The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-24
ROOSEVELT 4 MAN
OF MANY TALENTS
Civic Honesty to be Rule of
This Administration.
he REFERENCES CUSTOM
Because He Is a Very Well
Bred 6entIemad.
SEES DESIGNS OF MEN
His Philosophy Is to Encourage
Ability.
He REFERENCES CUSTOM
SEES DESIGNS OF MEN

Mr. William Allen White, Of the En-
poria Gazette. took mental snap shots Of
the Eagle force last night while they
were worrying with the front end of a
Sunday newspaper and occasionally. in
his felicitous way, spiced their work with
"reminiscences that foated musicauy on
the atmosphere Of print shop. The
nebulae Of an Mr.. Whites stories are
the twinkle of . bright. keen eye ard
smile, ana when they become visible
everything in the shop stops but the tick
Of the telegraph and the clock it IS not
always that great descriptive writer
Is descriptive narrator, nor is il usual
that The artist who can adoTn a written
story is Vouchsafed the extra genius to
ad0rn an oral tale, but the Kansas man
has the two talents and therefore is as
interesting in the flesh as he is in the
tinted pages of Ifarper's or in the quaint
columns of that splendid inheritance Of
Benjamin Franklin, the Saturday Even
ing Post
NIr White. although having scared TO
eagle heights he the profession. observes
al the amenities and betrays all the
humanities Of the average run of pencil
craftsmen. and he is the same Jolly fell
.ow now that he was when writing the
uaromantic diUrnal history of Fl Do
RADIO in the Republican.
Mr. Whites business now is 10 supply
the classical mental pabUium required by
his discriminating EmpOria constituency
and To meet the big men of America. BY
the Saturday Evening Post he is deemed
TO Dee better fitted and equipped to inter
view mon of special talents. or of spe-
cial station. than any reporter in Amer
Tea. and hence has associated with men
of national interest-men who are in the
public eye.
DO not reputed great men disappoint
your he was asked.
Great men. he said, "are average
men plus special talent Greatness is 2
comparative word. there are degrees of
greatness which can be measured only
by tho development Of such special tall
ent. The average man has two legs-the
great mar has no more. the average man
likes good beefsteak. the great man
likes, it, 100. And it is not always GER
tain tlat the great man can eat more Of
81 than the average man. y on are not
disappointed i'm the man. but you may
be disappointed with the special talent
which Glasses HIM as great. If he is real
IS great You arc not disappointed"
would Won class Colonel Roosevelt a
great man2
men of his time. Special talent, as
nave said. IS the unit of greatness, de-
yClopmeut the degree. Mr. ROosevelt's
special talents ere various and all of
them are In high condition of develop
mcat. To my mind. honesty is one of the
indispensable elements in the round es-
innate OF greatness. and none of Mr.
Roosevelt's talents is better developed
than this WIN lt Dee his undoing? /
hope not II would be a terrible COM
mentarv on the lessons taught by our
institutions II virtue should undo the first
citizen of a republic.
5ir. White has had exceptional oppor-
turities 10 know the new president, and
reporter for the Easle was anxious to
get an insight into his social and polit-
ical life. I'm these parts Il seems TO be
the impression that the president is per
petu2lly In rebellion against the forms
and manners OF society. Nothing can be
farther from the truth. according 10 Mr..
White.
'It is not true" said Mr.. White; land
I'm tell YOU why it is not true. Mt
Roosevelt is well bred II Is because he
IS wei bred that he believes i'm the amen
tiles He believes IN the institution of
custom if it is not au improper GUS
TOM lf it should have happened that
his fortune be cast amoug cowboys he
would conform ID The proper customs of
the camp He believes in the people and !
beiDC well bred, Dec believes in Observing
their customs. some customs may be "a
restraint on his natural bent but he sub
mits % them. lie said ~ a gentleman
not long ago that it was n curious fact /
that thc presidential office is the only
one iu the United States which deprived /
The Incumbent OF the privilege OF being /
gentleman at social functions. He re- /
fcrred II the arbitrary castcm which I
eoUpe3s nIm 60 accept service In the /