It seems to the Herald that the dignity of the office of President of the United States has “taken a beating” in recent years. Do you agree? Will presidents of the future command the respect and reverence attached to the presidency in years gone by? Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln. History has painted an aura of greatness, noble bearing, and esteemed leadership around such men. Teddy Roosevelt. Wilson. Franklin D. Roosevelt and even some of the more recent presidents left impressions of grandeur, loftiness of manner. and power in decision-making. The office of the Presidency received a severe blow in the resignation of Richard M. Nixon in the face of impeachment proceedings climaxing the Watergate scandal. Otherwise, his performance, apparently pleased the voters who had elected him to a second term by a landslide majority. Gerald R. Ford, who ascended to the presidency at that time, did a creditable job, and Jimmy Carter has had his moments despite serious problems which have undermined his image and sent his rating in the polls spinning. Now he faces a serious challenge to even get his party’s nomination for re-election. A problem of both major political parties in recent elections seems to be locating those super men – candidates who stand above the crowd and who possess all the noble and lofty . qualities we recognized in some of the greats of the past. If you agree that the Presidency has lost dignity and esteem in modern times, to what do you attribute the decline? To this question, there may be as many answers as there are observers. Aside from the observation-that caliber may be lacking in some instances, we advance the following ideas as contributing factors. T0day’s Presidents and presidential candidates are exposed continually to the glare of publicity. They’re seen regularly in the living rooms on TV. photographed in all kinds of situations, many of them totally lacking in dignity because they are human beings. Their off-guard actions, their indiscreet remarks. their human frailties and foibles are photographed or reported by multiple media unknown to earlier Presidents. Remember the incident of Lyndon Johnson and the beagles’? And if memory serves us right a photgrapher got a shot of his scar after surgery. Camermen, it seemed, were always there to photograph Gerald Ford when he stumbled. President Carter obviously chose to be thought of as a leader close to the people – one of the gang, so to speak. He appeared in causual wear in his early firesides; chose barnyard language to tell how he’d whip Senator Kennedy; went jogging in the marathon. (Jogging may be fine for a President in the White House garden but it diddn’t do much for Mr. Carter’s dignity in the race, especially when he wasn’t able to finish.) The media blew the so-called “rabbit” incident out of proportion during the President’s trip down the Mississippi, and he has accommodated the media in many all-too-human pictures. On the other hand, many of the “old Presidents,” before TV and even radio, had only minimal exposure to the public and news coverage was more restricted. To much of the pogulace, an air of mystery and no ility surrounded their terms in office. These are only glimpses illustrating how a modern president’s image is developed in comparison with those in earlier eras. Truly, in these days, it takes a super man to be President and maintain the Presidential image. Maybe the practical thing is for us, the citizenry, to adjust our own vision of what we expect in a President to modern-day realities instead of longing for a leader who fits the image of the greats of bygone days. Sc They Suy “The FBI has taken its licks over the past few years. But don’t make any mistake about the situation. To people who find themselves acing a gun as they work behind a teller’s counter, the FBI agents are heroes.” – George N. Magrath of the U. S. League of Savings Associations, opposing plans to shift bank robbery investigations to local police forces. “This country needs heroes and there aren’t many left.” -Claytnn Moore, TV’s “Lone Ranger” in the 1950:, discussing his efforts to battle a court order to stop wearing his mask in public. A group with the rights to the fictional Westem character had sought legal action.