The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-06-24
'R0OsEVELT'S HOMECOMING
A PICTURESQUE EVENT
The Mighty Hunter Laughs and
Weeps.
BRIEF OFFICIAL WELCOMING SPEECH.
From beginning Of The Celebration
In The Harbor Until He Starts For
Oyster Bay. He Shows The Most
Exuberant Spirits Unconventional
Greetings no Old Friends.

Roosevelt is home. the happiest man
alive. His reception in the gateway
of his country went straight to his
heart. He laughed like boy. He
wept unashamed.
Nothing in all his career--he said
lit with ciinched jaws and bang of
his fist--so affected him as the ferv-
encys Of the greeting he got on land
and water.
From this wear and a quarter of
hunting and sightseeing and speech
making he returns with no politics
in his mouth.
Theodore Roosevelt was no mans
critic Saturday His delight embrac
ed them all. For the strenuous. the
mollycoddles. they of the soft body
and the hard face. the big and little
in the worlds estimation he had the
same snliIeand every degree OF
citizen cheered with the same en-
thusiasm. He said once that he felt
like reaching out and giving the
whole United States hug.
In Fine Spirits.
He had an expansive smile for
everybody, a CHEEKY word for "the
boys, his old friends, the newspaper
men, a pat anecdote for the poll
ticians, especial greetings of affection
for his old command the Rough Rid
ers, and quick eye for absolutely
everything
Roosevelt good lnckn still follow
ed its namesake. Though hot and
sultry. the weather held>fair until the
marine parade, the exercises at the
Battery and the march up Broadway
/ and Fifth Avenue to Central Park
had been carried through with pune
tuaiity and precision. Then it rain
ed great guns "A torrential thunder
shower. accompanied by high wind
that did much damage, swept sud-
denly downward on the homeward-
bound visitors. but cleared again
shortly before 5 o'clock. in plenty of
time to give his eager fellow-citizen
of Long Island ample chance to see
him standing on the rear platform
of his special train as he waved them
a welcome.
Contrasts.
With generation. the natien re-
members three great welcomes be-
fore this of today-to General Grant
in San Francisco. after his triumphals
tour Of the world, following the ex-
piration of his two terms as Presi-
dent; to admiral Dewey on bis re-
turn from his capture of the Philip
pines and to William Jennings Bryan,
also after tour of the world. The
welcome to Grant was the most tu-
multuous, that to Dewey the most
elaborate and stately, but the well
come to Roosevelt was shot through
with a dramatic expectancy which
long ago found popular expression
in the typical phrase the return
from Elba.'
Out OF The Mists.
< His welcome began when the Ham
burg-American steamship Kaiserin
Auguste Victoria at 6.45 A. NJ
doomed through the mists on Sandy
Hook, and it ended so far as this
city is concerned, only when he went
aboard his train for Oyster Bay at
4.30 p. NJ
AT s O'Clock, off Quarantine, he was
received by representatives of Presi-
dent Taft and Governor Hughes and
senator's and governors and legisia-
tors and private citizens Of distinc-
ton were waiting to grasp his hand
New York Bay, under a splendid
sun, was dotted with ships of war
and merchant vessels assembled to es-
cort him up the North River and
back to the Battery. The battleship
South Carolina guns were playing
for him the heavy music that is re-
served to honor the first citizen of
the republic, and five of the most
powerful torpedo-boat destroyers of
the United States Navy were strain
ing their anchor chains to show him
the way home.
He came up the bay on the reve-
nue. cutter Androscoggin after greet
ing on board the cutter Manhattan
his children who had remained in
this country and few intimate
friends. The reception committee
selected by Mayor Gaynor surround
ed him on the Androscoggin and
shook hands with him one by one as
the steamer moved up the harbor.
him in the line he had a few words
of gay greeting. He was like man
on springs He joked He went
back over the years and recalled
when this and that merry adventure
had happened. Now and then he
was sober in a fash. His jaw set
hard greeting few old friends. 1t
was I'm so glad"
The fervency of his welcome grew
as he approached the land. When
he touched foot on Manhattan Island
at 1886 A. NJ, there We're 100000
people around Battery Park to roar
welcome. On the stand near Pier
A Mayor Gaynor greeted him with
the briefest of speeches. and Colonel
Roosevelt, with almost equal breyity.
assured the Mayor and his fellow
citizens that he was glad to be home
and that no man could get such
reception without being made to feel
very proud and very humble.
And presently he was on his way
-, n,oo "A mo " fhro,t oh creator nP0W(iS