New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-10
London. August 4.

r. knew him. and during the height
=, his fame, and now that it seems, for
~. moment. a little obscured I think
, sst down a few impressions. We
are told here that, since the unhappy re-
s,,i,. Of his attempt last autumn to re-
sur,e control Of the Republican party, he
,as been gently laid on the shelf anu
that the American people are willing ne
should rest for time from his arduous
,abors in their behalf But the English
who have seen something Of Mr. Roose-
velt. seem 70 doubt whether he VIII ever
he content with a shelf as an arena for
his quenchIess energies, or ever consider
himself in need Of a rest said CARVE
Of Bismarck. in 1866. after he had
brought Austria 10 her knees:
He is the only man who has been
Amounted by. God Almighty his Vice
Sersnt here on this earth. and 6Ro'cS
that he has been appointed.
7 am very far from meaning TO sug-
sest that any parallel can be drawn be-
tween the creator Of the German Empire
and Mr.. Roosevelt. 1t is. however pos
sible that the President, while ne was
President or even before and since, con-
ceived that his mission, or commission
was apostolic. Even in England ne
thought il his duty 70 preach the gospel
m the heather. He would not nave
been rude enough 10 describe his adnilr-
,,v hosts as heathens, and he did not
pr, Il was felt that, 10 Mr.. Roosevelts
lid the heathens were, and always
are those who did not agree with him.
or did not act as he would have them.
But must leave England till It's turn
comes.
Nv sxperiences Of Mr.. Roosevelt re-
lat. largely 10 his official life; necessa-
-fv. since till he ceased 10 be President
h. had been almost continuously IN pup
Ii, life for near thirty years. But they
viii be personaI "reminiscences and i'm
nressions. not historical. AS l was
abroad during his legislative and civil
Service career. / begin with lS9o- %:
the years during which he was President
of the New York city Police Board. de
said TO me one evening:
Come 10 the Police Headquarters TO-
morrow morning at II. We are going
T. hold one Of our weekly courts and
YOU might like 10 see how the Police
Commissioners administer justice on
their own men
=. - ;.,+o-,-.ir,- enough. uerhaDs
chiefly interesting 70 a lawyer from the
disregard 4 legal methods and OF the
ordinary rules Of evidence. Mr.. Roose-
Welt had rs own ways Of getting at the
truth. but the truth. and nothing but
the truth. was what he wanted TO get
al. and perhaps generally did. HIS in
buttons were almost feminine; his fair
ness conspicuous. and mercy went with
Justice. much needed handmade. When
We left the courtroom for luncheon, on
loot and al racetrack speed. I asked MIR.
Roosevelt whether ne found police work
interesting.
Interesting? I've never had such fun
in M life"
Fun" That struck a keynote Much
later. and in very grave circumstances,
NJ. Roosevelt showed himself capable
o. taking humorous views Of affairs, and
Of extracting fun from them. Whether
his fellow Commissioners got as much
fun as he did out of it may be doubtful.
He treated them with civility with con-
sheraton. but the opinion he respected !
was his own.
New York had experience Of this re- =
spect for his own opinion in some very /
serious matters; some Of them serious /
enough 10 interest Europe: and 10 fill I
much space in The Times In the !
midst Of one such crisis went TO oyster 4
Bay for the week end Sycamore Hill !
was not then so large house as it is I
now. nor had oyster Bay become a /.
world-famous name. The charm Of IT, |
apart from pleasant scenery, was its /
simplicity; an American, or what JEFF |
ferson would have called Republican, /.
simplicity. Mrs Roosevelt ruled over il /
with a gentleness. a cOmpOsure, which I
more or less disguised the firmness be- /
meath. I heard IL said long afterward /.
that hers was the influence which I.
weighed most with her husband; at crit /.
ical moments and in the ordinary course /
Of life. can well believe it. Later, and /
II far other circumstances. the atmos- /
rhere Of oyster Bay was TO be breath ! |
in the White House.
81 "a AZ
rot that throughout his public life I'D /.
IL all his intercourse with all sorts and 4
conditions II men. il was Mr.. Roose- |
yelts aim TO convince them that his and |
their views Of social life were on a level. |
The fact remained that he was born and !
bred what is called q gentleman. I do /
not mean 70 suggest that he sought 70 |
cisguise IL. What he sought, or what he !
suggested, consciously or unconsciously, |
was the essential oneness of all honest !
ana honorable men. 10 whatever state in I
lie they had been called. Neither riches |
nor social rank counted What counted !
was the manliness of the man. Civ 1 |
mat he could accept had almost
written toierate-much At oyster LAY
ne had something 10 accept. For one
reason or another uncoDEenial person
a'ltes were 20 be met there. and there
lore II was that I then had the chance
f observing the large Democracy in his
'haracter and nature. He cared little
" nothing for mere observances from
NOSE who were in a different class. But
~ man in his own class forget him
sef, and he was quickly reminded of his