The Coolidge examiner., 1933-04-28

anu mental indigestion. lie na0
studied the dictionary and the poets.
His mind was like a cold dark Gel
lar cluttered with storage and so
ill-lighted that his thoughts seemed
TO have trouble in finding their way
| out OF IL. Naturally ntterance was
followed by evaporation. II created
a fog in which his ideas were hid
den. In court and on the platform
he was fluent. often intense. but no
one comprehended his argument.
II impaired only one conviction.
thar he was willing to die on the
altar of his faith. But that was
enough.
His audience concluded that.
| while his words were TOO deep for
them" no man could be wrong
whose soul and body had been So
| prodigiously engaged in the argu
ment. So his inscrutability had
| become an asset and a source of
revenue.
In his singular manner Sim Bolts
! gave his convictions TO the people
or The western province They he
/ leved in him and when he wanted
/ an office they voted for him. He
had the reputation OF being "a pro
| found thinker" Out of a full heart
| Colin wrote to his mother:
"Sim Bolts profundity may be a
relief to those accustomed TO stern.
er hardships. It's easier than lift
ing rocks. It's like bad weather
work stops and weary men 20 70
sleep. They wake up grateful and
refreshed. They are minded to give
him the credit he demands He is
a symbolic figure. understand him
perfectly. | spent last night with
a member of the congress called
home by the illness Of his wife. He
| is a graduate of Harvard and an
able citizen. Being a fellow alum
nus and member Of my club. he
| gave me frank opinions.
~ asked: why is ii that our
army cannot get the help it needs
from congressT
| "'Sim Bottsr he answered.
"'What has he to do with con.
gress?
"'Well, there are so many Sim
Bottses in II that they clog its bust.
ness and even defeat some Of its
| best purposes. They come from all
parts. Before an important meas
ure can get through every one OF
| them. seeking the fame of Patrick
Henry. must have a chance 10 smite
| the British. These men indulge In
weeks OF superfluous and passion.
ate remarks. They think that all
we have to do TO get money is turn
printing press. This may make
us more trouble than we have YET
known. The Sim Bolts man has
just enough learning TO be danger.
GUS. He can impose upon the ig
norant crowd and get himself elect
ed to important positions. Look al
our Sim. He knows nothing about
the arts of war yet he was able ia
defeat a good man who SHOULD have
been the colonel OF our regiment.
%'Do You think that we can win
the warT
"'Yes. There are two men OF
genius who will win the war. They
are Washington and Franklin. We
must first impress the Bottses. That
will take year or more II Wash.
ington can hold his army. Franklin
will get help in Europe The Brit.
ish officers have no great enthusi
asm for their cause This is the
only explanation of their inactivity
Gage. with his trained army and
the help of the river. should have
captured Cambridge long ago and
driven US back"
The letter ends with these sig
nificant sentences:
Il think that there must be chaos
in Philadelphia as well as in Cam
bridge. They are both suffering
from the same trouble and that is
Sim Bolts"
The successful joint campaign
ended in a small village at the edge
of the wilderness in the far north
:. west. There in the early morning
! Colin left Colonel Bolts and set out
on horse path in forest. vast as
the ocean in the east. and broken
only by small clearings.
He found rude entertainment OF
his way at log inns and the cabins
of lonely pioneers. One of the lat
ter was a thrifty Dutch farmer with
a barn filed with wheat and hay
Colin sat down at supper with a
large family. In the center of the
| table was a big wooden bowl OF
bread and milk into which all save
two young children dipped with
wooden spoons and ate.
AT squalid log tavern in clear
ing be found men and women sleep
| ing on the floor of It's main
room rolled in dirty blankets An
army scout arose from the floor
when Colin entered with the host
who carried a lantern in his hand.
81 can't stand il here" said the
|