The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-01-21

Some FxtraC's Pr m g Character Sketch b!
william Allen White, In the November Nc
Clure'S.

OluEo D.
AS a personality Roosevelt is {
simple proposition. Men who achieve
greatly are always men of primitive
instincts, who do their work in the
most direct sort of way. There ia nc
legerdemain about the best success
no cOnjuring, no devious and mys,
ferrous Vaccinations. Roosevelt
has succeeded in life because by the
plainest method he has done, in u
thoroughly human, uualnohing, and
often humorous way, what he had
conceived TO be the right thing TO
do. It is not because he has aimed
high tnat men trust him it is that
he always aimed to hit u mark worth
hitting Common sense is so com
mon that few of Us really use it, and
when a man like r ~,osevelt comes
along and will have nothing else for
mis- mental food and moral drink but
the ordinary wisdom of the
men are appalled, and asorihe many
strange and amusing traits to him,
which if human enough is neverthe-
less absurd. For Theodore RoOsevelt
the man, heavy of weight, plain of
face who wrinkles his clothes an
n,ur after he gets insO them, who
makes a speech as the IrIshman
plays the b4gpipe, not by ear nor by
note, but by main strength who has
turned his education, his book learn
ing TO his credit by u lite of inces
SAINT action a creature of strong
emotions and of aggressive frank
1883 that often offends full of frail-
ties and foibles, with Il blind side of
charity for frienda-TheOdOre ROose
welt is much like the rest of us, and
he knows it. That which has raised
and glOri1ed him ia his unbending
honesty. Honesty is not rare, but
Roosevelt is so intensely what he is
that his honesty becomes u burning
fame. The average man sitting b.
CAAO oSO Z III DuO oNOIdkC
CLUB hall in the United States, would
proclaim virtually the same opinion
about civic morality and public
honor that Rooaevelt would pro
There would be nmicAble
discussion, but few differences be-
tween them in spinning theories
Bus when the average man left his
club for the caucus or convention,
sue Legislature or the congress, he
would accept things as they are, and
God he IL not as other men
r Dosevelt has fought with all the
force in his indOmitable soul for
as they should be and can be
With untinohing courage he has
been trying to do much that the
pmmOn man has dreamed should be
line
Moreover, Roosevelt has started
put TO do several things shat he has
eft undone. He iSnOt lnfAllible Only
sharing with most men the knowl-
sdge that the work should be done, he
mas attacked it valiantly. He has
lOs known that his work was almost
impossible, too great, until he tried
- do it. Some times it was in the
of these things that they
,ould not be done. Some times, per.
it was because of his tempera.
trend that the things of yes
now In the process of max
ng, interest him less than the fresh,
problems. Fate, destiny, a new
or the compelling bent Of his
mind has called him away time
again from the work he had on
land but always, in every place
where service has sent him, he has
eft the lasting influence of a fine
nan, honestly, earnestly laburing to
yard a clean, high, and ultimately
.coOmpiishable purpose. And that
influence has been good. Is has
others. There wan some sue.
ess even III his failures for nothing
eally fails that has heart and some
in it. Aud so while Roosevelt
Las worked FOR a time IA legislator,
shat work unfinished tor a
as ranohmAn ak OWL service
commissioner IA governor, quitting
hat part of his career with rough,
jagged ends of things behind him,
ct his life as Il whole ha, been eff
emit; there is t. defoite, consistent
aspiration all through 1t. His
haracter, and that ia Of supreme i'm.