Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-02
WHERE DOES HE FIND THE
TIME?

TIME?
This is the question that Samuel G
Blythe asks repeatedly in an article
in the Saturday Evening Post dealing
with the strenuous mental and physi
cal activities of our versatile presi
dent.
Eve had been used" says Mr.
Blythe, before Mr.. Roosevelt became
chief executive to solemn and segre
gated presidents who toiled in the
White House and who took the air Gil,
cumspectly, either In carriage OIL
through the medium of dignified
stroll, appearing in public at stated
intervals impressed with the cares, re
sponsibilities and duties of their high
estate. When Roosevelt came things
tered On an era of hip-hip-hooray The
solemn and segregated part of it was
kicked out the back door, not to re
turn while the president remained
Washington accustomed to sedate and
sedentary presidents expected Roose
welt to become sedate and sedentary
Washington got rude jolt. The pres
ident was and is about as sedate and
sedentary as a dog with a tin can tied
to it's tail" SIT
+ This may not be the most elegant
way of referring to the Rooseveltiar
strenuousity, but it is expressive. Mr.
Blythe believes that history in dealina
with Roosevelt must take note of this
physical and mental exuberance or il
will fail to do him justice. He says:
when the calm and contemplatiye
historians of the future are making
their analyses of the character and
career of the president. and have flu
ished the chapters relating to his Off
cial acts and attempts, which will oc
cupy them for considerable period
they must devote as much time tc
those lesser ABILITIES of mind and
body that have entertained the world
since the president came to the White
House, or their diagnoses of the man
will be incomplete and misleading in
cessant mental activity and incessant
physical activity are rarely combined
in one man, but with Mr.. Roosevelt
the coalition is more than a combina
ton. 1t is a merger His mind takes
long running jump into an abstruse
problem of statecraft, just as his body
takes a long running jump into the
Georgetown canal if he wants to get
across without walking to a bridge
There isn't minute when he is not re,
volving rapidly, and it makes no die
ference what the subject at hand may
be-a problem of government or shoot.
ing at a mark"
In addition to his problems of state,
his conversation plans, his naval reor.
ganizaticn plans, his conferences, his
dinners. his receptions and his audi
ences, Mr. Blythe speaks of the long
eighteen and twenty mile walks, the
heart-breaking cross-country horseback
rides, the tennis games, the single
stick practice, the boxing and wresI,
ling bouts, as evidences of the presi.
dents physical activity, and repeats
the question, Where does he find time
to do it," yet these things" say;
MI. Blythe, "are incidental in a way,
for the presidents real occupation
when you come to look at it carefully,
seems to be writing letters Nj:
Blythe goes On to say:
He is the most scribacious presi-
dent we have ever had the greatest
letter-writer in public life. Paying no
attention to his voluminous messages
and other state papers, more lengthy
and more numerous than ever before
in the history of the country, the
presidents minor correspondence
would tax all the waking time of a
man Of ordinary habit He writes let.
tiers, constantly to everybody, on every
subject, and they are not short letters,
either. No contingency can pop us
that has not its accompanying letter
from the president. He writes long
letters to his friends and longer letters
to his enemies.
Further, and in the same line. he is
a speechmaker who loves to talk He
makes speeches on every available &C.
casion. He delights Germans by
talking German with them and French.
men by conversing with them In
French. He talks Dutch to the Hol.
landers and has a smattering of
Italian. He talks to Indians in the
sign language, goes to musicales and
teas, hobnobs with his friends of his
ranching and rough-rider days, had
Jack Alternately give moving picture
show in the east room of how to catch
wolves with the naked hands, super.
vises the flag raising on the white
house, sends pictures of himself and
letters to fathers and mothers of large
families. gives up good deal of time