Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-29
WILSON'S MIND UNIMPALRED
TWO YEARS AFTER ILLNESS
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
(Leascd Wire Service to The Journal.)
(Cnnurioht 1901 l

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28.-Just two
years have elapsed today since the
Hateful hour in the railroad yards OF
Pueblo when a group Of correspond
erts stood in the vestibule of a pri-
vate car and learned that Woodrow
Wilson had been compelled by his
physicians to give up his speaking
trip and proceed to Washington.
Many are the stories, rumors and
conjectures which have been printed
and circulated since then as to the
circumstances of the presidents COLI
lapse, and many are the rumors that
still are going the rounds as to the
progress of his recovery. The air of
mystery. of seclusion. indeed, Of CUE
rious haze still envelops the in
domitable personality who is fight
ing on. He no longer takes a hand
in politics or international affairs,
but with almost superhuman will.
power he holds at bay an illness that
has in the past taken the life Of
many a man much more vigorous
than Woodrow Wilson.
The former president, obedient to
DR.. Cary T. Grayson, has prolonged
his own life by doing the opposite
of what he was accustomed to doing
before his nerves gave way. He no
longer lives intensely He lives quiet
ly, and with careful outstanding Of
his energies.
Rumor Branded as Untrue
bA
facts of Mr.. Wilson's illness have
never been officially disclosed. For
some strange reason rumor gained
currency that Mr.. Wilson broke down
while speaking at Pueblo. the
story has been circulated that he
rambled in his speech and gave way.
that he had to be conveyed to his
train and that his breakdown was
visible to everybody. That isn't
true.
Mr.. Wilson's speech at Pueblo was
much like his other speeches. 1t is a
fact that in referring to the Ameri-
cans who died in France, Mr.. Wilson
gave Waysto emotion as he saw the
tears come to the eyes of several who
sat in front of him, parents, no
doubt, of some of the wars VIC
Tins. Aside from that incident.
! nothing unusual occurred in Wichita.
Indeed, Mr.. Wilson chatted with COR
! respondents as he walked to his train.
1t was after the train had pro-
ceeded one hour from Pueblo that
it was suddenly stopped on a siding
and Mr.. Wilson went for walk.
His gait was brisk He went for q
mile along the country road with DIR.
Garyson and Mrs. Wilson, and even
took a little sprint for few yards
to Timber up When he came back
| to the train he said he felt fine. That
| evening news came from Washington
| indicating a more hopeful prospect
| of ratifying the Versailles treaty.
| Things were more cheerful than they
had been since Mr.. Wilson started
! his journey.
Grayson Sees Signs Of Break
All went we'll aboard the train.
| The president retired about IL o'clock,
| but he couldn't sleep. Finally, at
| o'clock he got up and tried to read.
! Insomnia and extreme nervousness
were eXhausting his all too scant
| energy DR.. Grayson saw signs OF q
| collapse. He awakened Secretary Tu-
multy and insisted that the trip be
| cancelled at once. Mr.. Wilson'S lips
were twitching. He was beginning to
| show the effects of the terrible strain
he had been under during the war and
| at the peace conference. At O'CLOCK
| that morning the official announce
ment was made. The correspondents
rushed in automobiles from the rail-
road yards several miles from tho
city of Wichita to the telegraph Of
| fees. The train turned back to Wash-
| ington an hour later.
Curiously enough there was some
! doubt among newspaper men as 10
what really caused the stopping OF
the trip. Some thought 1t was not
| i'll health but a lack of desire to
Basing their editorials on some OF
these stories some newspapers pub
| licly expressed skepticism as to the
story of i'll health and laid 1t to po-
| litical reasons. There was no out
ward evidence of Mr.. Wilson's break
| down. When the train pulled into
Washington, Mr.. Wilson walked brisk
ly through the Union station The
| newspaper photographers snapped
| him as he walked and the pictures
are matter of record in local news
! papers Nevertheless the story has
persisted that Mr.. Wilson had TO DO
| carried from the speaking platform
and that his collapse occurred in pub
| lie.
Only two or three people really
| know when the climax did come. 1t
| happened in the White House within
a few days after the return from the
western trip. 1t resulted in an im-
pairment of the left leg and arm.
Mind Unimpaired
Whether Mr.. Wilson should have
resigned and turned his office over to
the vice president always Will be
moot question. The fact is that for
more than a year, the cabinet officers
ho g.
partments and Mr.. Wilson did little
else but approve or disapprove their
recommends lions on important mat
tiers. At no time, his advisers say,
was his mind impaired though, to be
sure, he was kept from doing much
work by his physicians. The lay
mems view-and it is after all the
impression made by Mr.. Wilson upon
visitors which constitutes the only
basis for any stories about him-ls
that Woodrow Wilson is mentally the
same today as he was the day he
broke down His mental faculties,
his friends say never have been more
keen or disconcerning.
Mr.. Wilson is not trying to man
age the affairs Of the Democratic
party. He isn't taking a hand in the
treaty fight at all. He is said to have
remarked to a friend that he intend
ed to show the Republicans how an
ex-president could behave" He meant
it of course in contrast to the way
former President Roosevelt used to
torment d Democratic president with
bitter attacks in the newspapers.
Mr.. Wilson lives in Washington
but is not doing or saying anything
that could possibly offend the present
occupant of the White House. He
has literally taken himself out Of
public life and probably always will
remain in the same seclusion, leaving
to future generations a record of his
work to be judged in years free from
the passionate partiSanship of the era
i'll which he lived.
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