Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-06

HEIl IllilI nc has letll cllEdEcu III at llblilt
all his life. When you think OF his roc
ord-that is, il you have any confidence
i'm his honesty OF purpose you are sur
priscd at his moderation. he might have
denounced the laggards so much more bit.
terly. But his book IS not all about war.
lie writes a splendid chapter on the fall
laCies and immoralities OF scientific 50.
c.alism that should be read by those who
do not know whittier the extreme Social.
lists would lead us. lie describes the
Municipal Court of this city in another
chapter in which he holds up that insti-
tuition as a model of what such a court
should be, IL society is to adjust differ.
cnccs for the purpose Of saving men and
women rather than Furnishing them. OF
course he writes on the Importance OF
motherhood. and he warns us against the
dangers of race suicide. As to the woman
who is only mother and is thus some.
times denounced as a social parasite, hc
says: This woman is not a parasite on
society. She is society,""
Good for him" exclaimed The Lady.
But | do not think he is wise to dc.
nounce the Administration at this time
SdlAl lJOtlOI Mti dl-t. IL Is a 10TH OF ala
and comfort for the enemy"
we might not all agree with you" saiu
l. But did not want to talk SO much
about the controversial subjects which
the Colonel is now discussing as about
this book as the latest manifestation Of
his literary activities. Do you know that
the man Of letters is rare in American
politics?'
81 had not thought Of it," said owen
ut is worth thinking about said I.
| I'VE have had only two Prcsdnts who
could be described as men of letters. One
| is Roosevelt and the other is the man
| now in Office"
How about Lincoln" owen wanted To
| know.
| "Lincolns speeches and state papers
| have "A fine literary quality. but so far as
l know he never wrote anything except
state papers, speeches and letters. Mr..
/ Wilson has written political and literary
| essays of high quality, as well as Il his
tory of the United States. Mr.. Roosevelt
! has written history political essays, books
Of travel, hunting books, books Oh nat.
ural history and in fact has produced Il
/ NbluHlt VI hlOlt III tNGlN hllu Ol Illtlu'
ture save poetry. the drama and fc
ton"
But lie is not u mdu vi letters; he's u
| politician" said Doctor McFabre.
"T think it would be more accurate u
say that his vocation is literature and his
avocation is politics" I said. "ln u book
about him which | wrote a few years age
I quoted u letter written when he was a
national civil service commissioner in tho
course of which he said. My career is
that of a literary man, and as soon as !
am out Of my present place l shall &c
back TO my books He has gono back to
his books and his writing every time he
/ has left public Office
Didn't Cleveland do d great deal OF
writing after he left the presidency
| owen asked
"He wrote SOM magazine articles and
he explained his policies while President
but hardly think lie will ever be classed
as man of letters in any history of
| American literature. I really wrote one
| of his magazine articles myself. we
wanted something about the country
lawyer in American public life. 7 assem-
blcd some data and made a synopsis OF
what we wanted and sent it to him in
Princeton. In the course of time tho
article arrived. constructed according +,
my synopsis and embodying the informa
ton had gathered, This is an editorial
secret and YOU must not mention it to any
one"
I do YOU think that Roosevelt really
produces literature?' This from Doctor
McEabre.
mot in the sense that it was produced
by Matthew Arnold or Emerson. perhaps,
! admitted but he has produced litera
ture as surely as it was produced by
Prescott or Macauley. TIe won distinction
as n historian in his early twenties Die
you know that his history Of the uava
! War Of 1872 was regarded as 50 authent!C
that when a history of the British navy
was planned in England he was asked {,
write the chapter on the action of IL.
British ships in that war? | was looking
over his history of the War of 1872 yes
terday and was very much interested tC
discover that he began i'm 1883 TO war;
his country OF the consequences Of mill
tary unpreparedness. lie says in tho pref
ace in speaking OF the actions on the
land that they teach nothing new; it i,
the old, old lesson, that Il misery economy
in preparation may in the end involve
a lavish outlay Of mon and money, which
after all, comes too late TO more ma.
partially Offset the evils produced by the
original short-sighted parsimony' Ht
might have written this last week, In
deed, his new book is devoted in grea
part to an elaboration Of this simple prop
osltion. The book has historical value be
cause he has printed in an appendix III.
correspondence with the Secretary o
War bearing on his attempts to secu!,
permission to raise an army division I,
send to France"
GEORGE w. DOUGLAS.
THE FOES OF OUR OWN HOUSEHOLD. u,
| Theodore Roosevelt. New York; George II