The Wilmington morning star., 1940-03-11
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
By PRESTON GROVER

WASHINGTON, March 10. - Note to the
Philadelphia man who hears the President has
so far cracked up mentally and physically that
his personal physician has taken up residence
at the White House in order to be near him
at every moment:
Somebody's been kidding YOU.
Admiral Ross T. Mcintyre, the Presidents
doctor, has not taken up residence at the
White House, and he's still bug-eyed, as he
always has been, over the Presidents metabol.
ism.
In short, he can't understand why the Pres
idents physical reactions are continuously nor
NAL for a man of his age, why his heart, his
kidneys, or some of his other vital organs
don't show some signs of weakness occasion
ally. But they don't. And the presidency has
a pretty bad record as a h~ealth-wrecker, too.
Feels His Years
Now, Mr.. Philadelphia, if somebody has
told you that the President tires more easily
as he enters his eighth year in the White
House-that both his mental and physical snap
are not so good as they were on March 4,
1888, then you'd be getting the Mccoy about
the Presidents health.
For he does feel the weight of his So years
probably not so much as the average man,
but he does feel 'em. In truth, he himself felt
the need of a vacation when he sailed for the
Canal Zone a few weeks ago. He was pretty
tagged out.
ILO 1SS1oOAC dhS LIE pAy oAo t1SiiIo
health seriously-particularly his mental alert
ness. He doesn't trust even the word of his
doctor and the people around him on that
score. He's got a personal test he's constantly
applying to himself.
It's the presidential press conference. The
President regards that twice-a!week meeting
with the best minds in capital journalism as
his own private mental testing ground. His
good natured banter with the reporters is Of
tentimes more than that.
Occasionally he's deliberately swapping verb
al punches with the reporters just to assure
himself he can take it-and dish it out-as fast
as ever. Inevitably he's found out-and the re.
porters will agree with him-that he's not
slipping.
"A Cold But Nc Flu
On the physical side it is a fact that he's not
quite the man he was when he entered the
White House. Physical exertion tires him more
quickly. He doesn't swim every day in the
White House pool any more. Two, sometimes
three, swims a week suffice.
Strangely enough, this cutting down on exer-
else IS not making the President flabby. His
weights still within the 192-1s7 pounds it's
been ever since he came to the White House.
For years the President has been susceptible
to sinus colds in the winter. He had one this
winter. That helped account for those circles
under his eyes when he delivered his message
to congress early in January. But a few weeks
later they were gone, along with the cold. And
he didn't have the flu this winter, as did most
of his fellow Washipgtonians.
There are signs the President puts first
things first more than he used to, letting the
burdens fall on other, younger
shoulders. He doesn't take the more irksome
White House stints as seriously as most people
think he does.
Grandpa Roosevelt
In short, age is mellowing President Roose.
welt faster than it's irking him. 1 have noticed
that the President is taking more fatherly at.
titude toward the newspapermen, the people
around him, and in a broader sense, the coun-
try at large. 1t is almost a grandfatherly at.
titude. Leastways, he's handing out more grand
fatherly advice these days, and fewer agrees
sive political uppercuts. And you almost reach
the conclusion that he would rather not deal
in uppercuts.
Anyway, Mr.. Philadelphia, somebody's been
needing you on the point of the Presidents
health. The President begins his eighth year
in the White House as clipper as a California
blue jay.