Evening star., 1925-03-01
When the New Term Begins
Presidents Kings and"U Uneasy Lies the Head"
BY NINA WILCOX PUTNAM.

S P. 7. Barnum, the great ex-
~ ponent OF truth, onct said,
"A "a king can do no wrong
a. but a President has one heck
of time getting folks to
admit he does anything right" Which
great speech shows one or two chief
differences between the two types Of
Office holders.
The subject come up to me when
Junior, that's my kid, looked up from
a. book of fairy stories and he says
hey Ma he says, why do we have
a President, why ain't we got king
in America?
And I says son, on account kings
IS now entirely out of date, l says,
and America is nothing if not abso-
lutely up to the minute, see? In fact,
I says, Presidents, the same as most
modern improvement are a Amer
lean invention.
And Junior says like power plants,
gas tanks and loud speakers?
And l says yes dear just the same,
and they are now in pretty general
use all over the world. now go on,
dear, read the pretty book and leave
mother be quiet.
But, no, that is never Jr.'s speed.
That kid can think up more hard
questions then 4 crossword puzzle
manufacturer.
Well say Ma he says, what is the
difference between q, President and
king, don't the President get crowned
this week? he says.
And l says no dear, not this week,
but very likely a little later on some
body Will try it.
And Jr. says who will mother?
And l says, oh probably some out
fielding Senator or politician.
Then the kid says, but Ma the
President gets something this week,
I heard pop say so, what will he do,
sit on a throne?
Well, sort of. I says.
What kind of a throne, Ma: SAYS
Junior, one with gold and velvet and
lions in the front to eat bad people?
Well, / will admit he pretty near
had me stopped. but I tried to ex-
plain. like / believe a person always
should to their child and not give
them some silly answer.
So / says no dear, the Presidential
Chair is regular business desk
chair one he can swing around In
and lean over backwards if he sees
fit, and he don't have no lions to
guard him. All he has is a office boy
TO eat up the bad people, and believe
you me L have seen plenty who were
quite able for the job!
Well Ma. what does the President
him? says Jr.
And L says why he takes his oath
of Office, he gets inaugurated, see?
What's inaugurated? says he.
Well, l says to him, il means a lot
or brass bands, parades, high silk
kelleys and getting his photograph
taken. Then, after the excitement
is over and the speeches have died
down, he can go on quietly being
President without any except the
usual Interruptions, such as blocs,
tackles, aspersions, after dinner
speeches, White House receptions
and etc. Inauguration means taking
hold OF something and making a good
JOB OF II, / says, son, that's about
as near as / can explain. and Pres
ident has to do it every four years
Well, says Junior, if the President
does it, it must be good. huh? And
l says, of course, son, now for the
luvva Lucy run out and play and
don't ask me no more questions.
\ x x
JUNIOR run off then, and I got to
thinking about this inauguration
business, and Presidents. and Kings
and Aces and Jacks and etc. and it
seemed to me where after all them
old kings, although they done all the
work personally themselves had a
good deal easier time of it then our
Pres. does now.
For sample, anybody knows it is
easier TO run a house your own self
than to tell somebody else how TO do
II. And these old-style kings, why
when Congress put up bill to them,
they would merely say, aw go pay
IL yourselves, and their Congress
would haf to do ii. And If them fell
lers tried any vetoing of something
the king wanted, why the king would
merely call the chief eXecutioner and
say "veto," which is old English or
something. for quick" In them
days congressman didn't lose their
heads first and their seats in conse-
qucnce, it was merely a question of
necks and how TO preserve 'em.