The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-24
COOLIDGE AS WORKER
 PRAISED BY STROTHER
Observation of Author Given After Visit To
 White House

I Coolidge. the story of the Presidents methods and l personality for the April number of the | Worlds Work. It begins with charac- ter sketch of Mir. Coolidge, based on the | episodes illustrative of the Presidents ways: also bits of conversation showing his terseness and earnestness and h,s | Is charming sketch of Mrs. Coolidge. As frontispieces the magazine contains color reproductions of Howard Chandler | and Mrs. Coolidge.
 The following are extracts from MT. 1 Strother's article:
 The executive offices of the White House today are more like the executive offices of the head of great business than they have ever been in modern times. The President regards himself as a servant of the people employed for ooe sole purpose, namely: to transact their public business. He transacts 1t like business man. rl
 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 list of the subjects he wishes to investigate, and Mir. 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 country, arriving at schedule hours at the White House for intensive discus sion, at the request of the President. In few months this system will put him in possession of the best informa- tion and opinion of the country on current problems that organized effort can provide. l It is needless to describe an individ- ual interview with the President, be- cause it's character can be gathered from the first few pages of this article. He says little and listens much.
 The days work ends at-when it ends. If he is fortunate, it may be at 4 80 o'clock, when he can go for walk or a horseback ride, or, in the summer time, perhaps start for an overnight cruise on the Mayflower. If less for tunate, it may not end until 6 o'clock, with barely time left to prepare for l dinner. In another sense, distinctive of MT. Coolidge, it practically never ends. As has been said before in these pages, his outstanding characteristic is hard, purposeful, continuous thinking. From this he rarely rests.
 The evenings at the White House which bear the stamp of President Coolidge's individuality are those when only one or two guests are present and no official business is involved. These intimate evenings are almost as sim pie and informal as though they were in his former modest home at North ampton. The guests may be invited either verbally or by simple card. The dinner hour is o'clock.
 The ecolored doorman, with a Vir- asks if the guest will "rest yoh hat an ginian accent and idiom, smiling1y asks if the guest will rest yoh hat an coat" Relieved of these, the 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 floor floats in from the reception hall, and a moment later the President enters the Red Room, fol. lowed immediately by Mrs. Coolidge His firm handshake is accompanied by q shy smile and salutation, brief, but fconveyfng in it's intonation more ol welcome than the printed words can convey. The words are How dc you do?" but the information is racy with the tang of New England-the last word rising abruptly in pitch above the three preceding and forming an almost staccato ending in a drawled beginning.
 E Complete Contrasts
 The. visitor is at once introduced to Mrs. Coolidge. A more complete con- trast between two people, both in ap- pearanee and manner, would be hard to imagine. The Presidents very fair complexion, with the red showing very plainly through Che abundantly freckles in summer) his blue-gray eyes; his thin, straight and sandy hair his prominent nose, and slightly rounded shoulders, are in direct contrast with the corresponding features of Mrs. Coolidge. Her complexion is olive {; her eyes large and dark brown her hair abundant, wavy, black just lightly pow dered with gray, her nose has an al- most jaunty tilt, and her carriage is easy and erect.
 The impression of the two together is that the President is nervously alert man, constantly under the per feet control of a firm will, and that ] Mrs. Coolidge "hasnt a nerve in her body" and therefore gives rein. to the graceful vivacity of movement charac- teristic of woman in perfect health and full of the joy of living.
 The party moves at once to the dining room. It would be hard to find man of simpler habit than the Presi- dent, but he evidently feels the obliga- tion to preserve the tradition of official ] etiquette, so that he is pulctiliOus in following the prescribed rules of pre- cedence inherited from generations of his predecessors. Arriving at the door of the great paneled dining room, Rob Roy, the big, pure-white shepherd dog tfrom Wyoming, comes bounding across the room to. greet him.. The Presi- dents face lights with pleasure. and he returns the salutation with affec- tionate pats and good doggie." After this exchange of greetings, the Presi- dent leads Rob Roy to the fireplace to charge" on the hearth, while the dinner is in progress. The meal itself is of the simplest--a clear soup, outlet with string beans and potatoes, tomato salad, ice cream, cake, and coffee. His Duties Not Discussed
 The conversation is about anything and everything except the Presidents work. Never since her marriage has Mrs. Coolidge discussed his business with her husband. l venture to surmise