Evening star., 1923-09-02
A CALM REVIEW OF A CALM MAN.
By Samuel q. Blythe. New YORK:
Cosmopolitan Book Corporation.

MI story has become an insepa-
V rable part of the tragic mo-
ment out in the west that
lost to our country it's beloved leader
and to the world a high-hearted q
friend. This message, shedding
CLEAN of happiness upon the heart
of deeply lonely man as he was
setting out on the far journey, mas
stirred the world and moved many or
us to belated self accusation. But
the moment of profound feeling Is
passing. Already it's emotions are
settling under the pressure of other
importunate moments in an eXactlng
life. But a tragcdy-even greater
than the one under which we now
stand stricken and bereft-Wil 1aIl'
If out of this national loss ana per-
sonal sorrow we gather no more than
period of grief and mourning. MT.
Blythes unassuming story has yet
work to do. perhaps an even greater
work than giving breath or heaVch-
ly comfort to great man whose
human heart was hurt and In sore
need of the balm of human UNDER
standing and sympathy.
Under the best of good inspirations
there comes to us now this little
memorial book-Mr. Blythe's story.
1t opens upon a tablet marking the
milestones In the career Of Mr.. HARD
ing. And then we come upon a pic
ture cf President Harding-his only
picture. it seems to us. For mere
Howard CIn ndler Christy has brought
up from beneath the smiling friend
illness. so well known and so much
loved, that other man-all serious.
Il f,,1 ..hSnl-hG1
sion that we now know to have beGn
a vision of world peace and world
happiness.
With minds subdued to the cool
mood that the story itself eXacts' We
now take up again "a Calm Review
Of calm Man" We read it once
more-this time in its own spirit
rather than in that of our own eX-
oitable feelings. Just facts here.
nothing else. Little budgets of fact
that distill. automatically, the clear
deductions of their own logic. These.
in their larger part. are drawn from
the administrative program OF Presl-
dent Harding. The others, in ighter
bulk, face upon the electorate that
swept him so overwhelmingly INTO
office. The first disclose clear
thinking. far-seeing, ard-working.
world minded man of statesman stature.
whose high efficiency functions under
an appearance so modest, as TO preed
diStruSt of this smooth running ma
chine We must hear the wheels go
round. and see the sparks fly and feel
the rumbling tumult of the whole.
The second set of facts presents an
electorate. ignorant of events. unable
10 assemble facts or to point their
drift. incompetent in Judgment per-
sonal in outlook. incapable of CO.
operation. tickle in allegiance. easily
seduced by the strutting self-isms
masked as political altruiSm. No.
Mr. Blythe does not say all this. He
merely lays down the facts and these
drip out their own conclusions for
our gathering.
The smaller part of this story is. in
the present. the larger part. Mr.
Harding is gone. We have done all
we can to him. That poignant day is
moving back to give place to the new
day What are we going TO do about
the other part of this story. the part
in which we were the actorS-and
will be again in but slightly changed
situations? Are We still going 10 give
unfoUnded judgments: still going to
refuse support Of our own cause:
still going to court ignorance and
partisanship and the narrow outlook:
still going to run a way after false and
selfish leaders: still going to claim
the proud privilege of killing our
Presidents after we have made them:
1t is a good time to decide. right now,
inst what we are going to do.