How Times Have Changed
An anecdote from Presidential Diversions, by Paul Boller:
President Grant’s favorite recreation involved horses. He like to drive as well as ride, and he brought a competitive spirit in his driving. He loved to sit on the edge of his seat in a light racing buggy, pull the brim of his slouch had down over his eyes, lean forward until his arms and shoulder were just above the dashboard, and then, speaking a few words to the magnificent trotting horse in front of him, sweep past every other driver on the road. Once, when he was speeding along a street near the White House, a policeman arrested him for driving too fast. When it dawned on the officer that he had arrested the President of the United States, he started apologizing. President Grant interrupted him. “Officer,” he cried, “do your duty!” So the policeman fined him, took his horse and carriage to the police station and let Grant walk back to the White House.
Yes, times change.
