Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-10-10

american Speech lie might DIS Wei
have coined the word strenuous. ''The
odore Roosevelt, his mark" is stamped
on the expression.
For a long time it has been a favor
tie word with him in his writing and
speaking. He delivered an address
before the Hamilton club, in Chicago
April 10, 1899, and used the words "a
prairie fire. Roosevelt walked up next
morning to find the word strenuous at
tached to his name forever. Like
Grants 81 propose to fight it out On
this line if it takes all summer" the
phrase stuck because it had American
grit in it.
If ever a word described a man, the
word strenuous sums up the character
of Roosevelt He is a born fighter. 1t
is his mental attitude as well as his
physical characteristic. Every inch
Of his road from Cutters academy to
the white house has been fought out
against odds
Nothing illustrates this quite so
well as the hustling, outdoor ranch
life, the big game hunting, boxing,
wrestling, wood chopping, soldering
career of the man aside from his pub
lie and social life.
Roosevelt is one of the few presi-
dents who have been athletes. George
Washington was good shot before he
ever began his military career and he
could ride to hounds and row and
swim and even fight with his fists, as
every Virginia gentleman was bound
to do in those days
Lincoln enjoyed splitting rails to the
last day of his strong, active life.
Grover Cleveland liked the compare
lively mild sports of fishing and duck
hunting. Roosevelt is the first all
round athlete to sit in the presidents
chair,
1t is safe to say that before he has
been at the capital month he will
have gymnasium fitted up where he
can work off the superf1uous energy of
absolutely perfect health.
AS governor of New York he had a
trainer at Albany whose business it
was to wrestle a match twice week,
and stand up for a boxing bout once
day with the executive. Sometimes
Roosevelt beat the trainer, and then
he was as pleased as high school
boy.
1t is almost certain that President
Roosevelt owes nearly everything he
has in life to the fact that he has the
instinct of a fighter.
A thin-shanked, bright eyed boy, he
started in the world with a prospect
of semi-individualism before him.
Then, as he tells it himself, something
happened. What happened was that
he got the first and only licking" of
his life 1t made him mad and it
made him an athlete and a strenuous
liver.
Twas brought up by maiden aunt"
says Roosevelt, land until | was
twelve years of age was of timid
and retiring disposition. l was not in
good health, and was sent into the
North Woods on a certain occasion to
try to build myself up.
Whipped in His First Fight.
while en- route there | came in
contact with a boy about my own
age. who was just my antipode. 1t
was not long before he found cause
for complaint at something | had done
and Systematically thrashed me. My
pride was hurt at the whipping and |
vowed then and there to make myself
proficient in an art that would enable
me to take my own part.
"On my return to New York had a
master engaged at once, and have
continued to box at intervals all my
life"
Roosevelt shocked a mothers as
sembly in Albany once by putting his
strenuous creed in very concrete
way.
TIE boy that won't fight is not
worth his SALT he said, bluntly. HE
is either a coward or he is constitu
tionally weak. | have taught my boy:
TO take their own part. don't know
which l should punish my boys TO
quickest-for cruelty or for tlinching
Both are abominable.
When Roosevelt was a boy he wa
as strenuous, as impulsive as he i
now. He never flinched, and he "hi
the line all the time as hard as h
knew how" He belonged to the row
ing clubs and the football team a
Harvard, although he could not exec
in either sport He was slender an
weak, but he kept eyerlastingly at
IN the gymnasium. He was a goo
amateur boxer
One day he put on gloves again:
Billy Edwards, the pugilist. Edward
merely smiled at his antagonist, an
while he smiled Roosevelt stepped U
nimbly and landed blow that close
the prize fighters eye. 1t was the Ia
chance he got, because afterwarC
Billy Edwards went in and mault
the college athlete in a very genuil
fashion. Still true to his motto
athletics, Roosevelt had 'hit the lii
as hard as he knew how
At another time some horses in
stable near Roosevelt's rooms on Il
campus raised a disturbance in Il
night. From the noise they seemed
be battering the barn down. YOU
Roosevelt, the strenuous, without wa
ing to dress, without DOMINIC his
evitable spectacles, jumped out of
second story window and ran to t