The Washington times., 1923-08-08
JOHN COOLIDGE
TELLSOF SON s
QUALITIES
77-Year-OId Father Says New
Chief Executive Always
Keeps His Word.
By CHARLES o. POWER,
COamOnolifan NaRa Service.


MONTPELIER, VT, Aug. s.
Here is the measure of President
Coolidge's character by his father,
John G.. Coolidge of Plymouth:
IF Cal says he will do a thing
he will do it. If he says he will
not do a thing he will not do 1t.
The father of the President pom
dered for a minute, as we conversed
on his piazza, and added this to the
measure: 80
II do not mean to say that Cal
is pig-headed or won't listen to rea-
son. What l do mean is that he
will not make decisions hastily, but
will give careful thought and study
to matters before he answers them,
and then will stand by what he
says"
The little home of the Coolidge
family is in the heart of the green
mountains. The seventy :eight-year-
old sire of the First Citizen of the
United States is bearing up under
the demands of the magazine spe-
cialisGs and the sob sisters very
well.
Praises Mrs. Coolidge.
AS rugged in his honesty as the
hills that tower above his farm in
the Notch, he listens to the fairy
tales of the dreamers and sisters
from the big towns who think they
have a special privilege to build a
new Cal Coolidge, and then calmly
and POLITICALLY, he tells them they
are all wrong and that he will not
be a party to their designs.
Il oh hi
tinguished son and seems no whit
surprised that he has reached his
exalted station. But he will say.
fine things about his sons wife.
Mention of her brings about a quick
tribute to the mother of his grand.
sons. Like most of the old stock
New Englanders, he has no use
for superlatives. A thing is good or
1t is bad with him, and when he
departs from that rule to say per-
son is splendid he INDUCES in a
great compliment
"She is a splendid woman, wife
and mother" is the way he referred
to Mrs. Coolidge.
Was just Average Boy.
Referring to some of the things he
has been asked about the Presidents
boyhood and. his boyish traits and
fancies. Colonel Coolidge said:
"Cal would not want me to. brag
about him, either as boy or man.
AS a matter of fact he was just
the average boy in Vermont FARM
ing community. He was not noted
for anything special above the other
boys. He was a good boy. So were
the other boys, for that matter.
He had no great adventures and
no unusual exploits. He went
barefooted and he stubbed his toe
like other boys did. Once he broke
his arm, just like many other boys
have done.
HE used to have a trapeze rugged
up in one Of the rooms and every
morning he would exercise his arms
by pulling himself up a certain
number of times and skin the cat
play circus
"One day he fell and broke his
arm. That was not an unusual
thing for a boy to do. The boys
used to play ball, but more tor
exercise than sport. Cal was not
much of ball player, but neither
were the other boys. He seemed
to like to work on the farm and
was a good hand as a youngster.
He could do all kinds Of farm work.
He never shirked and he never
made a fuss about 1t.
Did the Sheriffing.
Boys around here in his time
did not have much time FOR the
sports that were popular in larger
places. They worked. I do not
say that Cal ande the other boys
were not bit mi:chievous at times
but they never did anything bad.
When he was a youngster I was
doing the sheriffing around here.
That may have had some effect and
may have been the reason we
turned out so many good boys
around here"
Colonel Coolidge smiled as he said
that.
Gal was just boy as boys grew
up here. He was a good student.
He loved to read. Two things I
liked about him when he was a boy:
He read good books and did not
waste his time on trash. Best of
all he was honorable always. You
could depend upon his word or his
promise. If I told him 1 wanted a
certain thing done I never had to
remind him and I never had to
worry about it. I knew it would
be done and done thoroughly. 1t