The Washington times., 1933-03-09


tcpating in great events My meetings with people
and the reports of others suggest with conviction that
not only take events in stride but enjoy
them.
Dramatic Moments
Inauguration Day itself superbly charged with
drama While the radio announcers trying to stick
to their jobs of describing crowds and the
banking business kept popping into their dlscourses
There was man who mispronounced words he ought
not to have tried to and got little fustered and
made small jokes-he seemed to be all the air and
couldn't be tuned out Presently he left off and in
few minutes the oath spoken and that sounded aso
like part of play with crowd noises offstage But the
Presidents speech had the feeling of tremendous event
in fact it had the feeling of events still to Mr.
Roosevelt could not have asked for better setting for
his address, since tremendous event had taken place
and he could give the impression of knowing the worst
and measuring up to its necessities.
A few hours later I was in the projection room of
neWsreel company, looking at the rushes which had
been flown from Washington and developed, but not
printed The faces and shirts of the notabes the
platform gray and black the hats spectral white
(By sragne trick of light which do not understand,
teeth remain white the negative while all the other
blacks and whites ransposed The whole effect was
totally unreal except for the voice of the President
Near him stood who regularly shifted package
of sort under his arm, applauded and took his
package back into his hand He might have been bad
super in mob scene. But the President good
actor, with an impressive delivery.
Last Minute Changes
The radio and the movie were not enough. Every
edition of the papers had to be observed to discover
what words and ideas had been chosen for the head
lines. The agreement almost unanimous and
borne out the next days. adequate sound currency and
war powers if necessary. They corresponded to the
volume OF applause which had interrupted the original
speech. The President had, obviously, said what the
people wanted him to say with vigor and realistic
frankness than they had heard for years.
think that part of the effectiveness of the speech
from the feeling that parts of it, at least had
been rewritten changed at the last moment.
smooth literary generalized speech might have passed
off well enough and it would have been possible to
that Mr. Roosevelt had chosen not to stir at
the wrong moment In effect he did not alarm, but
reassured by the fact that he had recast what he
had to say to make it appropriate to the present If
kilograms had been brought to him he spoke, if he
had read them and commented on them the result
couldn't have been timely and exciting. For
once, Washington had broken through the she'll under
which it lives and the air surrounding the Capitol
full of the shouts and murmurs of great play in
which all taking part.
1t Goes On
Our absorption in the news hasn't diminished in the
hours that have passed since We have had procama-
tions, promises, rumors, summons, and acts. Every
item has special Importance to u.s. What England
and France think, how clearing house notes being
signed the announcement of conferences lasting till
three in the morning, the trains taken by prominent
men, the choice of hotels to far from the hotels
of others-all of these clues; they start specua
ton; they keep us alert.
think people underestimate the present situation
when they say it is the most exciting since the
Perhaps the declaration of up to the present
do not know. But the middle and end of the
weren't nearly good the past week has been. We
were all affected by the war; but chiefly the effect
came through other people, through the men already
overseas and those who might CO.; Today we have no
proxies We take everything directly to ourselves.
And we seem to relish the steadiness and the eager
ness with which we take it.
p - n TuL Nuo4o,, Anno;n4od E.