The Coconino sun., 1923-08-24
ATWOOD GIVES CLOSEUP
COOLIDGE, SILENT MAN
Continued from Page one.)

was furious. But a few days later
he was informed the bill he asked for
had been passed through Coolidge's in
fluence and granted even more than
Stearns had asked. Stearns decided
at once he wanted to cultivate Cool
idge. He invited him to dinner and
they soon became the closest friends.
Coolidge has held 15 or 16 political
offices, moving up from town council
to the presidency. From the beginning
of his acquaintance with him Stearns
was sure he ultimately would be
president.
Then Mr.. Atwood gave some per-
sonaI "reminiscences of Coolidge. The
latter was lieutenant-governor OF
Massachusetts when he first met him,
at a reception in New York. Coolidge
looked right through Atwood, saying
absolutely nothing. His handshake
was limp, brief. Mr.. Stearns had
given the introduction and asked At
wood how he liked Coolidge. The latter
replied that he liked him well enough
but suspected Coolidge didn't .recipro-
cate. Stearns explained that Coolidge
was that way toward everybody.
At a commencement baseball game,
Foster Stearns introduced Coolidge,
then vice-president, to Atwood. Not
word from Coolidge. They were
left alone. Atwood asked him if he
liked baseball. No answer. He asked
him if he liked football better. No
answer. Atwood backed away, as he
had after the first introduction.
Then, at the centennial exercises OF
the college, Coolidge was the only one
among the many important person
ages present who never smiled once
during the high jinks. He looked
neither to right nor left.
Prior to the 1920 presidential CAM
paign the Saturday Evening Post
printed series of articles written by
presidential possibilities. Bruce Bar
ton, Stearns and others got Atwood
to come to New York and there asked
him to try to get Coolidge into The
Pest. Atwood wrote Editor Lorimer.
The latter replied that two months
before Coolidge had been asked to
write an article and had politely and
firmly refused. When Atwood took q
fall out of Barton and the others for
putting him up against hopeless
| task, they said they didn't know Cool
idge had refused and bewailed the
| fact that they couldn't get him to say
word for himself.
"Think of it, Mr.. Atwood said, "all
the other candidates anxious for put.
Ilicity and Coolidge positively refusing
| it."
All who lived in close contact with.
Coolidge, the speaker said, have su-
preme confidence in him.. Adequate
brevity,D is the way one editorial writ
er spoke of Coolidge's reticence OF
speech. He comes by the trait nat
urally. for. his father, Col. John Cal
vim Coolidge, when asked about his
sons career, said:
eyes, I'm told my son hasn't made
out SO bad, censiderin'"
Coolidge has been called man of
destiny. Many have long felt that
way about him. He is profoundly re-
lligious, Mr.. Atwood said, imbued with
moralistic and religious view of the
world. and may be a man Of destiny in
the sense that he will bring US back
to simpler and saner way of living.
Mr.. Atwood said later that Coolidge
| has been known to attend dinner par
ties and never once speak to the lady
L he took it. He and Mrs. Coolidge fre-
ouently had dinner with Mr.. and Mrs.
Stearns and then would go to the
stearns apartments, where Mrs. Cool
Iidpe. who is vivacious, would talk with
Mr. and Mrs. Stearns, the latter
sometimes, but not often, speaking;
while Mr.. Coolidge as soon as he got
to the apartment, would pick up the
evening paper, turn his back on the
others and read until about nine
o'clock, when he would remind his
wife it was time to go and forthwith
they would take their departure.
Give Tka Sun vnnr. lob Printing.