Evening star., 1928-06-16
Foreign Visitors View.

During the war q foreign visitor re-
marked that Herbert Hoover's food adj
ministration was the only part of the
American Government that did not have
in its front hall a chart with squares
and oblongs showing the distribution
OF the functions and the division of
the duties and the inter-relationship of
the powers and responsibilities Of all
officials within.
Herbert Hoover begins with seeming
to have almost no system at all in the
making and keeping of notes and
papers on his own person. He is sell
dom or never seen entering any notes
IN any tidy little book. He scribbles
them on odds and ends of scrap paper
and on the backs of old envelopes and
stuffs them into his pocket apparently
irrelevantly and promiscuously and all
In clutter
He begins also. however, with having
marvellous memory. He hardly needs
his notes to remind him of what he is
to do during the day. He would re-
member virtually all Of it. no matter
how voluminous or how complicated,
anyway.
Drives at Important Point.
His method thereupon is instant drive
I
| uppermost in his mind. He is almost
excessively prompt. Delay he finds un-
bearable. He finds it hard to decide
thing and then wait. With him the
decision and the deed are almost stimuli
taneous
He accomplishes the deed virtually
invariably, through conference, through
consultation. He whirls the idea OF ii
off the wheel Of his mind into group.
committee. His motto seems some
| times almost 10 be: No moment with
out an idea, and no idea without COM
mittee.
He Is said to have genius for work
Many people. however, in Washington
are as laborious as he. His genius Is
rather in ideas and in decisions. and
in then putting other people to work,
multitudinously-and comparatively.
In putting them to work he does not
inclose them In the squares and oblongs
Of the rigid sort of scientific manage
ment. In Hoover organization each
man, instead of being square or OBJ
long, within which he is to be confined
Is a point from which he can radiate
all the energy and all the imagination
that he may have. He thus can grow
He thus can create. He thus can be
pleased With himself.
Why lie Wins Devotion.
That is the secret OF the famous de-
votion that Hoovers subordinates have
had for him. They are pleased with
him because In the course OF their
work under him they have been pleased
with themselves.
Not strictly ordering them. not harsh
ly disciplining them, neither does he
coddle them nor pet them much. They
get little from him either of hard
words or OF soft words What they get
from him Is opportunity, chance for
their own individualism road to their
development. They think they worship
him, They worship him. however. not
as master, but as a sort of releaser OF
their best
He has some reputation for usually
having his own way in his dealings with
others. He deserves this reputation only
in so far as his ideas may overwheim
the IDEAS OF others In his incessant
conferences and consultations and COM
mittees. He yields without any resent
ment to stronger ideas strongly pre-
sented
In his relations with the members of
his cabinet. If he becomes President. he
would inevitably have many ideas about
the problems of each one OF their de-
partments. He would not give any
member OF his cabinet a free hand
without suggestions. AT the same time
he would not be likely to make any,
body member Of his cabinet who was
not capable Of coming back at him
with robust suggestions of his own.
IL ne makes his cabinet the same
sort Of organization that he has already
made in hundreds or thousands of pre-
vsons instances, he will have a cabinet
ln which each member will be as free as
MS own individuality may be creative.
Hoover has come TO his present posi-
tion through creating organization for
expanding the creativeness of others.