The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-12-30
PRESIDENT IN COLLAPSE.
Impressive Picture of Stricken Chief
Executive.

After the delegation of fifteen pro-
league Republicans made their visit
to President Wilson recently, Hamil-
ton Holt, leader of the group, issued
a statement which shocked the coun-
try because of it's description of Mr..
Wilson's appearance and detected
manner.
Five other members of the delega-
ton were asked subsequently to de-
scribe the visit and the president.
Their statements as published in the
New York Times, were as follows:
Mrs. Schuyler N. Warren, of New
York:
81 am not young. I have had many
solemn moments in my life, but [ can
assure you that, when we stood in
the presence of President Wilson in
that room at the White House, con-
slider it the most solemn moment in
nv life. The men with us stood with
tears in their eyes in the presence of
this great man, stricken, aged, worn,
and yet with not a line in his face
that showed bitterness, rancor or
malice. He had but one thought, and
dream, in his heart. There was no
bitterness left toward his enemies. He
seemed far away from the vanity and
folly of the world, as if he were just
living to see the ideal accomplished.
eff the people who revile him could
just see him as he sat in his wheel
chair-if he could be transported to
Carnegie Hall just as he is today for
the whole world to sea man suffer-
ing, aged, and yet burning with zeal
for this great ideal, l don't believe
he would have an enemy in the
world.
"The change that l saw, the thing
that crushed me so, was to see how
President Wilson, from a compara-
lively young man as l saw him last
had been converted into an old, old
man-not broken, but old! That to
me is the tragedy and cruel thing.
AS he sat there, he seemed to me to
represent all that is highest in Am
erican life, in the American charac-
ter. It was tragic in the sense that
Won saw there a man who had so SUI
fered, and glorious that America had
produced such man.
Like a Page in History.
s'It seemed like page in history.
s'The delegation had walked
through the streets to the White
House so quietly, through the gates
that had been opened for us, and with
our hearts beating high had been
ushered into the room where Presl-
dent Wilson was sitting, and had
stood listening to him as he read his
message to the country. l can only
saw as one of the men said when he
came out, that it seemed as if we had
been present at some great rehglous
ceremony, that it was holy ground.
The Rev. DR.. Arthur J. Brown, OF
New York:
81 was shocked by the president's
appearance. l expected, of course to
find that his illness had resulted in
some abatement of his former ply
sical strength, but l had been led
by public reports to believe that ne
had regained a large portion OF
his virility. Instead of this, we found
q broken man, his face was drawn and
haggard, his eyes were dull, his voice
was low and weak. 1t was pathetic to
see that once splendidly alert and Wig
orous man so completely shattered.
We gained the impression, too, that
he was not only broken in health, but
that he was heartbroken, over the
humilating position into which partl-
son and personal enemies had
had brought our country, delaying
the realization of that great consum-
nation of the League of Nations for
which he toiled so hard and sacrificed
so much.
II am sure that the American peo-
pie do not realize, as had not before,
that the president of the United
States is a stricken man. AS | stood
there within four feet of him, had
an inexpressibly solemn feeling that
the words that he was speaking might
be his farewell words to his country.
He must know that near the end OF
his second term and in his enfeebled
health his public career is drawing to
it's close. 1 think his address should
be interpreted in the light of this
fact. More than once his voice chok-
ed, especially when he referred to
the soldier boys and the mothers OF