Evening star., 1927-05-22
BY REX COLLIER.

GHoGR4 11OOVE Elk, CABINET
- officer, and Herbert He over,
flood relief field marshal, are
L i altogether different persons.
The one may be likened to a
soldier in trim for battle; the other to
the same soldier after a day of war
fare in the trenches.
Hoover, the Secretary of Commerce
and ambassador extraordinary of
President Coolidge to the Mississippi
flood zone, rode into Memphis some
weeks back looking the typical states
man that he is. His attire, always in
good taste and never fiashy, was
faultless, as usual. His carriage was
erect. His face was set in serious
contemplation of grave duties to be
performed. He was ready fc' the
task.
Presents Different Appearance.
With this picture in mind. Gaze
upon Hoover, the soldier, after sew.
eral weeks at the front. His once
natty gray hat bears evidences of the
battle through which it's owner has
carried it. Its band is stained with
perspiration and streaked with dust.
The sartorial elegance of his clothing
has disappeared. The crease line
fades away near the knee and yellow
smudges of levee dirt embellish the
trouser cuffs. A button is missing
from his vest. There is no time for
button-sewing in the midst of a con.
fict such as man is waging against
the raging Mississippi.
And lis shoes-they have been on
wave.Washed embankments, dusty
| back roads, precarious gangplanks,
shaky improvised boardwalks over
| water.coursed streets, even in dyna
| mite.loaded excavations.
1t is not surprising, then, that the
original shine long since has disap'
peared under a coating Of yellow dust
splattered with mud.
Posture Is Slackened.
His erect posture, moreover, has
slackened under the pressure Of heavy
burdens. There are dark circles
around the eyes from lack of suffi
cient sleep. The forehead, exposed by
hat showed back on the head, Is fur.
| rowed in thought. The jaw. however
| is tightly shut.
Field Marshal Hoover, soldier, engi
| neer and humanitarian, has been in
| the thick of the fighting.
II any Of the newspaper correspond
ents, not knowing Herbert Hoover
| had thought that this man was 10 be
a mere figurehead in the flood relief
| work they soon found out otherwise.
Secretary Hoover is not the type OF
general who sits back in lis armchair
a headquarters beyond the firing line
and directs the battle by telephone OF
! proxy.
Arranges for Boat.
Hardly had he arrived. in the center
| Of the flood region than he arranged
| for a Government boat to take him
| and his party direct to the actua
| scenes of desolat ton and suffering. He
| left Memphis the same day he ar
rived there from Washington and
rode the crest OF the flood into
Helena, Ark Greenville. Miss. and
Vicksbur;. :.
He hurried ahead of the remainder
of his party when the ship docked for
a few moments at Helena and walked
alone up and down the levee protect
ing the town and it's 5000 refugees
from the assaults of the swollen river.
He jumped from one ship to another
and then to a pile Of wet sandbagS at
Greenville and clambored up the high
levee to mingle with the destitute
flood victims camped thereon, and
lIIcu Wdlhcu ONcT d quarter Ol d IIlllG
Of insecure planking to confer with
Red Cross authorities in the flooded
city. A misstep would have plunged
Americas Secl etary of Commerce into
several feet of muddy. whirling
waters rushing down the main street
of Greenville.
Finds "Reai job"
The newspaper correspondents as
signed to stick with Hoover" found
they had real job on their hands.
Staying close to a man who never
tires of keeping on the move, night
and day, and who is bent on per.
sonally visiting every sector of the
front line from Memphis to New
Orleans, is no easy assignment. they
learned by experience.
His itinerary within two weeks has
run something like this: Memphis, to
Helena, to Greenville, to Vicksburg,
to New Orleans, to Jackson, to Mem.
phis, to Washington. to Vicksburg, to
Natchez, to Baton Rouge, to New Or
leans. to Baton Rouge. to Vicksburg.
ETC.. etc. The jumps from one place