Evening star., 1924-09-21

| / would almost quote, his bellet Is
that the consuming duty Of this coun-
| try at the present time is to give sta
bility to the world. 1 am sure that
| it is his conviction that this duty has
! been largely forwarded by the sue
cessful elimination of the Dawes
! plan, which is helping to dispel the
fog of the European situation. he
was once heard to say that the head
| of Europe could not forever rest on
the lap of the United States; that 1t
must be lifted in order that Europe
could help herself He has Watcheo
carefully every effort on the part OF
European states to meet their eco
nomic and financial obligations. Tor
| it is his conviction that any fallure
| to so meet these obligations shows
| a lack of the sense OF moral obl1Ea-
ton. Human conduct is what inter
ests Calvin Coolidge more than any
| thing else.
1t is my impression that part OF
the proverbial silence of the Presl-
dent is due to his firm belief that
| talk so often breeds wrong re-
action He deplores the oVer-ac-
| centuation of certain matters "hich,
were they left to themselves, wouio
either fade away or become stereo-
! typed and harmless. I'm of the pe-
| L.,
order and relisi ious liberty. the iresl-
dent would drnounce any attempt 70
undermine the essential spirit OF our
| national life. He mentioned news
papers that he admired ana "hlch
| had erred on the side of oVer-acceh-
tuation of such matters.
| y
Some, however, may credit MI.
Coolidee's silence on certain poii.s
| TO political eXpediency, put the
| Coolidge of academy, AmhersI anu
early Springfield days was a siien'
| being | recall an incident when oc-
Cured in my presence during the wee
presidential term. ! was with h'm IN
his enc, at the Capitol A visitor
| approached him.
| what shall | say to that man, MT
Vice PreSident?" he asked. MI. '""i-
Iidge dropped his pencil and tooeed op.
| is il necessary TO say ANYTHING
was the Iaconic, dtsconcertinS repiH'
| The man was taken ahaCk, ihe Nl't
| President continued: Aren't you
sufficient student of human nature
70 know that he will be more Halter
ed by your listening TO him than by
YOUR talking TO him." A typical
Coolidge attitude.
Has the President an emouonai
quality? 1t is deep-seated; like all
New England he is loath TO sno"
that quality, but oftentimes 1t comes
out unexpectedly. A visitor TO the
White House last Winter told me or
such an incident He was with the
President in his study, whose win
dows overlook the Potomac. After a
while Mr. Coolidge arose and went 10
| one of the windows; he pulled ASIDE
the curtains and stood there
long time. silent and still. Then he
turned.
"Do you know" he exclaimed. i We
been trying to put myself in Lincoln s
place when he stood by that very
| window and realized that just across
the water the Confederate army
threatened the National Capital? The
moment must have been staggering.
There is no clammy reaction here;
Imagination and feeling are upper
most. but they are in control Self
control is a eeodiy Vermont inherf-
tance of Calvin. Coolidge. One. can
detect in the way he met~tfe recent
death of his SOMA white heat OF
quiet submission But it is a white
heat which explains the firm com
preston Of the lips the sometime
impressive expression of the face
Copyright 1924. in United states, Canada
and Great Britain by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. All rights
reseved.)
Next Tuesday-John W. Davis
Democrat.