Evening Star Newspaper, February 4, 1924, Page 4

D. ©, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 19% ntimate Details of Wilson’s4-Year Losing Fight for Health Revealed for First Time - LL HELPLESS ON FLOOR, NEAR DEATH FOR WEEKS Dragged on Mat From Bathroom to Bed by Grayson After Discovery of Collapse e tne Associated Press, The real cause of Woodrow Wil- bn's death was a stroke of paralysis, Fhich followed hi collapse in the hte summer of 1919. Like Warren G. farding, he was stricken while on a peaking trip in the west. Up to the time of his collapse the ountry thought him a normally ealthy man, but he was far from it. fle entered the White House with a bell ddveloped start toward Bright's Isease, which vaused his physicians b predict that he never would finish is first term. But by careful devo- on to his doctor's orders he fought ff the malady. He was practically lind In one eye from a retinal hemor- hage, which came while he was still t Princeton University, but the coun- v never knew it. Years before he 3 . ombos blood fi)lz iflug(e!r;:'t:'in‘l:‘il\'lxlt it was in one f his legs and never developed any lerious trouble. The me thing in is brain later on lald him low and d to his death. Kept Malady Secret. wn personal direction P atire o fatal illness 1d for months knowledge By act nature of his ncealed from the wor he feared public 7 Te While he was President. might ad 'to a stock market panic and [oesibly far-reaching consequences to worid then passing throush the rst stages of post-war reconstruc- on. i S e details came out piece- 5:Imon?lrn(\hcr a long period of time. ther: \'c[ not been hitherto pub- S it is appropriate e them now that he i dead. s Phe first Indication of serious.fll- came during the night of Se mber 25, 1919, while the l'r“d.(lt’n ecial train was between Pueblo, olo, and Wichita, Kans, coming ward on the return £ his peech-making t The rain upon his ad been grov one of his reaking point no truth spected the near. that va in rumors resident had hecome inec & some of his last speeche hough it was true that he ha layea great emotion, which was un- sual for his manner of speakin. Sxhausted After Speech, When Mr. Wilson finished speaking t Pueblo that afternoon he was xhausted and coversd with clammy erspiration. An examination by Dr. rayson, his physiciau, disclosed noth- g markedly wrong and he ut to bed. Mrs. Wilson remained p with him, he complained of ostlessness. Soon after midnight he omplatned of feeling ill and Dr. T son found him in a state £ ervous exhaustion, with the right ide of his face twitching, as it often i done before when he was very ired and worn out But the physician wa hocked to note a drooling of sa rom the corne of the ‘I‘r(mll outh and a dropping ot the al museles on the left side. ecognizingimmediately that a_stroke f prariysis was impending, Dr. Gray- lon warned Mr. Wilson of his grave londition, strongly suggested that he cel the remainder of the tour and amediately return to Washingtog nd, in conclusion, that he try and et some sleep. Wanted to Continue. won't be able to sleep at all, doctor, you say I must cancel the trip,” Mr. Vilson responded. “Even if giving my wn life would accomplish this object, gladly would give it. ‘The physi n quleted patient 2 lest he could and took steps to cancel Ihe remainder of the speaking enzage- hents and bring the President to frashington. Mr. Wilson, vieldine to he entreatie: of Mr Wilson, cquiesced, and the facts were a ounced to the country in an official tatement, which said President Wilson' o overwork. an attack of influenza last April in is, from which he never fully re- o & The President's activities on jhis trip have overtaxed his strength nd he is suffering from nerveus ex- austion. His condition is not alarm- g, but it will be necessary for his fecovery that he has rest and quiet or a considerable time.” It is a fact that up to this time Mr. ilson had not suffered a stroke, but jhe danger of one was recognized. First News of Breakdown. With that announcement the country ot its first information that the Presi- the was < alarmed and tiva nt's condition is due lent had broken down, and on Septem- | er 26 and 27, his special train olled along toward Washington, the resident rested and slept, while Mr: yilson and Dr. Grayson took turns be- i with him. ay morning, 'clock. For the first time in three days Mr. Vilson rose from his bed and walked o the W waited him. He looked pale and rawn, but he walked without assist- nce and returned the greetings of a all crowd of travelers whom he assed in the railway station. Al- Jhough there was no crowd to wel- ome him outside the railway termi- , Mr. Wilson, as his car drove off. olemnly raised his hat and bowed September 28, at 11 s if returning greetings from a great | hrong, aw he had done <o many times the past. The Incident was ex- lained by physicians as being a case f abstraction, heightened by his ex- austed_condition and suggested by abit. mor that Mr. Wilson had lost his ind. Subsequent events disproved it onclusively, but it lived long and as used freely by political enemies, Royalty Visit Postponed. That afternoon he was well enough take a motor ride in Rock Creek ark, and for the next few days Dr. rayson prescribed a routine of “no vork and no worry.” The coming Isit of the King and Queen of Bel- lum to the White House was post- oned and business of all forms was ept from him. The regimen of rest seemed to be aking good progress, and cn_ Sep- pmber 30 Dr. Grayson announced that fhe President had passed the bes. 1ay ince the beginning of his break2uwn. e was permitted to sign some bills ; nd congresional resolutions, nomi- ations and dictate some brief letters, Everything went encouragingly until petober 1. That afternoon Mr. Wilson went for nother motor ride with his wife and pr. Grayson. During the evening all ssembled in one of the large rooms f the Executive Mansion and en- oyed a family motion picture show. ter in the evening the President nd his doctor took a turn at billiards, ut they did not play long. For the rst time since the iliness began Dr. rayson did not remain at the White ouse, but_went home. During the hight 'Mr. Wilson was up and about nd told Mrs. Wilson he was sleep- ess. About 4 o'clock on the morning of Pctober 5 Mrs. Wilson heard him in he bathroom calling in a weak voice. pr. Grayson was summoned, and to is horror found the President pros- ‘ated on the bathroom floor. In a { therefore | There | The trouble dates back | They arrived home Sun- | ite House motor car, which But it was magnified into a| by Wife. semi-conscious condition he had fall- en as if wounded in the left leg, with the member crumpled under him on the bath mat. Melped by Wife. The physiclan rolled the prostrate form fully on to the rug and then, grasping it by two corners, dragged Iis burden across the hall into a bed chamber, and, finding himself un- equal to the task of lifting the Presi- Gent Into bed alome, called Mrs. Wil- lson, and together they succeeded. During all this ordeal the President's Wife was cool and offered sugges- tions to the physician Once in bed the President seemed to regain his senses and murmured that he felt sleepy. Dr. Gravson made a hurried examination of pulse and heart and found them very low. The tell-tale drooling of saliva from the President’s mouth and the twitch- ing of the face were there azain. They wrote their own diagnosis. { Woodrow Wilson had been paralyzed on his left side and lay in the shadow of death. With the first movement of h lips he extracted a promise from doctor and wife that his con- dition if serious must not become known. Dr. Gray: from Phila delphia_Dr. ancis X. Dercum, a foremost specialist and one of the only two Americans ever received nto the Societe de Neuroloic of Paris, the membership of which is confined to less than fifty of the world'e foremost scientists. He also called_in Rear Admiral E. R. Stitt of the N Medical Corp! distin- | guished diarnostician, and Dr. Ster ing Ruflin of this city, Mrs. Wilson's mily physic Dingnés A two-hour consultation developed the agreement that Mr. Wilson had suffered what is medically known {as a cerebreal thrombos® blood {clot in one of the blood vessels in the | right side of his brain. Its effect iwas to impair the motor nerves of [the left side as well as the sensitory ! nerves. The physi ns concluded there had been no lesion. but that there was a _danger of one. clot were a hard one and should be swept along in the blood circulation to the heart and jam a valve the re- 1t probably would be death. If it ywere a soft clot there was hope n_summone: 1t un- | bulletin_informed the country of a ered hetween life and death. Evei {danger of death fell into a gloom {that he never was unconsciou any {absorging it. On that slender hope {the battle of life began. An official lserious turn in the President's con- | dition but did not disclose the cause. For the next week Mr. Wilson hov ’lmnu that it was possible to do was done. The country finding for the jfirst time that the P {was reported that Mr. Wilson la {consclous for a week. Truth at time during that illness It w |Dorted that he had become a maniac. Truth was that his mind always wa { tions to those about him. | Asked for Musiec. In a few days there was some re isponse to treatment. Mr. Wi spirits rose. Always a lover of mu sic Mr. Wilson wanted some. Dr. ayson ordered in a talking machine } which was supplied with_the latest {records of lively tunmes. Mr. Wilson wanted to read and couldn’t do it in ibed with nose glasses so his acculist was ordered down from Philadelphia and fitted him with spectacles, Mr. Wilson had suffered the re- {tinal herdorrhage in his right ey vears ago and Dr. Grayson wanted the occulist, Dr, George De Schwein- its to examine it. want to look at id_the occulist. owll have a long job,” shot back sick President, “I've had many nds of them Chafed at Confinement. He was thinking of college days, but ! the remark was an example of how he joked his doctors even when he perately ill. But sick as he i was. he chafed at confinement to bed | ana ‘wanted * = et up. ! “Your temperature is exactly normal morning.” said Dr. Grayson on one sion soon thereafter. 2 My temper won't be normal if you keep me in this bed much longer,” re- turned Mr. Wilson. But anxious as he was to “try his lezs,” his physician, knowing the true condition, dissuaded him from risk- |ine it. Up to this time. Mr. Wilson, i {ing that his condition be kept secret, {had excluded from his room all but members of the family, the doctors and two trusted nurses from the naval | dispensary. The valet who shaved him your pupil |sa the s barred, and Woodrow Wilson grew ' He hadn’t worn « a beard and mustache, whiskers for thirty years, not since he was a student at Johns Hopkins, when {he wore “Burnsides.” He accounted it ia rather good joke, and used to care- Ifully brush the adornment every day. Close Secreey Kept. | Meanwhile the secrecy which sur- irounded the details of the President's | iI'ness gave rise to some complications. | Congress wanted to know whether he ‘had suffered a constitutional disability to perform the functions of his office Mr. Wilson and his wife were deter- mined that Congress shouldn’t find out Members of the cabinet found it fruit- 1 to ask for an audience in the sick {room. They sent Inquirles in writing |and documents for signature, and Mrs. the President should see them. Some members of the Wilson family sus- pected that some of the inquiries trans- mitted were designed to test whether the President’s mind was working on public affairs, and sometimes these | were gone over in family ecouncil with f 4 purpose it were—in returning the answe! | There were long {Mr. Tumulty, the President's secre- ltary,” was excluded from the sick {room, so close was the veil drawn to conceal his real condition. Political opponents in Congress, who wanted to develop whether the President was in mental condition to consider a state document arranged to have sent up to the White House some resolu- tions, which actually required a sig- nature. Mr. Wilson signed them, with great effort, but the pen strokes (were the waveril, wandering lines of a palsied hand, quite unlike the jpositive hold strokes with which he iusually wrote “Woodrow Wilson It Iwas reported on seemingly good au- !thority that some of these opponents days when even lexamined these signatures with the ald of a microscope, - compared them with signatures on other papers sign- led in Mr. Wilson's health and were undecided whether they had been signed by Mr. Wilson or Mr. Tu- "multy. Cabinet Restive. Meantime there had been no meet- ings of the cabinet. Some of the members who were not in accord with the policy of secrecy determined to force things a little. ~Secretary Lansing, then at the head of the’ State Department, called a meeting of the cabinet and quizzed Dr. Gray- son and Secretary Tumulty about the President’s condition. Mr. Lansing, however, was not supported by some other cabinet members as he probably had reason to expect he would be and the attempt to get some information tailed. This incident undoubtedly was the principal factor in Mr. Wilson's abrupt dismissal of Mr. Lansing later when he learned of it. Although it was not_acknowledged In _any of the (Continued on Eleventh Page.) 1f the | of | ent was in | was | re- | active and he constantly gave direc- | n's | {Wilson made the decision as to whether | | the object of defeating such a purpose | TRATS UNUSUAL FOR PRESDENT Wilson Most Extraordinary Character in White House | History. WORSHIPED - AND HATED “Single-Track” Mind Made Him Man of Few Inti- mates. By the Associated Press. Woodrow Wilson's personality was in many respects the most unusual that ever inhabited the White House. It commanded from millions an ad- miration approaching worship; it aroused in others aversions amount- ing to hatre Mr. Wilson, himself, acknowledged that he had a “single track mind.' Friends acknowledged he was re- i served, critics said he was cold. His few intimates declared he was neither and joined in acclaiming him one of the mo; dalightful of sociates, Mr. Wilson's clusion, and his searcity of intimates, were outstand- ing. It was said of him by those who ought to that he called only two men of his wide acquaint- ance by the first names. They were o eland H. Dodge and Cyrus H. M Cormick E M. House r Texas, who was supposed to have been @ close to Mr. Wilton as any other man during his incumbeney of the White House, never reached a ate where Mr. won_called him or “Edward.” Neither did Mr. call him “Colonel the com- ry titlo by which Mr. House 8 most commonly known. Through all their intimacy to the moment ! of tha celebrated breaking off point, | 1r Wilzon always called him simply ous: The one enduring Mr. Wilson made i cas with his {Admiral Care stored him to h into the presi lwatched over him eral yve i Preferred Own Counsel. Woodrow Wilson had way {thinking things out for himself {making his own dccisions. When he| jwas working through a eruecizl mo- {ment, he invariably shut himself up {in his study, and used his own type- | jwriter. He' called for information | fwhen he was working toward a_d cision, but he preferred to have It in written form. He wanted the facts cold and untinged with the person- lality of the purvevor. When he got mad—and he did g I mad once in a while just as any other | {man—it was his favorite trick to jam on his hat and walk around to “cool off." He did that when he heard the Germans had tornedoed the Lusitania, to hie study, full and penned rmany which He read it to the cabi- 1 the Secretary of Sta Wway over the Tt was typical of Wil- ing! decided on e wanted no advice. durinz the Wilson re deseribed as a schoolrom with the ! fri the ndship which White House an, R who r. he came sick man; nd prolonged his | then he came b Im:h‘ln-r of his emotions, the historic note to binet meetin Iministration {morning in t} r00lmaster. It was said of Mr. Wilson that h lusion in the White House result- ly, at least from some mis- »n he got about Washington atmosphere before he took {office. Somebody, o the story went ijourneyed to Py ton and told him | that there w: local ring of social celebrities, bankers . who { profited miost from ge of ! association at the White Hou Mr. Wilson. it was said, made up his mind to have none of their company. He | further determined not to have siting list committees bankers, railroad presidents and manufacturers ! when he was considering public ques- ! tions in which they were interested | The result was that when Mr. Wil- {son moved his family wife and | three daughters—to the White House, fhe shunned the formal state parlors jon the lower floor leaving them to | the tourists, and installed himseif iwith his own family effects Includ- [ing the sewing machine on the sec- cnd flgor, where the Wilson's recreat- {ed their old home at Princcton. Fam ily life on that scale continued until the death of Mrs. Wilson and the mar- riazo of two of her danghters. Mr. Wilson paid his first respect to the local aristocracy by declining an invitation to join Chevy Chase Club, the most exclusive golf, dinner and dancing orzanization in the city, and went across the Potomac to golf at an obscure “poor man's club.”" On one of first rounds over the links he falled W se { ed. partia Finformat jand i sually addressed to a President of the United State: Mr. Wilson threw down j his clubs and walked off the links. He ! did not return until a committee of) the ‘club called with an apology. All social functions were discontin- ued during the war, and the President saw practically nobody. Cabinet meet- ings were postponed for weeks at a time. He was not elow in making deci- sions, and hav. made them, at- tempts to reverse them generally| were futile. It was a common saying that he became impatient with those who disagreed with him. He dubbed one prominent adviser. “The cham- pion acquiescer of the world” and later dismissed him from his official family while the man was supposed to be enjoying the highest favor. Some Light Reading, Thers was a good deal of exagger- {ation about Mr. Wilson's penchant for reading detective storics, _al- {though he did do some light reading. {He took to golf as a health measure at his doctor's onlers and learned to like it; he liked light music and ' the theater when the entertainment | was diverting. When he left the White House and moved to a home in the heart of the exclusive residence district, he con- tinued a life of seclusion in which his only diversions were a motor ride three or four times a week and an occasional visit to a vaudeville show. Occasionally he invited to lunch or dinner some man who had been closely assoclated with his adminis- tration during the war period, but he had no more intimates out of the White House than he did while in it, and his wife had very few. o EX-PRESIDENT’S DEATH REGRETTED BY KELLOGG American Ambassador in London Says Strain of Great War Broke Wilson’s Health. By the Associated Press, LONDON. February 4.—Frank B. Kelloge, the American ambassador, who was one of the few republican . semators to support President Wil- son’s peace policy, informed yester- day by the Associated Press that Mr. Wilson was dead, sald: “It is with deep sorrow that I learn of the passing of Mr. Wilson. The strain of the great war, in addition to his duties of President, broke his health. He sacrificed himself in a world cause. He was a man of high ideals and noble aspirations. In the presence of death political differences -will be forgotten and all his countrymen will mourn his loss. President’s Proclamation Orders Full Official Honors to Wilson President Coolidge’s proclamation on the death of Woodrow Wilson, made yesterday, follows: By the President of the United States of America A PROCLAMATION To the People of the United State: The death' of Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States from March 4, 1913, to March 4, 1921, which occurred at 11:15 o'clock today at his home at Washington, District of Colum- bia, deprives the country of a most distinguished izen and is an event which causes universal and genuine sorrow. To many of us it brings the sense of a profound personal bereavement. His early profession as a lawyer was abandoned to enter academic life. In this chosen field he attained the highest rank as an educator and has left his impress upon the intellectual thought of the country. From the presidency of Princeton Uni- versity he was called by his fellow citizens to be the chief executive of the state of New Jersey. The duties of this high office he so conducted as to win the confidence of the people of the United States, who twice elected him to the chief magistracy of the republic. As President of the Unite d States he was moved by an earnest desire to promote the best interests of the country as he conceived them. His acts were prompted by high motives, and his sincerity of purpose cannot be questioned. He led the nation through the terrific struggle of the world war with a lofty ideal- ism which never failed him. He of humanity with an eloquence the earth and made America a n destiny of mankind. In testimony of the respect the government and people of direct that the flags of the Whi partmental buildings be display: thirty days and that suitable m gave utterance to the aspiration which held the attention of all ew and enlarged influence in the in which his memory is held by the United States, I do hereby te House and of the several de- ed at half-staff for a period of nilitary and nava! honors under orders of the Secretary of War and of the Secretary of the Navy may be rendered on the day of Done at the city of Washin the funeral. gton this third day of February, in the year,of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty- four, and of the independence of the United States of America the one hundred and forty-eighth. By the President: CHARLES E Secretary DEATH OF WILSON LIKE HARDING'S | Both Collapsed Under Same Circumstances, But For- mer Lingered Long. {AFFECTION WAS STRONG Consideration of New President for Stricken War Leader Long Remembered. By the Associated Press. Death lald ite fingertips on Wood- row Wilson—as it _did on his succes- sor, Warren G. Harding—while he was_on a speaking trip in the west While Harding's collapse led to apoplexy and death within a week, Wilson's led to paralysls and a lin- gering disability of years. rangely enough, the missions upon which the two Presidents were engaged while stricken were similar. Wilson was campaigning for the en try the United States into the league of nations. Harding was campaigning for the entry of the country into the world court. Wilson lived to see Harding dead and burled. participating in the lat- ter's funeral, and yet any one of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who saw the two men riding to the Capitol together on the day of Harding’s inauguration—March 4, 1921—would have wagered that Hard- ing would help lay Wilson under the sod. Harding Consideration Noted. The one sight of all the inaugura- tion spectacle on that day, which thousands of Americans took home with them, was Harding’s gentle con- sideration for his stricken predeces- sor. He had actually helped lift W son down the steps of the White Houre portico and into their carriage. On the way to the Capitol, where he took the ocath, he had silenced with a gesture the cheering throngs, in respect to the shrunken, sick man beside him. Throughout all the in- auguration ceremony Harling pur- sued a studied course of careful con- sideration for Wilson. It was the gentleness of Harding’s nature to do so, and, as time told, the acts were stored away in the memory of the man whom some called cold and un- responsive and others called ungrate- ful. At the start of the ride that inaug- uration day along Pennsylvania avenue there was an embarrassed silence be- tween the two men. Then Harding, casting about for a topic that would serve perhaps to take his companion's mind away from the severe strain through which he was passing, started a discussion of White House pets. From that the conversation led to talk of pet animals in general, and Harding re- lated a story of how his sister, a mis- sionary in India, had been touched by the devotion of an elephant that in his last hours moaned piteously until his keeper had been summoned and then, folding the man to him tenderly with his trunk, had peacefully and content- edly passed away. Story Brought Tears. To his astonishment, when the story was over, Harding saw tears coursing down the wan che¢ks of the man beside him. ‘Wilson, living in seclusion in his home here, never had any social in- tercourse with Harding, but he always remembered him kindly. One night at a vaudeville show a motion picture of ‘Wilson was thrown on the screen. His fellow townsmen gave it & roar of ap- plause. Harding's picture followed and was greeted with a lesser demonstra- tion. Inquiring faces were turned to Wilson. They saw his jaw set and his eyes flashing. 'hat is a gross disrespect to the President.of the United States,” he said to those about him, “and I do not ap- preciate any such kind of a compli- ment.” Time_passed, and one day Death \ knocked at the White House door. He reluctant to go lingered there, too, to Mrs. Hard- away. He was l)eckonhl’ ing. At the same time, {n his secluded home, not many blocks away, Woodrow Wilson, the paralyzed invaild, as he supported his wavering frame upon his chalr and sald his prayer for grace as he sat down to his meals, murmered his plea to God that she might be re- stored to health. All that the world knew was that he drove to the White House door and left ‘his card. Later, with genuine sorrow, he par- ticipated in the state fumerai for Mr. Harding and publicly declared him a President who ‘“undoubtedly had won the esteem of the whole nation by his honorable and consclentious conduct in office.” CALVIN COOLIDGE. VANS HUGHE:! of State. WILSON'S ILLNESS | TOUCHED CAPITAL War President Object of Kindly, Friendly Interest After Being Stricken. FAITHFUL WIFE PRAISED No Woman Ever More Devoted Was Observers’ Universal Opinion. By the Associated Press. Wilson, the sick man, was a greater object of friendly interest in Wash- ington than the Wilson of war days. The National Capital never lost its head or its balance when blg men icame along; it was used to that type. But after he had been stricken, when, broken in health, he sought to get back the strength he had given to his task, even that part of Washington which hated his policies and his pow- ers, felt a softening around the heart as it saw him bent low. Harding, as a new President, never dazzled Washington. Tt had known him as a senator, and there was no wild rush for the windows as he drove through the streets. In the picture theaters of Washington when Hard- ing's likeness was shown there was a scattering handclap. But when Wil- son’s picture was shown there alway was a deafening burst of real ap- plause. The thing was so pronounced that the President and the ‘former President were never shown on the same screen. “Oh, Washington is a southern com- munity,” was the stock answer peo- ple got when they asked about the greater applause for Wilson. Liked Vaudeviile. Mr. Wilson liked the theater. He liked vaudeville especlally. In the early days of his administration he went frequently to the theater, with- out attracting undue attention. Peo- Inle applauded respectfully, but not loudly, when he entered. The same was true of Mr. Harding. After he left the White House, how- ever, thdre was a changed attitude on the part of the Washington public toward Mr. Wilson. Nearly every Saturday night, when the condition of his failing health would permit, he attended a vaudeville theater. His weekly visit seemed somehow to be- come a local event. By 8 o'clock the streets around were packed with men and women. Mr. Wilson's car always drove into an alley into which a side door to the theater opened. The crowd around the corner always was so dense that extra traffic policemen were detailed regularly “for Wilson night.” Street car traffic was halted. The Wilson party always remained seated in the theater until the audi- ence had left. He occupled an ob- scure corner near the alley entrance. The laborious effort to enter the car— which he could not do without as- sistance—was the most pathetic sight Washington ever beheld. It touched the heart of a cold-blooded town. Big Figures Stood By. Week after week the crowds stood in the street, often in a pouring rain, simply to get a fleeting glimpse of the old war-time President. Some of the biggest men in national life used to stand Iin the shadows across the street from the theater to see how ‘Wilson looked. They had read of his affliction; they had seen a picture of him now and then, but they wanted to_see for themselves. ‘Washington never saw Wilson with- out his wife, Harding, not a par- ticular lover of vaudeville, never Wwent to that same theater on Satur- day nights. When he did go his car stopped at the main entrance, with- out interfering with street traffic. Much of this show of affection for the former President unquestionably ‘Wwas due to his broken condition, and ‘Washington always wanted to lift its| voice in praise of the faithful wife. No woman ever was more devoted, more _attentive, more. symchtn. That was the universal ve ct. WILSON BITTER INLAST ADDRESS Dispelled Idea of Many He Had Softened Toward Opponents. MRS. WILSON DEVOTED Solicitation Increased to Remark- able Degree After His Tliness. ‘Woodrow Wilson accepted himself as. a casualty of war. To this extent, and to this alone, he sometimes apparently admitted the failure of his personal doctrine of preordination. He died as he had lved, supremely confident in his b lef that the principles for which he stood—and fought even to the extent of allenating some whose opinions he most cherished—eventually would triumph. There was no better exemplification of the entire Wilson personality than his attitude in his address of last Armistice day. Suggestions had been made in advance of that occasion thaf he would issue a “messiage of lovi In fact, certain sources had suggest- ed that he might, in the light of the years that had passed, soften his il is as sure for a reconciliation with those who had been willing to follow him at Utterances More Bitter. Nothing of the kind, it will be re- terances were even more bitter than any previous as that God reigns This was his keynote phrase. The that the nation's memories of its day of triumph, “are forever marred and that we turned our buacks upon our assocfates.” and “withdrew into sul- deeply ignoble because manifestly cowardly and_dishonorable.” are likely ever to forget the intensity of the emotion apparent in the speak [to shrill heights and dropped to ’(‘racks whispers. The prompting of iaudible. The impressions, especiall “out in the sticks” where many probably nothing so exemplified the man Wilson as this somewhat bizarre performance did. Never Character for Tolerance. made for tolerance. “If vou are not for me you are against me.” well familigr phrase. With the former President there never was a middle personally or by reputation, either believed _without question. 'in _the as anathema In every particular. He neither gave nor expected quarter. liberately thrown overboard James Smith, jr., of Newark., N. J., made possible his election to the goy- ernorship of New Jers the democratic majority of the Ne | Jersey senate for election to son, seizing on the technicality that James Martine, who had been defeat- peared before the people for any and all offices, had secured the majority senatorial primary, got behind Mar- tine and eventuaily compelled hi fended as in the interests of the peo- ple and the states. At Baltimore bolting Champ Clark and asailing “Wall str brought about the romination—and later election—of Wilson possible. Yet when the of the submarine note sent to- er- many, which the Nebraskan insisted row Wilson accepted the resignation of his Secretary of State, although he modified the phrase to which Bryan originally had objected. Men simply were instruments to be used to meet the occasion, after all, spared mone. But, then. he did not spare himself. That he was jockeved original position and open the way least part way. called, took place. Instead his ut- That we shall pre former President lkewise insisted embittered,” by hameful faet len and selfish fsolation which is None who “lstened in" that night er. His voice was trembling. It ros Mrs. Wilson at his side plain heard, were weird in the extreme. Yet His never was a character which might have been coined as his most ground. Every one who knew man and his policies, or rejected them Early in his public career he had de- more than any other individual, had ith was the apparent choice of United States nate. But Gov. Wil ed for election every time he had ap- of the scanty few who voted in the election. This action he warmly de- was William Jennings Bryan who, deadlock which made the cventual agreement with Bryan came becauso meant thing less than war, Wood- after it all was a matter of record Men Simply Instruments. was the position of Mr. Wilson. He into the position in Europe, where he eventually had to fight with his back azainst the wall, undoubtedly was due to his selecting his as- sociates on the American peace com- mission to be his subord in- stead of his equals. It was his pl: nd his alone that he intended for ing acceptance. Yet those who the ground witnessed his futile figh always contended that, had he staved at home and pulled the strings, or taken with him men of more positive character who would have jammed his beliefs down the throats of all with whom they came into contact. the peace would have been as com- plete as was the armistice when finally came back home the follow- ing July to face the Senate and the country Woodrow Wilson reached France a popular idol on December 13, 1 He demanded an immediate confer- ence of the peace envoys of the allied and associated powers. Clemenceau pleaded for time. There were “social functions” to be gotten out of the way. Lloyd George backed up the Tiger. The British premier insisted he had the details of his mentary program to arrange. Mean while he suggested that Wilson could visit England, go to Carlisle to pay his respects to the former home of his forbears and then proceed to Italy. When that was over it would be time enough for the President to get_together with the men who were to be equally responsible with him for the working out of the peace and talk about the terms that must !be enforced. Grand Program of Delay. It was a grand program of delay. 1t worked its will. The English trip was an_ ovation to the President Everywhere he was proclaimed the “savior of the world. In Italy sim flar triumphs of a personal .nature were repeated. In Rome, in Milan, in Genoa, at other points, the com- }mon people accepted Woodrow Wil- son as the one individual who could bring tranquility back to a tortured world. He was touched as.never before by the simple faith that was manifest. But even then he seemed to realize that there was a conspiracy against him. En route back to Paris early in January, he summoned the three cor- Trespondents who had made the trip with him to his car and told them Ithnt Italy was determined to domi- nate the Adriatic and insist on th carrying out of the “pact of London He explained that he would mot ai- low this. Later on he made good this threat in the big four confer- ences, but only by practically demol- ishing the influence of the govern- ment then in power at Rome and | forcing her peace delegation to re- turn to the Eternal city. Back in Paris Woodrow Wilson discovered that in his absence Clemenceau and Lloyd George had ar- rived at an understanding to oppose any and all leniency for Germany on the part of the powers which might be fathered by the American delega. him, | who, | it | parlia- {in March, members of the American REMAINED IN SECLUSION HERE NEARLY FOUR YEARS Few Except Close Personal Friends Admitted, But Ex-President Accom- plished Much During Tllness. When Woodrow Wilson left the Capitol on March 4 1921, leaving there the newly-elected President HardIng to take the oath of office, he and Mrs, Wilson were driven quletly to their new home, 2340 § street northwest. And there he lived until his death, an outstanding world fig- ure, though an Invalld. Thousands of clitizens had gathered in front of the new home to give him welcome. Long after Mr. and Mrs. Wilson had passed within the portals the crowd lingered on, being aug- mented by fresh arrivals. Late in the afternoon a committeo of citi- zens visited Mr. and Mrs. Wilson to convey to them the well wishes of the gathering outside. And thereafter, throughout the former President’s comparative se- clusion, veriodically throngs gather- his residence to do him hrongs so large and so warmly his friends and supporters as to give the lie to report- that Woodrow Wilson had lost his former grip on the affections of the Amer- ican peple. On Armistice day and on his birthdays and on other occasions these pilgrimages were made. And| Mr. Wilson always expressed his pleasure, either through a message, or, when he felt stronger, in person Home Colonial Type. The new home to which the former President moved, while not on lines of the White House, was still a handsome and spacious house; of co- lonial brick and Indiana limestone. It stands well away from the street on a level with the grounds which cover a large part of the block. The colonial feature is preserved through- out in the large rooms and spacious entrance halls. The house was pur- chased for $150,000 and was the for- mer residence of Henry P. Fairbanks. As the years pussed, the former | President gained in heaith. He still was regarded as an invalid, but was able to do considerable work, | both in connection with a law prai tice he established in association with Bainbridge Colby, former Secretary of State, and in writing. He attend. ed personally to a daily mall that at times assumed rather formidable pro- portions. He was punctilious in acknowledging letters from persons who showed an interest in his wel- fare and a lovalty to his ideals. At times, Mr. Wilson wrote letters j that showed he had lost none of his old vigor of expression. When aj | pealed to for his opinion on candi- dates for office, he sometimes criticiz- «d severely members of his own party who had opposed his policies. Among those -whom he so0 opposed were nator Iteed of Missouri, Senator Shields of Tennessee. and_most re | cently, Senator Walsh of Massachu- s, Life Was Secladed. ! The life of the former President ;in a_meusure was secluded. Except to clos personal friends he was virtually Inaccessible at his residence. Many of his old political supporters sought h ounsel on important public matters, particularly was this true of democratic senators. He aimed to live by the “elght-hour day,” which he had advocated to Cengress ai the time of the pas | sage of the Adamson law He al- lotted eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation and eight hours for sleep, and kept to that Rchellulbl airly_well. He rose early, at 7| a.m. He was able to shave and bathe | himself and then took some calis- exercises prescribed by his He breakfasted in Mr: Boudoir. Nor did he neg- leet the morning newspapers. Haif @ dozen of them he read datly. Next came the morning's work In the | iibrary. The old desk, chalr and table Mr. Wilson used in his_study i Princeton were there, and also his thousands of hooks. Occasionally Mr. Wilson visited his law office, in a building on F street between 13th and 1ith, form occupied by the Tnited States Shipping Board. ~More ! recently, however, his partnership ! with Bainbridge Colby was dissolved | Rode Nearly Every Day. Mr. Wilson took a ride in his motor car nearly every afternoon, alw s acconfoanied by Mrs. Wilson. When he first left the White House his attendants practically had (o 1ift him o the machine, but when he grew stronger he was able to get in and out with comparatively = little as- sistance. His car was an old White House machine which had been sent bac! to the manufacturer and which Mr. | Wiison purchased. He had it pain lrd black, with orange trimming: { Princeton colors. As a rule, in his drives he stuck to old routes and niany persons in the country round When the peace conference ally opened, and the work of aration of the terms to be sub- mitted to Germany was begun, he found that he was in an utterly hope- ess minority. That was his position when he finally signed the ill-fated ‘reaty of Versailles. At every stage fu: met with disappointment. That he was betrayed by some of the men n whom he trusted also is easily wwovable. Probably it will be now that he is dead and the necessity for scerecy has passed. He Compelled Agreement. Mr. Wilson told his fellow-members of the commission that only a league of nations would save the situation. He compelled agreement by the other interested powers that the constitu- tion of the league should be made a part of the treaty. Yet during the few short weeks that he was back in America, late in February, and early commission went over to the enemy and agreed to scuttle the league and make a peace dominated by conquest ! alone. En route back to France in | {March, 1919, the then President found | this out. Even before landing he re- | pudiated the agreement and later im- posed his will on the representatives of the other powers. But probably this one lapse, more than anything else, was responsible for the initia-, !tion' of the opposition in the United tates that eventually killed off the {ratification of the treaty. Coming home with the signed | treaty in his possession, Mr. Wiison { was warned that unless he would i compromise with the opposition in the Senate the document could not be ratified. He indignantly rejected the suggestion. He went out to carry his fight to the people. But the strain of the several months' fighting against { Clemenceau, Lloyd George, Orlando and the others—including certain members of his own immediate party proved too much, and he finally broke down in health while en route to Wichita, Kan., almost at the very end of the most ‘exhaustive speaking tour any Chief Executive ever at- tempted. Human Side Illustrated. There are several incidents of the European trip of the President that now may be emphasized. The human side of his character was well indi- cated while in Milan, where he per- sonally led the orchestra at a mu- nicipal dinner with a display of emo- tion that seemed ertirely at varlance with the coldness of his generally displayed nature. In Carlisle he held a number of leading dignitaries waiting while he talked with an aged citizen who remembered his mother and related personas anecdotes of her as a girl. In Paris, when a delega- tion of /Americans waited upon him | for whidt promiged to prove a stormy session, he Insisted that a corre; i learned to look for him. On one occasion a quaint old lady held up the car and presented a sweater which she had knitted and on another a little girl gave him a laprobe. Fre- quently the car would stop at a farm and take on a load of fresh veg(e tables, eggs and fowl. Recently, on Mr. Wilson's last birthe day anniversary, his friends and ade mirers gave to him a new automobila, constructed on special lines to make it easy for Mr. Wilson to get In and out, and the old car was laid aside. Dinner was an informal affair at the Wilson residence. Sometimes there were guests, alwavs old friends or associates, Mr. Wilson did not dress for the occasion, as he alwa: did_while President. ' But no me in the Wilson houschold ever pro- ceeded until grace had been said by Mr. Wilson, himself. Frequently friends remembered him at meals, sendinghim fish and game. Hnd Hi» Own Movies. After dinner Mr. Wilson read for amusement. Once a week he had a mo- tion picture show of his own, frequent- Iy seeing the feature film at the same time it was being sho: aters down town. Every Saturday night Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, sometimes ac com friends, Theater. Always he wa tion when he entered the theater and took a seat in the rear of the housc. His automobile was driven close to s side entrance, and the former Presi- dent thus was e ach his seat in the theater w - minimum exer- tion. rowds ssembled outside the theater after the performancs and cheered the former President h Iy. This consistent tribute evidently pleascd Mr. Wilson, who smilingly responded. Mr. Wilson did much reading and writing in bed. Propped up by pillows with a little writing board across his knees he read and made notes, some of them voluminous and in orthand. It was expected, not unanturally, the President would write a book, 0 far ms is known, he did not do s He gave others material for such a book about himself and his administra- tion. He made no reply to the hook about him by his former Secr of State, Robert Lansing, nor to other volumes, either in criticism or praise of him. Invariably he read few ver s of the Bible when it cams time t y good-night. Th read aloud from the book, which rested on the reading table bedside. n at the the- s given an ov Wilson Read Widely. Mr. Wilson's reading covered a wi range. Not infrequently he gave his ttention to detective stories, of which he was quite fond. While Mr. Wilson gradually gained In strength after his departure from the White House, and_continued to £h approximately 150 pounds, his appearance was différent from that of his presidential days. His hair turned snow white, although it did not thin. He adopted ‘spectacles instead of nosc glasses. Mrs. Wilson was his constant and devoted companion. She rarely left him, although now and then she made brief trips to Baltimore and to New York. Their life was comparatively simple. The former President had a secretary, to whom he dictated. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, hower. establishment with onl, s vants. Mr. Wilson took with him to the White House the small savings of a lifetime. During term as Pr dent his royalties from books pre- viously written mounted into vather handsome sums. These royalties cor tinucd after he left the White House, though in smaller amounts. While ha was President circumstances helped him_to save money out of the salary of $75,000 paid the Chief Executive. The war and the suspension of social functions and entertainments made such a result possible. Falth In League Firm. The former TPresident frequently reiterated his belicf in the league of nations. He predicted that eve tually the United States would become member. He took a keen Interest in all domestic and foreign questions of importance. When the democratic national committee was in Washin ton for its meeting recently Mr. Y son received the committeemen at his home. The last procession down historic avenue in which the nt took part was the fu- neral procession of his successor, the Harding. Mr., and Wilson drove down the Avenue in their car, following closel the casket of the dead President. He did not enter the Capitol for the services therd Mr. Wilson, while President, sent a telegram to ' the then Governor of Massachusetts, Calvin Coolidge, con- gratulating him_upon his re-slection following the celebrated police strike in Boston, w h AMr. Coolidge handled so firmly. There h been no reason to believe that Mr. Wilson's regard for Mr. Coolidge diminished there- after. _— spondent. ner, stay carefully Wwho was his guest at din- “to see the fun,” and then sewed him up on writing anvthing that had transpired, al- though ~the story was one which would have reflected credit on his policies. But mention of any incidents of the trip would be incomplete 1f the story of the loving devotion of Mrs. Wilson was not incorporated. Space in this account is too short even to hint at the manner in which she up- held the hands of her distinguished husband and guarded him as careful- ly as possible from over-fatigue and exertion. When he was taken il in Parls with what was described rather loosely at the time as an attack of influenza.” Mrs. Wilson banished ail of the French cooks and servants from the kitchen, laid in a stock of American food from the quarterma ter of the American Army and pro- ceeded in person to cook everything that the President ate, not alone dur- ing his iliness and period of convales- cence, but for weeks thereafter. Widow Was Devoted. The affection between President ‘Wilson and his second wife impress- ed all. From the day of their mar- riage up until the hour and minute of his death she was in every way his counselor, his urse and help- meet. When he was too tired to read himself—his chief relaxation in_ his few spare hours was to read aloud to_members of the family and visitors —Mrs. Wilson, herself, read to him. She was always at his side watching him, anticipating his smallest desire and aiding him in every possible way. Her devotion absolutely amazed every one who came into contact with them on the other side and it was increas- ed to a most remarkable degree after his health finally falled. ‘There were many other friends. But Mrs. Edith Bolling Wilson was to the President one wonderful woman and wife as every one who knew him realized. et JOINED CHURCH IN SOUTH WHERE FATHER PREACHED By the Associated Pross, COLUMBIA, 8. C., February 4.—As a boy in his teens, Woodrow Wilson united with the historic First Pres- byterian Church In Columbla, of which his father, the Rev. Joseph R. ‘Wilson, was the pastor at the time. * His parents lle buried in the ehurch- yard and the body of his sister, Mrs. ¢ George Howe, who died in 1916, also lies in the same plat. on his father's ed by Woodrow Wilson. r