Evening star., 1937-08-29
ROOSEVELTIAN TRUTHS
COLORED BY .JUVENILITY
Observer, Risking No Minute P Portrayal,
Sees Trait as Basic in Presidents
Complex Personality.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
HA1HASN . OIHA mn.
. NE OF the most important facts
In the United States today is

Al VIC OllISu otdUtS UOudy Is
the personality Of Franklin D.
~ Roosevelt. In the light of the
power Mr.. Roosevelt exercises that
hardly needs saying. 1t follows that it
Is desirable that the country should
understand Mr.. Roosevelt's personality.
From that, in turn, it follows that COM
petent persons ought to describe Mr..
Roosevelt's personality SO that the
country could understand it.
But, competent persons
the rub! To have the insight to grasp
another mans personality is a rare
quality. And after grasping the per-
sonality comes the business Of describ-
ing it, putting it in Words-that, too, is
a rare talent. In all literature the
number OF really good literary portraits
is not large. And when read one of
them, in Gibbon, Macauley or else
where. think to myself, We'll may
be-" I admit to myself it is vivid
literary portrait, but I wonder II it is
necessarily 100 per cent accurate
is it possible some other literary artist
might write quite different portrait?
And is the portrait made by the writer
precisely the man himself as he was
seen by those who lived in his time,
saw him daily, knew him we'll?
Almost I am tempted to say there is
no such thing as literary portrait, by
anybody, that is impeccably accurate
The literary artist may have skill in
portrayal. but may not have seen
enough of the man. The mans valet
has seen more of the subject, but the
valet has not the insight to know the
inner personality of the man.
Ease and Difficulty Increase.
To make portrait of a man still
living and active is at once easier
and more difficult. 1t is easier in the
sense that the facts are still present
and available to be seen; it is more
difficult In the sense that with respect
to man still living, especially living
statesman or politician, hardly any
one, artist or anybody else is free from
bias, one way or the other.
Finally, the task is made more diff
cult yet when the mans personality is
very complex. Mr.. Roosevelts person.
ality is very complex indeed One of
Mr.. Roosevelt's biographers, who is
completely friendly to him and has
been close to him over a long series of
years. Ernest K. Lindley, in his "Roose-
welt Revolution observes that Mr..
Roosevelt is an extremely complex per-
son. :. (He) reminds you Of no one
else" And, to make a portrait of Mr.
Roosevelt more difficult yet, Mr.. Lind
ley observes that not only is Mr.. Roose-
velt's personality complex, it changes
from time to time: 1T is not always
possible to forecast in which conibina-
ton Mr.. Roosevelts qualities are going
to assert themselves"
Many Of those who have been close
to Mr.. Roosevelt from time to time
have attempted characterize tions of
him. complete or partial. The list
of these former intimates is now
rather large-that is one of the traits
Of Mr.. Roosevelt's personality, his
nature calls for having close around
him men who look up to him, who
think he is a very great man, and
let him know they think so. But
periodically Mr.. Roosevelts nature
demands the tonic of new idolator.
Either the old ones become disillu-
stoned or their adulation is stalled by
custom.
Former Aides Dot Career.
The list Of such who have the word
former" In front of their names is
now rather long; it includes Raymond
Moley, and Prof. Tugwen, and Gen.
Hugh johnson. and James P. War
burg, and Rev. Stanley High, and
Robert H. Jackson-and many more.
The current intimates are that odd
team, Mr.. Corcoran and Mr.. Cohen.
it sounds like Mr.. Gallagher and Mr..
Shean"-and some Washington news
paper men are watching for the time
when these, too. will join the "exs."
Among the former intimates who
have attempted portraits of Mr..
Roosevelt's personality, the best. I
think, is James p Warburg. Pull
together dozen pages or paragraphs
scattered through Mr. Warburg's little
book, Hell Bent for Election" and
you will have what is, on the whole,
the best collection of clues to Mr..
Rooeevelt's personality ever given.
For myself, I have always felt that,
even If person thought he under
stood Mr.. Roosevelt, portrait Of him
Is impossible; certainly it Is impossible
except on large scale and with in
finite pains. I have felt. also, that 4
really adequate portrait Of Mr.. Roose-
welt would need to be accompanied
by corresponding one Of Mrs Roose-
veft. It Is Just too formidable to un-
dertake.
Ludwig to Try His Hand.
A European author, Emil Ludwig,
Is more courageous than I. He has
recently visited America, seen Mr..
Roosevelt. spent few weeks here and
gone back to Europe with some Is
books about Mr. Roosevelt in his beg-
gage. He promises, presently, a por-
trait. Maybe it will be accurate, Mr..
Ludwig is said to be good
The difficulty inherent in the task
Is that. If portrait Of Mr.. Roose-
welt Is to be fair and complete and
accurate. It would need to present
his qualities in balance, showing the
effects Of contradictory traits upon
each other. To try to do that would
be to try to paint chameleon in
fixed colors. To portray Mr.. Roose-
velt's complex and changing person.
ality would take space, delicate and
accurate touch, and infinite pains.
1t seems possible. however, to pick
out and describe single traits of Mr..
Roosevelt-provided the reader is at
the same time warned that these
traits, in operation, are modified by
other traits.
One trait in Mr.. Roosevelt is juve-
made for crop control in the future,