The intimate papers of Colonel House arranged as a narrative by Charles Seymour.

124 INTIMATE PAPERS OF COLONEL HOUSE

'November 14, 1914: The President... is efficient in his
manner of working. For instance, when we were discussing
his message to the people concerning the Belgian Relief
funds he said: "Now let us decide what points are best to
cover." He took a telegraph blank having lines on it, and
began to take down in shorthand the different points, he
making some suggestions and I making others. There were
about five points to be covered, and he asked me to think if
that were all. When we concluded, there was nothing more;
he called his stenographer and dictated the message in full.
'He has one of the best ordered minds I have ever come in
contact with, although he is always complaining of forgetfulness.'
On the other hand, Colonel House was too objective not
to observe certain qualities in the President which weakened
him as an executive and the effects of which might ultimately seriously endanger his influence.
'One peculiar phase of the President's character develops
itself more fully from time to time [he wrote, November 22,
1915]; that is, he "dodges trouble." Let me put something
up to him that is disagreeable and I have great difficulty in
getting him to meet it. I have no doubt that some of the
trouble he had at Princeton was caused by this delay in
meeting vexatious problems.
'Another phase of his character is the intensity of his prejudices against people. He likes a few and is very loyal to
them, but his prejudices are many and often unjust. He
finds great difficulty in conferring with men against whom,
for some reason, he has a prejudice and in whom he can find
nothing good.
'July 10, 1915: I am afraid that the President's characterization of himself as " a man with a one-track mind" is all too
true, for he does not seem able to carry along more than one