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

from The Human Side----An Esti-
mate of Theodore Roosevelt" by
George Horton in The Reader" for
June, .s.
The popular conception Of Theodore
Roosevelt is that of a young man, and
youth is oneaof the crimes charged
against him AS a matter of fact, he is
Z In bis 46th year, and is therefore
young for the high Office which he
holds. But he is young in years only,
* fora we have seen, he is old in ex-
@perience, having begun his political
{ career In s81 IN active political ser
vice, therefore, he is % years old, and
u man ceases to be an infant after %
years OF politics:
But what are some Of the attributes
that, Ia addition to the knowledge of
the fact that he was born in 1858,
cause the people to think of him as a
young man
In the first place, enthusiasm, be-
4 lief In what is best in human nature
and Ioftiest in the destinies of the race,
4 are always attributes of youth. The
i old IN hearth not in years, are ever
the pessimistic and despairing.
It sis3no uncommon thing for him to
outwalk some secret service man, put
on his trail for protection, and, turn
ing q corner,to meet him after while
with a cordial and seemingly innocent
~ 81 ~.
When crack British regiment was
insWashington not long ago, the Pres
ssident invited several of the officers to
%ride5with 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
sabating the boyish delight which he
took in the chase that he had given
i them, and its innocent disastrous eff
fleets.
a similar story is told of the Presi-
dent and Mr.sRoot, late Secretary of
War. There had been an engagement
to ride, but, the day being rainy, the
President sent word in Mr.. Foraker's
hearing Tell Root that it's too wet
& to ride, but, if he will put on his old
clothes, we'll take a tramp in the
mud, upon which Mr.. Foraker eN-
claimed, devoutly, THANK God. I'm
not member of this administration.
He is really a remarkable story-tell-
ersfor children, and his stories are not
sof the sort which SO many grown-ups
write, professedly for the young, but
really comprehensive only by the old:
he tells real chlldren's stories, that
are listened to by the little folk with
& breatbIess interest.
I He is an unfailing fountain of ghost
stories, hobgoblin and fairy tales, adj
ventures with were1zwolves and demon
bears. If he were not, unfortunately
for the 1itt1eS ones, President of the
United States he could write sue
cessfu1 children's book A young man
in Washington has been
n an in innate in the Roosevelt family
since early boyhood. Years ago Mr.
y Roosevelt told him the following story,
as nearly as he can remember it:
Two trappers went far into the
wilderness to lake known to abound
i in beaver, but for some reason or 9th
er bearing an evil reputation. They
arrived late in the afternoon and took
SEoff Etheirpacks preparatory to making
camp. One took the traps and went
IN 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
Il night both heard the moaning. In
s the morning they went out together
to see the traps and found many bea-
q Yer, but when they returned to camp
n everything was in confusion. The tent
was thrown down and there were evil
u dences of wanton destruction. What
p or who had done this? Who had been
there during their absence? Evidently
Isl al bear, for they found tracks OF that
s animal But there was something
about these tracks that frightened the
trappers, brave woodsmen though
they Were, for these tracks had all
been made by the hind feet, sure
N sign that the wanton visitor had been
walking on his hind legs and was,
therefore, demon bear. For every
old hunter knows that demon bears
walk erect.
The tracks led down TO the lake
and then f]iSanDea red That nichr rh O