The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum is a decidedly understated independent institution compared to the grand federal repositories of his successors. The quiet, one-room exhibition on the second floor of the Forbes Library is perhaps in line with the 30th president’s reputation as the reserved “Silent Cal.” The calm business-like tableau that greets visitors contains an unexpected aura of industrious intensity. At every turn, placards remind Calvinists of his incessant call to action, illuminated by several strategically placed iterations of his observation that, “Nothing in this world can take…
