The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-20
cLosE-RANGE STUDY OF a PRES
WHO DOES THINGS
AND RATHER PREFERS TO
DO THEM QUICKLY.

IRON ..aThe Human Side---An Esti-
mate OF Theodore Roosevelt, by
George Horton in '.The Reader" for
rs Junes
The popular conception Of Theodore
Roosevelt is that of young man, and
youth is one of the crimes charged
against him. AS matter of fact, he is
! in his 10th year, and is therefore
young for the high Office which he
{ holds. But he is young in years only,
for, as we have seen, he Is old in ex-
sperience, having begun his political
4 career in1 S81. In active political ser
vice, therefore. he is % years old, and
man ceases to be an infant after %
years Of politics.
Butswhat are some of the attributes
q that, IN addition to the knowledge of
1 the fact that he was born in 1858,
cause the people to think Of him as a
young man?
n. the first place, enthusiasm, be-
lief In what is best in human nature
and loftiest inthe destinies of the race,
are always attributes of youth. The
old In heart if not in years, are ever
the pessimistic and despairing.
1T is no uncommon thing for him to
Aoutwalk@ some secret service man, put
con his trail for protection, and, turn
ing a corner,5to meet him after a while
with cordial and seemingly innocent
.sHelIo. e
ssSi When crack British regiment was
in washington not long ago, the Pres
ident invited several of the officers to
ride with him, on horseback, through
the mud. He led them such a chase
that their natty and snowy uniforms
were badly spattered. They kept up
with him, of course, for British officers
/, are not made Of sugar, thereby win
ming his admiration, but in no wise
& abating the boyish delight which he
took IN the chase that he had given
them, and its innocent disastrous eff
fects.
similar story is told of the Presi-
dent and Mr. Root, late Secretary of
War. There had been an engagement
to ride, but, the day being rainy, the
president sent word in Mr.. Forakers
hearing, tTeI Root that it's too wet
ystos ride, but, if he will put on his old
clothes, we'll take tramp in the
mud upon which SIR. Foraker eN-
claimed deyoutly, Thank God. I'm
not q member of this administration"
EsS He is really a remarkable story-tell-
er for children, and his stories are not
OF the sort which SO many grown-ups
write, professedly for the young, but
really, com rehensible only by the old;
he tells real children's stories. that
are listened to by the little folk with
breatbleSS5 interest
~ He is an unfai1ing fountain of ghost
stories, hobgobiin and fairy tales, adj
ventures with were-wolves and demon
bears If he Were not, unfortunately
for the little Sones,. President of the
n cessfnl# children's book. A young man
now residing in Washington has been
a an intimate in the Roosevelt family
since early boyhood. Years ago Mr.
! Roosevelt told him the following story,
as nearly as he can remember it:
Two trappers went far into the
wilderness to a lake known to abound
Si in beaver, but for some reason or 9th
er bearing an evil reputation. They
arrived late in the afternoon and took
off their packs preparatory to making
camp One took the traps and went
s. into the woods to set them, and the
other stayed in camp to put up the
tent. The former returned after
awhile with the report that he had
heard an animal across the lake moan
" ing as though in pain. During the
night both heard the moaning. In
y the morning they went out together
81 to see the traps and found many bea-
yer, but when they returned to camp
everything was in confusion. The tent
was thrown down and there We're evil
dences of wanton destruction. What
So or who had done this? Who had been
= there during their absence? Evidently
a bear, for they found tracks of that
animal But there was som ethins
about these tracks that frightened the
81 trappers, brave woodsmen though
x they We're for these tracks had all
B been made by the hind feet, a sure
a sign that the wanton visitor had been
waIking on his hind legs and was,
therefore, demon bear. For every
MI old hunter knows that demon bears
walk erect.
49, The tracks led down to the lake
sFs5and then disappeared That night the