The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-01
ATLAS THINKS
 OFFER GOOD Quotes Precedents from the Past to Show that Rulers Have Been Rough
 Riders.
Is Sure that Roosevelt Will Give $3O0,0OO Offer Con- sideration, Because it is Six Times Presidents s Salary and Affords Chance to Teach People By Example.

Prot James Atlas. athlete. raconteur. bon vivant. and proprietor of the larg- est Turkish baths in Connecticut. who declared that he represents a bona fide syndicate with money at it's back. has written letter to Theodore Roosevelt offering him s1O.OOO week for 30 weeks. to head an entertainment to be known as ''The Roosevelt Congress of Rough Riders of the World"
 Although Prof. Atlas wrote his letter a number of days ago. no answer has been received by him. which leads those familiar with the White House custom to believe that perhaps Prof. Atlas offer has been retained by the seer etary to the president. who has or shall not. be passed up the execu- tive.
 Prof. Atlas. however. has rot given up hope. This morning. he said:
 Tt should be remembered that the President has made plans to go to Africa. on a hanting trip. Such a pro- gram cannot be abandoned without thought. But when it is reflected that our offer of $300.000 represents eix times the salary the president receives n one year. and almost as much as he has received in salary since he became president. and 12 times as much as he is to receive for years work on the Outlook. it can be seen that it will not be sighted.
 We know that there are people who will believe this offer flippant. There are some who will think it derogatory to the president even to consider it.
 But Mr. Roosevelt will not. in our opinion. look at it in that way. He is an exponent of the outdoor life. a hunter. a rider. doer of daring feats by field and stream. with gun. rifle and rod. He has emphasized over and over again the importance of outdoor amusements and sports as means of keeping the people of nation strong and virile. The value of rough riding as an exercise he has exemplif1ed by his orders to army officers. requiring long rides of them. Recently he him. self rode 90 miles In a single day to show what an able bodied man ought to be able to do.
 Think what an opportunity The Roosevelt Congress of Rough Riders of the World would give him to continue his valuable instruction to the Ameri- car oeople.
 ''Hs personal example in the very presence of millions of his fellow coun- trymen who would flock to see him in tc~o~' '1 outdoor life and manly per- formance. such as no nation has known since the greatest honor in Greece went to the winner of the Olympiad.
 ''we believe that the president will respond to our offer. Although he may rot nrcc~t 1t believe that he will recognize the spirit in which it is made. a t..e good that could be done throreh the agency of The Congress of Roosevelt Rough Riders of the World
 "There is abundant precedent show ing that such employment is honor able. and more than honorable. that is to say. noble
 Roman emperors did not d'sdain to enter the hippodrome. to fight wild bea sts and drive chariots. Nero. who was a really great ruler. frequently appeared in the chariot races.
 Everybody is familiar with the Field of the Cloth of Gold when kings jousted in the field for the entertain IF -' If the public.
 s"These are the prototypes of the ex- hibition that will be known as the Roosevelt Congress of Rough Riders of the World. Those exhibitions were even rougher than our would be.
 CT still have hopeS"