Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-09-19
AS STUDENT AND WRITE:

lad D. UOEN AMI w III LIZ.
He grew up an athlete, strong and
active, and when he entered Harvard
in 1915 he soon became prominent in
field sports. He became noted as
boxer and wrestler and was for a time
captain of the college polo team. He
did not neglect his studies, and when
he was graduated in 1880 lie took
high honors. During his stay in the
university ne had been editor Of The
Advocate, college paper, and gave
particular attention to the study Of his
tory and natural history. He became
member of the Phi Beta Kappa Greek
letter fraternity.
At the conclusion Of his college
course he went abroad for year,
spending part of the time in study in
Dresden. His love for athletics led him
to successfully attempt the ascent of
the Jung Frau and the Matterhorn and
won for him a membership in the AL
pine club of London. He returned to
New York in 1881 and in the same year
married Miss Alice Lee of Boston.
Two years later he had the misfortune
20 lose his wife and his mother within
n week.
Theodore Roosevelt has been an ar
dent student of history from his col
lege days and before he was twenty
three years old had entered the fiele
himself as writer. He is an enthu
siastic admirer of Washington, Lincol1
and Grant. On his return from Europe
and while engaged on his historical.
work he entered the law Office of his
uncle, Robert B. Roosevelt, with thu
design Of fitting himself for the bar
He was of too restless disposition to
find content in such q sober calling
and the whole bent of his mind, as
shown by his reading, his writing AND
the effort to do something extraordi
nary, something that would mark hin
above his fellows, which had made him
a bidder for college championships ano
prompted him to tempt the dangers OF
the Swiss mountain peaks, sent him
hurrying into politics before he hac
settled down to anything like deep
study of the law.
HOW HE ENTERED POLITICS.
He attended his first primary in 1881
in the Twenty-first assembly district
of New York. 1t was q gathering OF
the class attendant on such occasions
with little to charm the ordinary young
man of aristocratic lineage and wealth,
but Theodore Roosevelt had studied
history with a purpose. He knew that
through the primary led the way to
political preferment, and he at once
entered into the battle Of politics, in
which he was to prove gladiator of
astonishing prowess, routing and ter
rifying his enemies, but often startling
his allies by the originality and reck-
lessness of his methods.
The natural enthusiasm of young
Roosevelt, his undeniable personal
charm and the swirl of interest with
which he descended into the arena of
local politics made him friends on ev-
cry side in a community where leaders
are at high premium, and within a
few months the young college man
was elected to the assembly of the
state from his home district.
His ability and his methods were in
strong evidence at the following ses-
sion of the legislature. He proved a
rallying power for the Republican mi
nority and actually succeeded in pass
ing legislation which the majority sub
mitted to only through fear and which
his own party in the state would never
have fathered had it been in power.
Mr.. Roosevelt was the undisputed lead
er Of the Republicans in the assembly
within two months after his election,
and he Immediately turned his atten-
ton to the publication of New York
city. This would have appalled, man
less determined or more experienced,
but the young aspirant for a place in
history reckoned neither with condi-
tons nor presidents. His success, con-
sidering the strength of the combina-
ton against which he was arrayed,
was extraordinary. He succeeded in
securing the passage of the bill which
deprived the city council of New York
of the power to veto the appointments
of the mayor, a prerogative which had
nullified every previous attempt at re-
form and had made the spoliation Of
the city's Golfers an easy matter in the
time of Tweed and other bosses.
Mr.. Rooseyelt's methods, it was
cheerfully predicted by his political
opponents, would certainly result in his
retirement from participation in the
state councils of New York, but this
proved far from the case. As has hap
pened in every case since, wherever
Theodore Roosevelt has been thrown
with any class of people, wherever
they have come to know him personal
ly, he has attracted to himself enthu-
siastic friendship and confidence.
HE APPEARS AS A REF0RMER.
lie became so popular that not only
was he returned to three sessions of
the assembly, but his party in the state
soon realized that he was one of the
strongest men, and he was sent to the
Republican national convention of 1884
as chairman of the New York delega-
ffnv1