The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-03
MORBID CURIOSITY.


 An epidemic of Rooseveltitis is now prevailing in some portions of the country, being most virulent in the neixhborhood of Oyster Bay. That village has some attractions of its own, but the mean attraction to a cer- tain class of idiots is the fact that the President and family are located there. Of course those having business with Roosevelt are expected to go there to Vart of the visitors. Every hotel and boarding house is said to be crowded to the limit. all available houses and cottages are rented. and all persons who will take in boarders have more applications than they can find means to accommodate.
 We are told in the despatches from Oyster Bay that the efforts to get near the President are so persistent that it is found necessary to keep a num- ber of private detectives on guard all the while. Even at church it is found necessary to keep watch all the time in order that he may get in and out without molestation, while his home and private grounds would be overrun If they were not strictly guarded. What fools these mortals bel" ap plies with great force to the class of mortals who are overrunning Oyster Bay and its environs. It is enough to make any American ashamed of his countrymen and countrywomen to read the accounts of this disgraceful curi- osity to see a man whose chief clam to greatness is that he happens to be the President Americans who ought to be self-respecting and independent will crowd and shove and hustle each other for no better object than view of Theodore Roosevelt. And by the way. a recent letter from Oyster Bay to The Washington Star tells this story of one late visitor:
 As soon as he got located the visi- tor started on a systematic search for Rooseveltiana. If there is one more than another 1t is the oppor- tunity to practice upon the credulity of a hero worshipper Therefore. 1t did not take long for the rumor to get abroad that another victim had ar- rived The army officer stayed in Oys- ter Bay a week. and when he left ne took away the following articles: One been the property of President Roose, welt when a boy; one stuffed owl, said to have been shot by President Roose- said to have been gathered by Pres;- dent Roosevelt when eight years old and presented to young woman he was in love with; three rusty guns; one pair of antlers. said to have been given by President Roosevelt to a citf- zen of the village: a broken oar; one calendar said to have seeen.,rv been hung fooh oh occupied and frequently consulted by him; one leather carriage seat said 10 have been used by President Roosevelt the first day he returned to Oyster Bay after his election; one straw hat. said to have been worn by Archie Roosevelt; broken revolver said to have been the property of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
 Plainly this collector of curios did not finish his collection. He should have added to it one suit of soiled un- derclothing said to have been" worn by the President when he was cowboy. That would have made his collection complete. and he would have been the envy of the army of idiots of like kind. It is not presumable that any of these relics" are genuine. If they are not he has been made a fool of. and if they are he has made a fool of himself. Of all the morbid visitors to Oyster Bay we think this one was easily the limit-and the account speaks of him as "a young army officer" Wonder if there are many of his kind wearing the uniform?