The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-12-01
GOV. ROOSEvHI'S FAMILY
SiA HEALTHY YOUNG AMERICANS
IN WHOM THE GOVERNOR
FINDS DELIGHT
MODESTY A FAMILY TRAIT
MRS. Roosevelt Has Always Enter
ta1ned the Strongest Objection
to Having Her Portrait in
the Papers. e.@ o.

The Republican rational victory viii
nave one result of which the American
people are not fully aware, but upon
which, nevertheless, they are tc be con-
graduated, says thee New York Tribune.
mrs. Theodore Roosevelt has always en-
tertalned the strongest objections to hay-
ing her portrait in the papers AS the
Wlte or the governor of New York sha
has constantly refused to recognize any
obligation arising from her position 70
overcome this horror of publicity, but
Wnen the question was put to her lately
whether, as the wife of the vice presl-
dent Of the Emitted States she would net
consent to be photographed for publIca-
tlon, Mrs. Roosevelt reluctantly admitted
that In that case she would be obliged
10 90 as the wives Of other nigh fed
eral officials do. Hence it may be ex-
pected that before long a new portrait
Will be added to the gallery Of Ameri-
can women associated in the public i.,-
gard with the chosen guides Of the ma
TONS destinies.
The family life of the present governor
OF New York. indeed. has always been
closed to thu newspaL ers. The governor
himself appears to be as radically op.
posed as his wife to anything in the
least like a parade of his domestic vir-
tues or the juvenile charms of his chill,
dren for the admiration end entertain.
ment Of the world that reads and looks
at pictures. Not many months ago :ie
put himself or record with an indignant
and forcible protest against the indec-
ency of man, with a camera who in
truded upor the privacy of the RoOse-
vet home at Oyster bay. This reticence
may not be exactly what one would ex-
pect of a man whose life and standards
Of conduct are generally accepted as
being of the West, Western: but rneo-
iC only acfo in,
fairs of broncos, lariats and firearms; in
his home he Is Roosevelt, with the dig
nified and. defeats domestic ethics of, old
Dutch New York.
II couldn't tell YOU much about the
Roosevelt children, however much
of the family, because I see very lE
tie of them. although I visit frequently
at their home. It's like this: When
Roosevelt has his friends to sec hin, ne
wants to talk to them. he always has
something ne wants to talk to you about
and starts with it as soon as he catches
you, AMI, while you re there he doesl' t.
want to be bothered with his children.
Wnen he wants romp with his children.
he doesn't want to be interrupted by his
friends. That is the whole case in 4
NUTSHELL
being brought up under a commercially
old-fashioned regime, not unlike that
which produced colonial New York such
men as Philip Schuyler, or, for that mat
ter, in accordance with the old English
rule that little folks should be seen and
not heard" To at least one newspaper
interviewer Mrs. Roosevelt has plainly
expressed her disapprobation of any
thing which would have a tendency to
make the children think themselves of
any Importance to the public That tkcy
have profited by this sensible view or
their position is evident to all who have
come in contact with them, whether at
Albany or at their country home on Long
Island. They are reported on all
hands to be simply hearty, healthy
young Americans entirely without self
consciousness or even a suspicion of any
right to fame on the score Of being their
fathers children.
AS the remark of the family friend
above quoted would seem to imply, there
are times when the governor wants to
romp with his young ones without in
terruption. 1t is fact not always re-
membered by the numerous admirers Of
Teddy, the Rough Rider that he him.
self was "a pigeon-chested and asth-
matte yoUcgster." According to his own
account he could not keep up with chill
dren Of his own age either in their play
or In their school tasks. This may be a
great consolation for the weaker among
ably had much to do with his insistence
upon plenty of open air exercise for his
boys. When he plays with them he be-
comes for the time one of them. just as
IN the Cuban trenches he worked with 4
pick among his men, oblivious for the
time of his regtmental rank.
These children Of whom the public
would like to hear SO much, and OF
whom, for reasons which the public is
bound to respect, there is SO little to
tell, are Alice, who considers herself =.
grown-up now; Theodore, who was thir-
teen last September; Kermit, Just tive
years younger; Ethel, nine years old !:
AIcnioald Bulloch, six and a half, and
quentin, Just three. There is a signifi-
canoe about their given names, which
We're not chosen for them at a venture
or culled out OF the pages of popular
novels. Theodore explains itself-the
lnlrd Roosevelt of that name in direct
succession beginning with Theodore. the
Ne" York merchant and importer Of
ernOr.
Kermit one might suppose to be some
ancient Holland name, taken from the
remote history of the Roosevelts: re
mote It's origin may be, but the Manx
not Duth-Celtic, nor Teutonic-com,
memorat1ng It's bearers descent from an
ancestor in the quaint island of tailless
CATS and starting him in life with one
presumably unique possession. Of the
rest, "Archie's' flies and second names
both connect him with the Scottish an
cestry, the Bulloch family, which settled
IN the Southern states and is still as well
known in Dixie as it was in the days Of
the Confederacy, when one of its mem
pers fired the last gun on board Sem
mes Alabama. And lastly, the frey
French Huguenot strain is duly honored
IN Quentin, the baby:-~It~ has often been
remarked that Gov. Roosevelt lacks much
OF being typical phlegmatic Dutchrnan
and il one look little IN o us iafliI4y ~ IS
tory there is found reason in plenty why
the Dutch phlegm should have long age
been fully countervailed by successive
admixtures of Celtic fire from French,
British and Irish sources.
An Albany academy boy who never
tires of singing the praises of his school
was asked: rs it true that young
Teddy Roosevelt goes to your schoo
Tell us all about him.
Yes said the boy, 'he goes to our
school and belongs to the battalion. but
there is mighty little to tell about him
You might be with him ever so otter
and never know from ANYTHING that he
would say that he was the governors
son. and If there's anything stuck up
about him the boys in the academy neveg
: knew it. He is. always ready for Q
scrap and seems to enjoy that sort O
Il thing. We are sorry that he will leave
school, for he is a nice boy, just the kin6
u that wears WELL and he would become