the secret of Wilson's tre-
nendous success lies in the fact that
ne is a great thinker and followed
naturally after Roosevelt who was
man of action. He shows how Tart
had the opportunity to accomplish
something, following Roosevelt. AMI
now he failed and gave way To Wilson
who is achieving success because of
certain peculiar qualities which lie
possesses and which Mr.. Baker care
fully enumerStes and describes. In
the course Of the article Mr.. Baker
gives the following Interesting COM
parison of Wilson with Roosevelt:
The wide difference of approach
between Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Roose-
welt was impressed upon me in two
conversations l had with Mr.. Wilson,
one when he was president at Prince
ton. one when he was governor of
New Jersey. In both of them he had
'Ae alert air of man who did not so
much desire to impart what he knew
as to learn what I knew. Mr.. Roose
veit always overwhelmed his visitors
with his views: Mr.. Wilson's meth
od is exactly the reverse. He is q
swift and skillful questioner a great
| learner.
| 'Clear-cut,' 'well-crystallized,' ex-
press Mr.. Wilson's thoughts. He is
clear-cut not only in his vision, but
In his practical plans for attaining his
vision. He knows exactly how far
ne wants to go, and the way he
should go. Il. II. tackled the whole
world started a thousand things, fin
ished almost nothing; knew a little
ABOUT everything, all about nothing.
| But Mr.. Wilson, as he himself saws.
mas a single-track mind Rock
| Dallasted it is, too, and straight as
chalk line, with flowers here ana
| there along the right-of-way and
pleasing architectural curlicues or
the brides. Each train is an ex-
press. Don't on your life try to flag
1T at way stations with anything NOT
specifically set down in the Baltimore
| platform! Even a delegation of We
men, wishing to vote, and zeaIously
waving the red-petticoat of feminism.
evokes only tOot from the engine.
IL makes one shiver a little to think
OF what may happen when the Bal
timore platform is all used up.
I'm describing Mr.. Wilson as a
thinker, l have said pretty nearly the
greatest thing that can be said about
man-and yet when a thinker is all
thinKer we soon tire of him. We ad-
| mire him immensely, of course, in his
place, but we suspect that he is new
er quite sure whether the next mea,
is supper or breakfast. We might not
ike thinker who was all thinker at
the White House, if by any chance he
could get there. But Mr.. Wilson has
other qualities; lightness and grace
that find expression in his addresses
and in his writing in rare felicity Of
manner. He possesses also a certain
charm of urbanty which springs gen
erously from real spirit of democ-
racy. He has humor, too, but not like
the humor of Lincoln, which was
broad common, intensely human. ]. |
p"rtakes more of the quality of wit |
II does not glow like LincOlns, it flash
es ana is gone. 1t comes more from !
'he mead than from the heart. Will
son probably understands the COM
mon American as well as Lincoln did,
nut loves him less. And finally Mr.
wilson mas chin-see any cartoon"