THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2198, 23 May 1908, Page 3

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT

ROUSEACELT AS A AVONDEIIFUL

ENGINE

In tlio April American Alagazine, “K” writes a notable article, on Roosevelt. It is a remarkably interesting explanation of tho man. “K’l says that lio lias known the President rather intimately for 10 years and cannot longer contain himself. _ He must relieve himself on the subject.' The following is a brief extract: “People sometimes call the ! President ‘erratic’ and ‘eccentric’ (they mean ‘impulsive’); but I could _never seo that he was either erratic'or. eccentric. He couldn’t be. He is profoundly normal, physically and mentally (which, genuis is not). His habits' and life arc temperate; lie is abstemious in eating, drinking, sleeping, for that is part- of the care lie gives his energising machine. His family life is normal, and he exhorts all America to a similar normality, lie exorcises every day with the regularity of clockwork —tennis on Wednesday, a tramp on Thursday, liorse-back riding Friday, boxing Saturday, or to that effect. It may seem violent exerciso to some; to Roosevelt it is the normal expression of liis highly energised daily life. His religion is normal and expressed norniallyy.. He lias normal capacity for friendships. Contrary to the belief of some people with whom I have talked, the President is the very incarnation of order and regularity in his work. That is part of his system of energising. Every morning Secretary Loob places a typewritten list of bis engagements for the day on his desk, sometimes reduced to five-minute intervals. And no rail road engineer runs moro sliarplv upon his schedule than he. His' watch comes out of his pocket, he cuts off an interview or signs a paper, and turns instantly, according to his time-table to ''the next engagement. If tlioro is an interval anywhere left over he chinks in tho time by reading a paragraph of history from the book tliat lies always ready at his elbow, or by writing two or throe sentences in an article on Irish folk lore or bear hunting. Thus ho never stops running, even while lie stokes and fires; tho throttle is always open; the engine is always under a full head of steam. I have seen schedules of liis engagements which showed that he was con'stantly occupied from nine o’clock in tho morning, when ho takes ffiis regular walk in tlio AVliito House Park with Airs Roosevelt-, until midnight, with guests at both luncheon and dinner. And when ho goes to bed be is ablo to disabuse liis mind instantly of every care and worry and go straight to sloop, and lie sleeps with llQnllnlif;y - lml (W rthcjlule