Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-09
GENERAL WOOD AND
THE U. OF P. PROVOSTSHlP
Concerning Great Popular Leaders
and Their Disciples

and Their Disciples
| A $ PROVOST Of the University Of Penn
! "a Sylvania or as special ambassador to
| the Philippines for the new administration,
! or in any other position requiring SObrletN
| Of mind and endless integrity of character.
General Wood could not be otherwise than
| successful. He would be successful even If,
! like all other mon. no has found II impossible
! 10 rcCrcatc and restore to the country the
| dynamic force that was the essence OF
| Roosevelt
Without doubt his friends and admirers
| could not give the general better advice than
| to urge him to accept the invitation to be
come provost which it is expected the trus-
toes of tho University will extend TO him by
formal resolution at their meeting later thiS
! month. 1t would be n great thing for the
! University and it would be a great thing for
! the general.
After his disappointing experience Of last
wear II IS not difficult to SurmiSc that the
general has no further political ambitions
At least it is not likely that he has any
illusions or false hopes of political prefer
mcnt like the presidency. That is now an
imDossibillty so far as mortal eye can see.
The general is essentially product Of the
great Z. r. tradition. And because nc is
n product Of it, rather than n force incor-
poratcd out of the vital matter itself he
could not be President. The politicians know
how to differCntatC.
Wood, like Colby and Pinchot and Hiram
Johnson. was a figure into which his friend
and mentor breathcd the breath of political
life. Left to themselves without the con
slant stimulus of dominant and passionate
leadership, almost all Of the more consplru-
uus followers of Roosevelt seem to have lost
the ability to continue in an undertaking line
over hard roads. They appear to be with
out motvatiug power and they have moved
further and further into the background of
American politics since the day OF L. r.
death.
There is in this spectacle lesson of pro-
found import for the country. What was
known as RoOseycltism lS not merely III
abeyancc. 1t is past. 1t will not come
again. no matter how greatly it may be
needed or desired. The force Of a mans
personality spent in American politics can
not be whipped up and carried on by others.
The country passes on to different things.
After RoosevCltsm We had wisconsin,
and in the course Of time YOU will begin to
hear Of liardingism. The isms come and go
One may borrow some Of the characteristics
Of its predecessor, but no two of them arc
over alike
1t would nstonish q great many people If
they were told that at bottom Mr. Wilson
was in many ways like Roosevelt and that
the example Of I. Il. deeply affected tho man
who watched him from Princeton. But that
is true. nevertheless.
In their dislike and distruSt of political
rings Wilson and Roosevelt were on common
ground it is interesting 10 observe that
the rings stiIl survive. Every man who
rises above tho crowd in politics fights them
and often gives them hard struggle for life.
But they 60 on. and they will continue 10
go on for a long time after the bravcSt Of