The Norfolk weekly news. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1888-1900, 1900-10-04

on the western plains, Of hunting in the
Bad Lands of Dakota, where he built
his ranch on the banks of the Little
Missouri, are written out Of the man S
heart.
Mr.. Roosevelt's s recent protest against
the impertinent intrusion OF the camera
fiend upon the seclusion OF his home
life az Oyster Bay was perfectly char.
acteristic of him, aud of mis- W of say.
ing the right thing at the right time.
The whole coustry apphuded it. In
his home Mr.. Roosevelt ceases ITO be
governor of the Empire state, and be
comes husband aud father, the compan
ion of his children, who treat him. like
their big, overgrown brother. His love
for children, especially for those who
have not so good time as some others,
is as instructive as his championship Of
all that needs lift. doubt if he is
aware of it himself He does not.recog.
nize as real sympathy what, hel feels
rather as sense OF duty, Yet Il have
seen him, when school children crowded
around the rear platform Of the train
from which he had been making cam.
paign speeches, to shake hands, catch
the eye of poor, little, cripple girl in
patched frock, who was making frantic
but hopeless efforts to reach him in the
outskirts of the crowd, and, pushing
aside all the rest, make way for .her.to
the great amazement of the curled
darlings in the front row. y And on the
trip home, on the last night of the can
vass of 1898, when we were at dinner in
his private car, busy reckoning up
majorities, saw him get up to .greet
the engineer of the train, who came in
his overalls and blouse to shake hands,
with such pleasure as | had not seen
him show in the biggest meeting we had
had 1t was coincidence and an omen
that the name of the engineer of that
victorious trip was Dewey.
That bent of his is easily enough ex-
planned There hangs in his study at
Oyster Bay, apart from the many tro-
phies of the chase, the picture of man
with a strong, bearded face.
THAT is my father" said MIR. Roose-
welt. "He was the finest man | ever
knew. He was merchant, well .to.do,
drove his four-in hand through the
park, and enjoyed life immensely. He
had such good time, and fwith cause,
for he was good man. 1 remember
seeing him going down Broadway,
staid and respectable business man that
he was, with poor little sick kitten in
his coat pocket, which he had picked up
in the street.
The elder Theodore Roosevelt was a
man with the same sane and practical
interest in his fellow.man that his son
has shown. He was the hacker of
Charles Loring Brace in his work of
gathering the forgotten waits from .the
city's streets, and of every other sensible
charity III his day. DR.. Henry Field
told me once that he always, occupied
as he was with the management of a
successful business, on principle gave
one day of the six to visiting the poor
in their homes. Apparently the an
alogy between father and son might be
carried farther, to include even the
famous round.robin for, upon the same
authority, it was the elder Theodore
Roosevelt who went to Washington
after the first Bull Run and warned
President Lincoln that he must get rid
of Simon Cameron as secretary OF war,
with the result that Mr.. Stanton, the
"Organizer of Victory" took his place.
When the war was fairly under way,
it was Theodore Roosevelt who organized
the allotment plan, which saved to the
families of $4,000 soldiers of New York
state more than $5 ,OOO, 900 of their pay
and when the war was over he pro
tected the soldiers Tagainst the sharks
that lay in wait for them, and saw te
it that they got employment.
That was the father. l have told you
what the son was like. A man with
red blood in his veins; a healthy patriot
with no clap,trap jingoism about him
but rugged belief in America and its
mission an intense lover of country
and flag, vigorous optimist, a believer
in men, who looks for the good in then
and finds it. Practical in partisanship
loyal, trusting and gentle as friend
unselfish, modest as a woman, clean
handed and clean hearted, and homes
to the core. In the splendid vigor of hi
young manhood he is the knightlies
figure in American politics today, tn
fittest exponent Of his country's idea
and remodel for its young sons VIII
are coming to take up the task he SO
them. For their sake am willing +
give him up and set him where they Cal
all see and strive to be like him. So W
shall have little need of bothering abou
boss rule and misrule hereafter. w
shall farm out the Job of running tn
machine no longer we shall be able e