Arizona republican., 1909-09-26
At a Dollar a Word,


 contains the first installment of MT Roosevelt's story of his African hunting trip. It is not the most exciting narrative in the world, but as it deals largely with the preliminary features of his adven- lures it is to be expected that it will be less tame in subsequent numbers. The first installment is Interesting. however, as is nearly everything that the distinguished author statesman writes. It has been widely adver- tised that MT Roosevelt receives pay for these stories at the rate of one dollar per word. The leading i'm precision that one gets from reading the first installment is that the ex- president ought to set aside a part of his revenues for a monument to the inventor of the adjective and the ad- verb as parts of our speech; that is, if he is at all grateful. And he loses no money from lack of close attention to detail.
 In giving his impression of the Af- rican game country, MT. Roosevelt tells us that it was literally like passing through a vast geological gar den"
 At one time." he says, i've passed a herd of a dozen or so of great gi- raffes, COWS and calves, cantering along through the open woods a couple of hundred yards to the right of the train
 It costs Scribners s35 to learn about the giraffes. and who will say the in- formation isn't worth the money? Three dollars extra for learning that it was 'at one time.' a dollar for the news that the giraffes were great, and three dollars for the information that there were cows and calves" is entirely reasonable. We learn that
 "A herd of zebra clattered across a cutting of the line not a hundred yards ahead of the train: the whistle hurried their progress, but only for a moment, and as we passed they were already turning around to gaze"
 Forty dollars for a herd of zebra is rather too cheap, if anything. Again, s49 for information of how he rode through the country. and who went with him on the engine would be ap- proved by the most censorious blue pencil.
 "On our train the locomotive was fitted with comfortable seat across the cowcatcher. and on this. except at meal time, I spent most of the hours of daylight, usually in company with Selous, and often with Governor Jackson. to whom the territory and the game were alike familiar
 To be sure. the business office might say that with Selous" is clear enough, but the conscientious editor would insist that "in company with Selous" must stand. The following paragraph concerning his hunt of the wildebeest is rather delphic, but as it costs but s43 to hear about it, the ex- pense is not excessive:
 "Our hunt after wildebeest this af- ternoon was successful, but though by welt law each animal was mine, be- cause I hit it first, yet in reality the credit was communistic, so to speak and my share was properly less than that of others"
 We must say, however, that the ed- itor of Scribner's was rather careless Of the business office when he per mitted Mir Roosevelt to run into this first article as fiat" list of the books he took with him to Africa. Relative to this important feature of his trip MT. Roosevelt says:
 There was one other bit of inn pedimenta, less usual for African travel. but perhaps almost as essen tial for real enjoyment even on a hunting trip, if it is to be of any length. This was the 'pigskin library, so called because most of the books were bound in pigskin. They were carried in light aluminium and oil cloth case, which, with it's contents weighed a little less than sixty pounds, making a load for one DOT ter. Including a few volumes car ried in the various bags. so that might be sure always to have one with me, and Gregorovious, read on the voyage outward, the list was as printed below. It represents in part Kermit's taste. in part mine; and. Oeod hardly say if rpureSpntS in nc way all the books we most care for but merely those which, for one req son or another. we thought we should like to take on this particular trip"
 This paragraph, with the list Of books furnished. cost some s26O. Still it is of moment to all readers to know