The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-05-14

|SEENWARN|NC
Hapgood Reviews Condition to
Emphasize Need Of Harding
Keeping Health.
BY NORMAN HAPGOOD.

SsCcSutiy = pSVutuAk$Vcu bOmC Wib-
dom on the relation Of exercise to
President Harding's chance Of COM
ing successfully through the many
sided ordeal ahead of him. Today !
want to draw the lesson from the
history Of Woodrow Wilson.
Mr.. Wilson, let be prefaced. is in
much better condition than medical
men ever expected him to get into
again: Sleep has always been test
with him.
NOW SLEEPS WELL.
Now, for the irst time since his
breakdown. he Is able to sleep well.
At the height Of the controversies of
his first term, he was always able
to 20 directly to sleep and wake up
strong after q sound sleep.
Throughout his nrst term Mr.. Will
tween his condition and his judgment.
or between his condition and the gen-
eral value OF his work.
In the very hrst hour OF his active
Presidency. that Is to say, between
nine and ten In the morning Of March
5, 1918, he explained to friend his
intention of keeping himself Olsen
tangled from = multitude Of exactions.
in order to put the best of himself
, into his work.
This detachment we. ~s.ier IN the
old days Thomas Jefferson was .
sp.Snu.A arcni,e.,, ou..-ei. ~ri,o. dnu
student, as well a. statesman. but
there vas on RELENTLESS pressure by
visit, mail. telephone, telegraph fronl
every quarter Of the globe.
II you read the early speeches OF
Abraham Lincoln you will see how
crude they were, compared to the
classic calm, balance and business
which he developed.
GOT OUT OF CONDITION.
Such lessons were on Mr.. Wilson'S
mind. but one element OF judgment,
OF the best work. he let slip away
from him In 1919. He let himself get
out OF condition.
Just as soon As he got out OF con-
dition his Judgment became less sure.
His great purpose that took posses-
sion Of his whole spirit in 1918 AMI
1918, was to forge a League OF Ma.
tons and bring this country into fs
membership.
Judgment became, by the fall Of
1919, almost the only test Of import
ance, and by that time his physical
condition had deteriorated to such an
extent that II finally ended in q smash.
He held on to his office nevertheless.
although the wissst and boldsst OF his
advisers believed he should at once
turn over power and responsibility TO
the Vice President
A singular test of the soundness OF
Judgment came In his relations to the
Senate, which took its most dshnite
form in the question OF whether the
President would let this country enter
the league with the Lodge reserva-
lions. ...
DID NOT BELIEVE ADVISERS.
His most honest. courageous and
disinterssted advisera almost without
exec ption, believed he could not gain
In q continued fight with the Senate.
They told him that public opinion was
running rapidly in the other direc-
ton. He did not believe them. His
judgment OF facts was at fault, as the
Judgment of sick man almost AL
ways is.
The unusual vigor of Mr.. Wilson's
constitution, is being shown these
days. His gains surprise his physic-
ians. He not only sleeps much better,
but he reads Q great deal.
When he slips into the back row Of
a theater and Us there unobserved
who so short time ago was the center
OF attention OF all the world. or when
he sits in his motor to watch a bail
game. IL IL a sign Of real and more
than hoped-for gain.
But these most welcome and solac.
ing improvements in no way diminish
the moral that i drew in connection
with President Harding, that a re-
sponsible rulers FIRST duty is to keep
in condition. II, after he lost the
election Of 1918, Mr.. Wilson had bold
ly thrown all the responsibility for
our relations to Europe on the pre-
dominant party, he would have 90
tanned most of what he wanted.
HIS MIsJUDGMEST HEROIC.
The same chance was offered fire.
auently thereafter and passed by. His
judgment failed him.
The misjudgment was heroic. Be-
fore the break he knew his life was
in danger, and he gladly took the
risk. There was no lack OF courage
or Of vision. His courage was limit
less and his vision was aflame with
tho far-@istant future.
But his very intensity made him
lose. II his physical condition had
remained the same up to the summer
OF 1920 that IL was UP to the summer
OF 1917 the history OF his absorbing
proiect might have had another end.