Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-09-23

Perhaps 1t is because I have to sit
In a box. which to my mind is not
nearly so comfortable as occupying
a seat on the floor.
1T Is hard to say whether one kind
OF music interests me more than an
other. Perhaps what might be desig-
mated as martial and patriotic music
mas the greatest fascination for me.
Fond of Poetry
i have always liked to read poetry.
MY own mother was very fond of it.
She read Tennyson great deal, and
Scott. In my boyhood I found the
poems of Scott very interesting and
read them so much that | could re-
cite long passages from them. Later
l knew a great deal of the poetry Of
Eugene Field, James Whitcomb Riley
and Rudyard Kipling. My grand
mother Coolidge gave me a complete
set Of Shakespeare, which / read
much and I studied some of his
works while in college. Milton al
ways had a fascination for me, and
for many years l read some of Para
disc Lost each night before I went
to sleep. There Is a literary finish
to the poems Of Lowell which I have
very much admired. But / should
say that Whittier and Burns have
given me more real pleasure than
any other great masters of verse be-
| cause they have written about the
life lived when l was boy. The
Cotter's Saturday Night, though
dealing with foreign land, had a
| home flavor in it's best passages and
deep religious fervor that remind.
ed me of the teachings of my grand
mother Coolidge, while Snowbound
Is a complete description of what is
| best in rural New England life.
Reads Newspapers
| have little time to read books
and magazines, except those that
bear on problems that are before me
| for solution. 1 read extracts from
many newspapers which are daily
clipped out and laid before me, most.
| ly concerning public questions. read
the news items, the editorial com
ment, and keep in touch with the
| commercial and financial reports.
have very little time for current fic-
ton. I much prefer biography and
history. OF the books of the Bible
have found the writings of st. Pau
the most interesting to me-"
| I asked whether he had any fav-
orite character in history. :,
| Washington His Favorite
ut is difficult for me to visualize
a favorite historical character" he
answered. Men have so many diff.
ferent angles. One exemplifles one
ability and another some other, sc
that it is hard to say which is 8
favorite. To me, however, Washing
ton rather more completely holds
| that position than any other. Very
! close to him would come Lincoln
But all of the great figures who
have been men of accomplishment
are interesting, some as soldiers
| some as statesmen, some as teachers
I doubt If there is any greatest man
But Washington had that rare COM
! bination of a great soldier, a great
statesman, great patriot, and a
great character. A careful study OF
all his life makes it difficult to come
to any other conclusion than thai
I you can pronounce it all good"
| docs your reading of history and
the inside view you are now getting
of history in the making give you
the feeling that the world is grow
ing better?"
"Assuredly," he said, "the stand
ards of society have been constantly
rising and the standards of CONNER
ciaI and industrial life are undoubt-
| edly higher than they have ever be-
| fore been. There seems to be a
growing disposition to observe bet
ter standards also in international
relations. The present complexlty o!
civilization could not be maintained
except by people of strong moral II
bre.
Wealth Handicap to Hard Work
"Of course the increase in wealth.
in this country has been phenome-
nal. When l hear it said that the
bows who are born into well-to-dC
homes are handicapped by that fact
| do not agree. The only handicap
! that wealth gives to boys is in re-
moving the necessity for hard Work
| Nobody accomplishes anything IN
this world unless he works. There is
! no reason why boy who has par
, ents who are able to support MN ana
| meet the expenses of his education
| should not work. l should nate 70
| think that for one generation to be a
| success was necessary handlcap on
| the succeeding generation. 1t is my
opinion that if a careful survey were
! made it would reveal that fully as
| d
| from we'll to do families make sue
cess as those who have come from
| families that were oppressed with
| poverty. It has been ascertained that
| the sons of clergymen supply larg-
er percentage of successful men than
those which come from any other
source. Our clergy are not wealthy,
| but they are almost always educated
and perhaps supply their sons with a
better sense of values than others
are able to do. 1t may be that in the
nature of things those who have
found their life cast amid meager
surroundings are given a stimulus
to overcome that handicap and bet
ter their position, while those who
are reared in opulence are left with
more lack of ambition. Perhaps this
is a method by which nature insures
a greater degree of equality in the
condition of the human race"
isn't it true" I asked, that the
increase in wealth has tended to
erect barrier between the city and
country"
Country VS.. City
"Of course the necessity always
exists for better understanding be-
tween urban and rural communities,
the president answered, 'and be-
tween different sections of the coun-
try. Unless this is brought about by
a better acquaintance, sentiment OF
hostility is quite likely to develop.
Each thinks the other ignorant be-
cause they do not know the same
things, although each is proficient in
it's own sphere. This can be reme-
died only by education. Travel and
intercourse help. The automobile
has done a great deal to remove
local prejudice. Undoubtedly the
moving picture and radio have been