The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-27

ic'' during his youth.
 Mir. Roosevelt was not always taken as seriously as he is in these recent years. As civil service commissioner he was the butt of more newspaper fun than any other man who ever held the place. When the Spanish-A merican war was impend- ing a cabinet meeting was held and 1t was suggested that he be sent for and heard. He came and on being asked what he thought tine best thing to do, replied that he would immediately notify Spdin that her sending a fleet to American waters would be construed as tantamount to declaration of war. After he was gone cabinet members laughed heartily and regarded it as a good joke. But Theo- dore Roosevelt has since had chance to show the firmness which that incident in dicated, and nobody laughs about it these days.
 When the war began MT. Roosevelt wanted to get into the fray. He failed in an attempt to get on Lees staff. Then ne wanted to fight with the Seventy-hrst New York. But he failed to get com mission with it. He then conceived his idea. of organizing his own regiment. and got permission to raise it. He did not coin the word Rough Riders" The news papers gave his fighters that name It IS perhaps fortunate that he did not get with Lee or with the Seventy-tirst New York.
 No other man has ever reached the pres identlal chair in his own right through so many chances as Theodore Roosevelt He has been like traveller over an un- known road, knowing in a general way where he wants to go, but not knowing which of a dozen intersecting roads to take Finally he comes to an intersection where he wants to go one way but CIT cumstances force him to go the other. He goes that way and finds his goal is must have been destiny shaping ms ends William Mckinley was called man of destiny, and so was Napoleon, put neither of them was that child of destiny that Theodore Roosevelt is. This finds universal expression in the talk about Roosevelt luck"
 After Mir Roosevelt entered the White House he began to have visitors from all over the world. An English historian was his guest and is said to have sized him up to a friend as "a curious combination of St Paul and St. Vitus" Another de- clared him to be the residium of boiling down of pot filled with a college ath- lete a western cowboy, a naval under secretary, a Rough Rider, a statesman, a liiterateur an idealist, a philosopher, Sportsman and a peacemaker
 In one of his earlier works MT. Roose- welt used the personal pronoun so often that it exhausted the printers sup pIy of that character, and forced him to order d new lot from his type foundry. But he has sobered down since then In fact his whole bearing has sbeen changed since he became President of the United States As to the wisdom or unwisdom of his policies there Is vast difference of opinion among the thir&ing people or the country. But certainly no man who has preceded him has enjoyed the conf dence of the rank and file to such great extent as he does. This is evidenced by the fact that every politician, whether ms friend or his foe believes that he can be renominated and reelected if he wants 10 be- If as someone has said, life is meas ured by deeds and not years, then Theo- dore Roosevelt. on his 18th birthday is far older than most men at the 'by reas- on of his strength point of life. His activities and his thoughts have covered a range unprecedented among Presidents. TomorroW-The Prevention of Disease.