Evening star., 1924-03-24


White House with President Calvin
Coolidge. He has written the story
of the Presidents methods and per-
| sonality for the April number of the
Worlds Work. 1t begins with char
acter sketch of Mr.. Coolidge, based
on the weeks experience. There fol-
low various episodes illustrative of
the Presidents ways; also bits OF
conversation showing his terseness
and earneStneSS and his pungent
humor. One part of the article is a
charming sketch of Mrs. Coolidge.
The following are extracts from Mr..
StrotherS article:
The executive Offices OF the White
House today are more like the execu-
| tive offices of the head Of a great busi-
ness than they have ever been in mod
ern times. The President regards him
self as a servant of the people employed
| for one sole purpose, namely, to transact
their public business He transacts 1t
] like a business man.
An innovation in the days work is
Just now being introduced. The Presi-
dent wishes not merely to dispose of
business as it arises. He wishes in ad-
dition to make an organized study OF
all the great national problems. For
this purpose he has made out a list of
the subjects he wishes to investigate,
and Mr. Slemp has allotted certain days
| to each. upon which the best-informed
men in these subjects are summoned to
| Washington from all parts of the coun-
! try, arriving at schedule hours at the
White House for intensive discussion,
| at the request Of the President. In a
| few months this system will put him In
possession of the best information and
! opinions of the country on current prob
lens that organized effort can provide.
/ Man OF Few Words.
1 1t is needless to describe an individual
| interview with the President He says
little and listens much.
| The days work ends at-when ii ends.
! If he is fortunate it may be at 4 80
| O'Clock, when he can go for walk or
horseback ride, or, in the summer
| time, perhaps start for an overnight
| cruise on the Mayfiower. II less fortu-
| nate it may not end until o'clock. with
| barely time left to prepare for dinner.
| In another sense, distinctive of Mr.. Cool
been said before, his outstanding char
| acteristic Is hard, purposeful. continu-
Gus thinking. From this he rarely rests.
The evenings at the White House
| which bear the stamp of President
Coolidge's individuality are those
| present and no official business is
| involved. These intimate evenings
| are almost as simple and informal
as though they were in his former
modest home at Northampton. The
! guests may be invited either YER
bally or by a simple card. The din
! ner hour is seven o'clock.
| The colored doorman, with Nlr-
! ginian accent and idiom, smilingiy
asks if the guest will rest yoh hat
ID -. ~ n
guest is passed on to another usher
and by him into the red room to
| await the Presidents descent from
| the family quarters on the second
floor In few minutes the slightly
changing sound of an elevator door
a moment later the President enters
the red room, 70 lowed immed-
lately by Mrs. Coolidge. His frm
handshake is accompanied by a shy
conveying in it's information more Of
welcome than the printed words can
convey. The words are: How do
you dor but the intonation' is racy
with the tang of New England-the
above the three Preceding and form
ing ansalmost st2ccato ending 10 q
drawled beginning.
Man and Wife in Contrast.
to Mrs Coolidge. 4 more complete
contrast between two people, both
in appearance &c and manner, would
be hard to imagine. The President
very fair complexion, with the Tso
showing very plainly through the
abundantIy freckles in summer; his
blue-gray eyes; his thin, straight and
sandy hair; his prominent nose, ana
slightly rounded shoulders, are In
direct contrast with the correspond
ing features. OF Mrs. Cooilose ,oraa
complexion is olive; her eyes large
and dark brown; her hair aounoant {,
wavy, black just lightly poWdereo
{ with gray. her nose has an almost
jaunty tilt, and her carriage Is easy
Tbe imnression of the two together
IS that the President is nerVouslS
alert man, constantly under the per.
Tact control of firm will, and that
Mrs. Coolidge hasn't a nerve IN neI ne
body" and Therefore. gives rein TO .ne
eraceful vivacity of movement cnar.
acteristic of a woman in pertece
heafth and full of the joy OF living.
The party moves at once 10 tne
dining room. 1t would De naru
aud q man of simpler habit than the
De president, but he evidently feels the
ohlipation to preserve the tradltlon
off official etiquette, 50 Lnat ne -
nunctilious in following the pre-,
scribed rules of precedence lnherlteo
Arriving at the door of the great
naneled dining room, Rob Roy, the
hie pure-white shepherd dog from
Wyoming, comes bounding across the
room 10 greet him. The Presldent S
face lights with pleasure, ana ne re
tnrns the salutation with affectionate
mats and "good doggie. After this
exchange of greetings, the President
leads Rob Roy to the hreplace TO
.'charge' on the hearth, Whlle tne
dinner is in progress. The meal ltser
is Of the simplest clear soup, a
cntlet with string beans and potatoes,
tomato salad, ice cream, cake, and
coffee.
I~rxes business to Husband.
The conversation is about anything
and everything except the PRESIDENT
work Never since her marriage mas
Mrs. Coolidge discussed ms business
with her husband. / venture to sur
mise that she adopted this practice
deliberately for his sake Few men
concentrates so intensely upon their
work as the President, and TINS mas
been his habit since boyhood. Mrs
duty as his wife was to make home
an absolute refuge from TINS intense
preoccupation.
Mrs. Coolidge and the guest do
most of the talking, the President
supplying an occasional comment
here a. fact needed to complete a
sentence of his wife's, there ques-
tion of anxious concern about her
welfare when she described a slight
accident to herself, and again hu-
morous, sometimes quizzicaA, COM
mentary upon bit of her narra-
The wonders of radio are discussed,
and some one remarks that an e4-
pert has said that the President mas
an unusually good radio voice, that
1.-THE speaker gropes for the teen
nical phrase-the President supplies
tit is, "cuts through"
Dinner over, the party adjourns
upstairs, Rob Roy occupying the seat