THE MAN TOO KNEW COOLIDGE

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1928, Page 4

THE MAN TOO KNEW COOLIDGE

IN LIGHTER VEIN

(By Sinclair Lewis in “Daily Mail.”)

In his latest hook, “The Man AVno Knew Coolidge” (Cape, 7s 6d), Mr Sinclair Lewis, the American novelist who wrote ‘Alain Street” and “Babbitt,’ gives another amusing satirical portrait of the “100 per cent” American who, he says, is typical.

“The man who knew Coolidge” is talking to some travelling companions in a Pullman.

I certainly do enjoy listening to yon gentlemen and getting your views. That’s one of the nice things about being on a Pullman like this; you can guarantee that you’ll meet a lot ,of regular he-Americans with sound opinions and ideas.

And now let ine tell you; the way I look at these things—

They can siiy iill they want to about how President Coolidge—good old silent Coolidge—isn’t maybe as flashy as some of these statesmen. Maybe he isn’t as much given to shooting off his mouth as certain other public figures that I could name. Maybe lie isn’t what my daughter would call Ritzy—

And say, by golly, it’s beyond me where the young generation of to-day, taking tliem by find large, get all this slaiig that they pull. "Why. here just the other day rny daughter was talking to her brother, and Robby—that’s the hoy’s name: only fifteen—three years younger than his sister, but smart’s a whip. There’s certainly one up-and-coming kid, if I do say so. But anyway— I’m afraid I’m getting a little off_ the subject of Coolidge, arid if there’s anything I hate it’s a fellow that if lie starts to talk about a subject he can’t stick to it. I remnicmber one time wo had one of these hook-au-thors speaking at the Kiwnnis Club, ami say, that fellow, maybe he could write all right (though at that I’d like to see him sit down and dictate a letter to some fellow that would make liini pay His account and yet not make him sore !) —I don’t know anything about his writing, hut when it came to talking, why say, ho wandered all ’round Robin Hood’s barn! Shows what a lack of business-train-ing docs to these fellows that think they’re so gosh-awfiil smart and superior ! But what I started to say was: The way that boy and his sister torture the English language to death just about gets my goat. llcue him and liis sister was talking one. time, and he starts kidding her about some bird she.was sweet on, and lie says, “That guy’s all wot." But she conic back at him, quick’s a flash: “Yeh, bo’s wet- like a Methodist Sunday School!” Yes sir, it beats tlie cars how this new generation takes the Queen’s English like you and I were brought up to speak it- In the good old-fash-ion schools, where there was some thoroughness and not a lot of these flashy fads, and they just practically risiti it, anti as T. was shying, if Sister —that’s what we often call my daughter—if she was talking about Coolidge, she’d probably say he wasn’t Ritzy. Well, if you want to look at it. that

way, all right. But 1 wonder if any of you gentlemen ever thought of this? He may not shoot off a lot of fireworks. but do you know what lie is? He’s safe.

Yes sir, Cal is the President fm real honcst-to-God Americans like us.

There’s a lot of fo'ks than pan him

but what aie they? You can bet Cool idee ain’t popular with tbc Bolsheviks, or the law boob of a workman than wants fifteen bucks a dav for doing nothing' No- sir, nor with the coca in*’ fiends, cr the drunkards, or the 'fellows that don’t want the Pr'hibifion hr.v enforcedNot th.nl T never take n. drink. dVlril. T nay about Prohibition is: Or.co a lnv has been passed by the duly elected and ciHaiiaed representatives of the poeylo of these United ■States, in fact once it’s 011 the statue books, it’s there, and it’s there to- he enforced: There hadn’t ought to he any blind pigs or illegal stills. Unisame time, that don’t mean you got to be a fail a t ic.

If a fellow feels like making some "rod home-brewed beer or wine, or if you go to a fellow’s house and lie brings out some hootch or gin that you don’t know where lie got it and it isn’t any of your business, or if you have'a business acquaintance coming to your house and' you figure he won’t loosen rip and talk thrkev without a little spot and you know a good dependable liooWegger that you can depend on, well then, that’s a different matter, and there ain’t any reason on God’s green earth that I can see why you shouldn’t take advantage of it, always providing you aren’t setting somebody a bod example or making it look like you sympathised ivitli law-breaking. No, sir! But now to come down to the point of my story, I hope to be able to give you gentlemen an agreeable little surprise. I know Cool id go. personally! Yes sir! In fact, I was a classmate of bis! I’ll give you gentlemen an inside view of him, not only as I saw hint in college, hut, as I’ve studied him at the White House! I don’t suppose I. could have been called one of Cal’s closest friends in college,' but I knew him pretty well. I can remember just’s well as if it was yesterday, Cal and me happened to come out of a class together, and I said, “Well, it’s going to be a cold j winter,’’ arid he came right hack, “Yep.”

Didn’t waste a lot of time arguing and discussing! He knew! And another time: I never could got along any too good in Latin—my talent, you might say, is more along practical lines. I asked Cal—wo happened to be going into class together, and I asked him, “Say, what’s the Latin for ‘defy’ 1”

“Don’t know,” he said. No beating around the bush and pretending, and four-flushing, but coming right out with it, bang! That’s the kind of man he his, you take it from one who knows him 1