Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-07-08
WILSON was now


= the pass TO which the world had
come. The affairs of the Peace Con-
ference were so critical. and the dan
ger ot an announcement OF the real
seriousness of the Presidents illness
so great. that the Council OF -Four
was continuing to meet in the next
room. with Colonel House represent
ing the President. They were strug-
CLING with n hopeless tangle OF prob
lens and making no progress what
ever.
The Presidents illness could not
have come at a more inopportune
time. IL had been sudden and vio-
lent attack. DIR. Grayson. who was
much alarmed. thus describes the !
seizure Gin letter TO Secretary Tu-
multy. April 100:
The attack (April 81 was very |
sudden. At o'clock he was appar-
entity all right: at he was seized |
with violent paroXysms OF coughing |
which were so severe and frequent |
that IL interfered with his breathing |
lie had "a fever OF 1903. | !
was At first suspicious that his food
had been tempered with. but il turned !
out 60 he the beginning of an attack
Of influenza his condition
looked very serious"
How the President had borne up
under the strain Of his task up to
this time with all the demands upon
him incidental to his great position
both at Paris and in America was a
mystery to all who knew him. lie
was now % years old. and had al
ways been in delicate health. When
ne came To the White House in 1918
he was far from being we'll. His
digestion was poor and no suffered
painfully from neuritis in his Shout
der. 1t was the opinion of so great
physician as Dr. Weir Mitchell OF
Philadelphia that he could not COM
plete his term and retain his health.
And yet such was the indomitability
az his spirit. such the iron sclf-dis-
Ciplinc ~ the man. and such the
watchful care OF Or. Grayson that.
instead Of gradually going down
under the tremendous tasks of the
Presidency in the most crowded mo-
ments of our national history, he
steadily gained strength and work
ing capacity.
Sometimes there at Paris when !
went up 10 see him. In the evening
after the meetings ot the -Four. he
looked utterly beaten. worn out. his
face quite haggard, and one side az
q and the eye twitChing painfully;
but the next morning no would APP
pear refreshed and eager TO go on
With the fight I'm those days, although
he occupied the very centre OF the
world : great stage. with all human
ity watching every move he made
listening for every word he said. he
lived almost the lie Of an anChorite
For days during the crisis he saw
almost nobody not intimately con-
ncctcd with the actual business az
The Conference lie had no social
life AZ all. no recreation. scarcely any
exercise. Occasionally he would take
a short automobile ride in the Rois
with Mrs. Wilson. sometimes a little
brisk walk with Or Grayson. And
hc would stand by the open window
now and then. in such moments as
no could catch. and breathe deeply
Hc did everything possible 10 get
every ounce Of energy out OF his
bodily and mental machine for his
daily struggle.
Sometimes IN tho evening ! used
. find him in tho study OF his mouse
"a dark. richly furnished room
looking out upon the little patch OF
walled garden with an American
sentinel pacing up and down tn.
passaseway. \ prisoner could no
have been more watchfully guarded
But the prison cell itself was ;
'harminc place. The French owner
- the house had been an art lover
and there hung IN this ,oal 4 nan
n"r W rare OH pictures: an interest
lnS Rembrandt = DelacroiX. an Hob
hema. several Goyas. wondered
sometimes what Rembrandt woul.
have made Of A Sitting Of I'll,
Four Il he had been there TO pain
- i was curious room, thu
study. seeming 10 have only one en-
trance, hut one day saw the I'resi
dent step 10 the back Of the ruon
and open and go through whnr ap
peared 10 be a solid. well-fillei ,cuk
case into passageway Leading L
his bedroom beyond. 1t was Il cor.
'ealed door Cunningly painted 70 col
like case filled with books
Mrs. Wilson's sitting room v:,s or
posite the Presidents study, with
small reception room between, an
her sunny window opened also on I'll
little grassy court. and above tn
wall across the street one could loo
into the upper windows of the hous
occupied by Mr.. Lloyd George.