The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-02
The Personality OF Theodore Roossvolt-An
Interesting Study.


OfliSe considered opportunity Theodore Roose-
welt has made better use perhaps than any other
American OF his generation. He has doae moro
than any other. and OF what he has done. most 10
approved by those standards which the ordinary
morality OF the race accepts. 30 far, therefore.
as our opinion OF the man IL determined By his work
in life the question Is not Of his suocosst L. rather.
whether he has not been too uniformly successful
For experience has brought many OF us 70 foel that
constant success implies constant compromise,
and that sometimes It is admirable TO fail thai
10 make any compromise whatsoever.
But who of us that have done nothing can say
honestly that OF tho opportunities he has missed q
sithe were missed from any fear OF doing wrong,
Granted that this young Americans ideals of con-
duct have not been 30 unfortunately high some
of ours, how many OF US say that we have stuck
10 ours half so steadfssty he has stuck 70 hist
We should probably find better reason TO be
disconnected with our foremost American II wo
should consider those clements OF his character
which have the least TO do with tho struggle Many
of us feel think that for all this strength In the
figure which we are so often called TO gaze upon there
is too little compensating grace. We ind In Roose-
velts youth more OF lustlcSs than OF sweetness,
In his manhood more OF power than OF stateiness.
The entire spectacle OF his life is not at all like that
which the Greeks had In the life OF Aoibiades. bus
neither Is It like that which the English had In Sir
Philip Sldney's II Is spectacle which draws our
spirits forth 10 work and adventure, bus does not
inspire us with any finer sympathies
This perhaps, Is all we should expect Of man
OF action. But we cannot help remembering that
there have been great men OF action. conQuerors
and deverers and builders OF States, who wrote
their strength above a woman's tenderness. an
artists sensibity whose career stirred their con
temporaries TO other things besides achievement.
We need not 20 far back in time. or out OF our own
history. to ind In the careers Of men OF action Q
quality which Roosevelt lacks We shall md such
a quality in lincoln, and In moro than ono other
OF our earlier American public mon. We shall And
IL In men of the old fashioned broadcloth coats and
the high flown eloqucnce and the provincial dig
nifty, which seem to be disappearing along with the
white houses with green blinds. II Is not merely in
his dress and bearing and his mode OF speech that
Roosevelt Is unlike those men whom his immediate
predecessors In many respects rcsembed. He
has brought into the higher walks OF public life char
acter,stlcs which city breeding and wealth and
universities and foreign travel have In recent years
made not uncommon In America. particularly in
our Eastern states but which TO great part Of our
nonuiatlon are still novel and not altogether Ac-
centnble The effect Of II all is little like that
which the coming of city folk IN summer time has
unon rural community. Hitherto whatever form
and grace have come into our public life have come
from the New England village. the country town.
the Southern plantation In this new manner there
ia morr Of the srat city and OF the college football
0cld As yet II Is not easy for us to ind the so
good az the old. In Roosevelt himself there Is less
OF the poctica The dreamy the revcrent than there
has been In others, even OF our American men Of
action.
Power made definitely effective. immediate per
formancc, practical results think. ara tho
main things In RooSevet's example. The effect
on american character of his elevation 70 so high
place before our eyes scarcely fail TO be still
stronger emphasis on achievement. II is. on sho
whole, a good lesson. but not perhaps tho lesson
which Americans of this time are most in need Of.
Idcness and incompetence are not the most prcve-
lent Of our faults nor are particularly lacking In
regard for force 1t Will probably seem TO postortty
that Roosevelt was In this respect representative
Of his time rather than a creator OF new national
Ideals Amcrlc an ideals will probably seem 70 have
changed simultaneously with his rise: aud many
changing W. g. BROWN.