Evening star., 1926-03-21
Spirit of Unchanging Yankee Villager
Reflected i'm Life of Col. John Coolidge

was a blend of much that was strong
ly rural. But it was not as redolent
of plowed ground and sugar bush as
ii was of cracker barrel and the
sheriff's office. There was more than
T. touch of David Harum in the
colonel.
And something more to complicate
the picture, Calvin Coolidge mas
boasted of a. strain Of Indian in his
ancestry. 1t came through his
fathers side. The colonel was strong
ly marked by it; indeed, amazingly
marked by it. for an admixture that
must be presumed to be both very
remote and greatly diluted. Inc
President has never said, ana Piy'
mouth has apparently never inquireo'
as to the time and manner or tnls
Indian admixture to the Coolidge
blood.
The hilltop cemetery-so full OF
Coolidges and Cooloedges. Of Moores
and Wilders and the other lateral con-
nections Of the Presidents family
gives no clue that Is susceptible OF
Interpretation to the curious visitor.
But Col. Coolidge's aquiline nose ana
high f1attened cheek bones. his
straight black hair, his silences-
more eloquent than his son's-|h1s
almost furtive step, his listening ear
there are few Carlisle graduates
with a more complete equipment OF
the traits of Americas original pos
SCISSORS.
OF Strong Yankee Strain.
This is by way of making plain
that Col. Coolidge was a more pro-
nounced Yankee than the Yankee
strain as it Is encountered In the pure
form. Usually in the pure state, IL is
now seen only in decay. But the COOL
idge character is d vital one. IT is az
though the forgotten Indian scion had
given increased persistency and vlgor
to the original root stock.
SO It happens that though you car
match Calvin Coolidge's blue eye and
SANDY hair and twang a dozen times
n dav in Winsor County. you Will not
duplicate the inscrutable cast of the
colonel's countenance, or the SOUND OF
his football or the subtle inwardness
of his chuckle, not If you lined up the
pure.type Yankee end-for-end across
Vermont.
So the caution Of the Coolidges Is
something deeper than New England
prudence. The sensitive ear of the
colonel is more than village keenness
The canniness Of Coolidge goes farther
back than the highlanders OF
Plymouth. -,
When time permits a mellow biog
raphy of Calvin Coolidge, this factor
in the blood strain will have to be
taken into account.
Never Forgot.
So far as Col. Coolidge goes, it may
account for this much. The colonel
had a reputation of never forgetting
a favor or a fault. He found ways
and means to repay friend and foe,
and time did not dim his distinction
between them. He always had
| reputation, too, of knowing more
than he seemed to know, and of al
| lowing that he knoWed' only When
! there was advantage in doing so.
The colonel was born and always
| lived in Plymouth Notch. And al
WAYS in the village. His father S
| farm was at the fork of the roads.
He worked as wheelwright's appren-
tice until he came of age. But at 22
| he rented the general store, and kept
it so years. He had enjoyed better
education than many of his neighbors,
! for he had been sent down to Lud
| low. 12 miles away, to attend Black
| River Academy. Schooling and bust
| ness acumen, together with the stra.
| tegic position of storekeeper. gave
| him a commanding influence ir
| his eos.
He had initiative as we'll as shrewd
ness. For he was one of the founders
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