The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-13
Dun STRENUOUS PRESIDENT.


Gun STRENUOUS PRESIDENT.
the most talked of man In this coun-
try at any rate. If not in the whole
civilized world, The reading public
jumps at a fresh and original inter-
probation OF his character. ever seek
ing a better understanding of a man
who Is the most strenuous that has
ever occupied the high office of presi-
dent and whose methods of conducting
the duties of that office are unlike
those of any one of his predecessors.
No ono questioned the sincerity # his
voluntary pledge, given at Buffalo af
ter the death of Mckinley. to continue
the policies of that executive, Every
one now sees that It was tempera-
mentally impossible for him 10 re-
deem chat pledge longer than a few
short weeks. The attempt to be eth
Ell than Theodore Roosevelt failed, as
II might have been seen II would fail.
Man proposes and God dlsposes
BY far the most interesting study
yet made of President Roosevelt Is
printed In the April number Of the
American Magazine from the pen Of
an anonymous writer who has known
him personally" for ten years and
"somethng more than casually" He
dissents from the portrait drawn of
the man by Jacob Riis with the
halo) and also rejects that lrawn
with elaws) by that eminent colorist
the New York Sun. He finds him
energizng his capacities as ne has
Known no other man to have done
His command OF his capacities IL
even more remarkable than the ca
pacites themselves" he tells us. Aside
from this faculty of energizing, he
does not find him remarkable man.
1t is common. he explains. to meet
men of far less fame than Roosevelt,
who impress one as being great.
Roosevelt impresses him as being
common, in that he is the very incar.
nation of the people Of this country;
He Is just like one of us Says this
writer. AS every one knows, he has
emphasized the common qualities and
virtues In his speeches until h. has
been accused Of uttering homllies,
preaching sermons and moralizinS. TO
the intellectual and subtitle his words
have been a burden, like the grass
hopper of the Good Book lie has
not pleased them and he never will,
for he Is not subtitle, but common"
He in fact quotes Mr., Roosevelt to
exactly that effect: Il am no genius
The things | talk about are not new:
they are the plain, familiar principles
OF right and wrong"
In Illustrating what this writer
means by not unkindly Analysing
Roosevelt as "only commences ener-
gized to the Nth degree" many
striking statements are made. Speak
ing Of him as an author who has
probably written more words than the
immortal Shakespeare he says And
yet one would hesitate to say that he
has produced any real literature; he
has never touched (and cannot touch)
the Sublime simplicity of Lincolns
Gettysburg address or Washington S
farewell to the country He has new
er yet suffered book. As soldier
he was brave" but no one links
of calling him a military genius. He
energized his capacities as soldier
'and personally got there first As
a reformer, and unlike the great re-
formers in history "he has always
been with tho crowd never against It,
Ae a politician, he has lacke4 the alr
OF Blaine, but has substituted "a sort
Of literal honesty" In whatever en-
yironment Roosevelt Is found there
are at work the same qualities aner-
gized to the utmost 1t was so in col.
Icee 1t was SO on the plains where II
making the most Of his opportunities
he scored results. IT he had found
within him spark OF ability as al
artist we should have had him (likc
Emperor William) painting pictures
not necessarily good pictures, but pie
lures The writer resents the asser.
ton that the president is crratic OF
eccentric. He declares him TO be
neither He couldn't be. Tie Is pro
foundly normal. physically and men
tally which genius Is not I his tho
writer attempts 10 prove by deserIoiN.
the methodical manner in which IL
lives and works and plays
His power oil energizing is declared
very rare ard great. 1T representa- T
supreme development ot tbs human