The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-08-27
OLD FRONTIER DAYS ARE RECALLED BY COL ROOSEVELT
He Worked with Ranchen
that BeenM

1t Is true that we need new forms or
trained ability and need to develop
men whose lives are devoted wholly to
the pursuit Of special objects. 1t II yet
also true that we need greater and
not q less development Of the funda-
mental frontier virtues.
These virtues include the power OF
self help. together with, the power OF
joining with others for mutual help
and. what Is especially important. the
feeling Of comradeship. OF social good
fellowship. ANY man who had the
good fortune to live among the old
frontier conditions must In looking
back realize how vital was this feeling
OF general comradeship and social fell
lowship.
There were good men and bad men
in the new communities just rs in the
old communities. and the conditions
on the frontier were such that the
qualities Of the good and bad alike
were rather more strikingly manifest
ed than In older communities. but
among the men who tried to lead hard
working. decent lives there was feel
ing Of genuine democracy. which rep
resented an approach to the American
ideal which we certainly should do
everything In our power to preserve.
We did not try to say that men were
equal when they were not equal. but
we did our best to secure something
like an equality Of opportunity and an
equality OF reward for good service.
and. moreover. each man expected to
be received. and on the whole was re-
ceived wherever be went on the foot
Ing that bis merits warranted.
Now. so far as possible. these quail
ties and the conditions that bring
about these qualities should be kept In
the great states which are growing
out OF the old frsgstier communities.
We need to strive for the general So
cial betterment OF the people as a
whole md vet to encourage individual
liberty and set high reward on individ-
ual initiative up to the point where
they become detrimental to the gen
eral welfare.
In continually and earnestly striving
for this betterment Of social and eco
nomic conditions In our complex In
dustrial civilization we should work
in the old frontier spirit Of rugged
strength and courage and yet with the
old frontier spirit Of brotherly COM
radeship and good will.
do not mean that we should refrain
from hating wrong. On the contrary.
] would preach fiery wrath against
wrong. But would not preach such
wrath against the wrongdoer save In
those cases where his wrongdoing real
ly Is due to evil moral attributes on
his part and not to wrong or false
system, Of which he Is almost a. much
the victim as the beneficiary.
Sometimes wrong represents the
doer. In which case the remedy is to
punish him. but sometimes it repre-
sents the effects of false social sys-
TEN. in which case the right course II
to- alter what Is false in the system.
Both principles need TO be kept In
view as guides to our conduct. and 1t
is necessary sometimes to work in &C
cordancc with one and sometimes In
accordance with the other.
Before ending ! wish TO say q word
on something which, believe. should
especially interest all men who live In
the open country. ana especially all
men who during the past thirty years
have lived and worked on ranches or
have done their life work In the wider
parts Of our land. on the great plains
or among the mountains.
The phase OF our national life In
which the stockman. the mining pros
pector. the frontier farmer and their
associates were the chief characters
was not only an important. but also
very picturesque phase.
Often such phase passes without
any great artist arising to commem-
crate IT, The old time backwoodsman.
try. who lived In the eastern forests.
through which the waters ran east
ward 10 the Atlantic and westward to
the Mississippi. passed away without
any painter or sculptor arising who
possessed at once both the keenness Of
vision to see what vital and pic
turesque figure the backwoodsman was
and the genius adequately to present
that figure.
Monument For Remington.
The artists who saw the picturesque
ness Of the backwoodsman lacked the
genius adequately TO commemorate It
while the artists Of real ability unfor-
tunately Ind their eyes turned toward
Europe and lacked the robust original
ity-which the novelist Cooper showed
Ito see where their chance lay to do
great work.
Rut in our generation for our good
fortune a great artist arose VINO WIS
capable Of seeing aud Of recording the
infinite picturesqueness Of the life OF
the plains and the Rockies. OF course
/ speak Of Frederic Remington He
was one OF those Americans who by
their achievements distinctly deserved
well OF America. He worked with
pencil with brush. with chisei- he
was both . painter and . sculptor
His pictures and his few bronzes are
equally good.
When my own regiment. typicAlly
western regiment. recruited mainly
from the men Of the great plains and
the mountains. was disbanded ut Mon
tank Point. the ofncers and enlisted
men Joined In giving me Remfngton's