Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-09
ANECDOTES SHOW
TAFT PERSONALITY
Generous Qualities Made Him
One of Most Widely Loved
Men of His Time.

radiant nersonality, william Howard
Taft carried with him through VICTORY
and defeat the tender affection OF MIL
lions of his fellow citizens.
To the many thousands VINO came
to know him more or less intimately
he is remembered for neither OF tne
great titles which we're his He remains
in memory not President TAFT, nor
Chief Justice Taft, but one OF those
rare characters who carry the sunshine
of human understanding wherever they
60. He is loved in death because In
life he was human in every ounce OF
his great frame and every impulse OF
his generous spirit
Passing, he has left behind wealth
of anecdotes, all teStifylng 70 the
straight forward kindlineSS Of his re-
lationships with those about him.
He did not carry the dignity of his
robes of Office while he mixed with his
fellow men on the sidewalks.
On one occasion, passing ladder on
which a painter was perched, the
painter dropped his brush.
Hey, you" said the workman. Hand
me that brush will you?"
The Chief Justice stopped, picked up
the brush, restored 1t to the painter and
went along his way.
Many people introduced to Mr. Taft
after his defeat for reelection to the
presidency in 1912 would say to him, II
voted for you"
To Charles Willis Thompson, longtime
Washington journalist who tells the
story in his book, Presidents have
Known" Taft remarked one day:
whenever anybody says that to me,
have an almost uncomfortable desire
a. G~4A ~
select but small body of citizens
whose Judgment heartily concur In
and admire"
He was an enthusiastic follower of
sports, especially foot ball. and he
watched with keenest interest the
progress of the teams Of Yale, where
he graduated, and afterward. became
| a member of the faculty.
Many a washington newspaper tele-
phone operator has been dunnfounded
| to pick up the receiver and start a little
conversation like this:
Hello, this is Mr.. Taft speaking. How
did Yale come out today?"
The answer given by the operator
usually brought something like this:
well, we'll, well, that's too bad, isn't
is?' or well, that certainly is fine"
| And there was another chuckle and
a word of thanks for the information
given.
Never worry, was his philosophy Of
| life.
IT do not worry more than can help;
never have" he once said. 81 try to
keep my mind tranquil and in that way
stand the knocks better"
Able to hold fast to this simple,
cheerful philosophy. his ever-smning
| demeanor was a shield against attacks
upon his public acts.
Before becoming Chief Justice, Mr..
Taft was one of the most sought public
speakers. He enjoyed meeting the peo-
pie and rubbing elbows. and when the
, occasion was of sufficient Importance he
readily consented to appear.
was during the World War" he said.
| During the hard Winter OF 1el7-lS /
! spoke in each of Is cantonments, some
| times three addresses day, always two,
each of more than an hour in length,
| trying to explain to the enlisted men
| why they were In the Army and the
causes and objects of the war. have
always regarded the work as among the
most .exhausting ever performed"
He had a remarkable memory. for
| faces. During the Arms Conference in
washington in 1921 he hailed foreign
newspaperman by name with the
| greeting:
Il haven't seen you since We met in
But naturally there were many he
could not remember. Once when q
visitor had departed, Taft shook with
laughter. The caller had said he met
Taft years ago on a fishing trip IN
Florida.
Prom the number Of persons who
have said they met me on that trip, y
said Taft, "I must have met every one
who was at that time living in Florida. "
Throughout his public career he al
ways had a heavy mail and was most
punctilious in replying to correspond
ents. Most of the replies he dictated.
but many of his letters he answered
by pen. His correspondence was one
of his great tasks, but he never could
be persuaded to have his mail answered
by secretaries.
He was a constant reader of detective
fiction, particularly in his later years.
Mrs. Taft made the selections for him
from a circulating library In Washing
tons shopping district.
Up to the time of his final illness
the wife of the Chief Justice drove
each Saturday morning to the library,
returning with an armful of detective
books and choosing others for the week
to come. She made the acquaintance
of other women occupied with similar
errands and exchanged information
with them regularly as TO the books
which had made the biggest hit at
home.
In his house on Wyoming avenue he
had an electric elevator which he oper-
ated in reaching his once on the third
floor. He took much delight In pushing
the control buttons, and especially In
assuming the attitude of conductor when
Mrs. Taft was in the elevator with him.
With a most profound bow, he would
ask the floor at which the lady wished
to stop, and in opening the door to per-
NIT her exit would again bow and re-
mark that 1t was his pleasure to render
satisfactory service.
While known as the most widely
Travelled man Of his time there was one
means of transportation never reSorted
to by Mr.. Taft. He never used an
airplane.
He said j6kingly that aircraft was
not adapted to his use because Of his
style Of architecture" adding that he
would "capsize the stablest of them"
The best known story, perhaps, is
one that dated back to the days when
he was governor general Of the Philip
pines. From Manila he cabled one day
to Secretary of State Elihu Root:
Took long horseback ride today;
feeling fine"
He frequently insisted upon being
recognized as q former newspaper man,
having for a time reported the courts
for newspapers in Cincinnati. He
chuckled as he told of being threatened
with contempt of court in the Ohio
city for an article he had written.
81 recall very distinctly" he said,
how the Judge frowned down on me.
But his resentment was tempered with