Norwich bulletin., 1919-11-01

It takes t1me-a century or more to beautify that which was regarded in it's day as beautiful, and in -,. later day as hideous. And since Colonel Theodore Roosevelt was only sixty one years old when he died, not enough time has elapsed to soften the shock produced when one goes to the Roosevelt birthplace and gazes on the furniture which has been reassembled, writes F. L. Garside in the Kansas City Star. We go prepared to say. How quaint" and find ourselves saying How funny"
 The Woman's Roosevelt Memorial Association has purchased his birth place, a fourtieth brownstone front = 2S East Twentieth street, New York city. This house, while not old enough to be a landmark, is of a style that is rapidly becoming so rare that it Is approaching that period when people would go out of the way to look at it, regardless of the fame given 1t by our beloved Roosevelt. There are 12 rooms in the house, narrow halls, flat -chested closets and a small bal oony in the back overlooking a hand kerchief- size yard. The price paid was $40,000.
 The association has put the furni- ture in this house in place, finding much of it in good state of preser- vation in the various family attics. The original furnishings, family por- traits and other heirlooms have been given by the Roosevelt family, which is cooperating with 'sthe as,ociation in making the interior Ns [ lch like it was in the days when Roosevelt was 8 child as can be. @' But this was not enough. The place would become merely Roosevelt museum were there not some means provided for carrying out the" Roose- welt ideas and preserving the Roose- 1 welt ideals. To meet this need the ] association also purchased the house next door, in which an uncle of the youthful Theodore lived, paying $45,. 900 for 1t.
 With the addition of this building the uniting of the two properties be- ing worked out harmoniously in thu architectural design-there is room fol 1 those things which the Woman s Roosevelt Memorial Association be- lieves will form a memorial to tn Roosevelt national personality. Ther, | is, for instance, q free circulating Ii brary containing not. only the writing ! of Colonel Roosevelt, but many copie
 
 ] those books on travel, natural his tory and biography which had poten influence in shaping. his career and hi opinions. Classes will be held in this house fo
 the teaching of English, the one lang
 uage for all Americans, to people o
 foreign birth and to those who per
 chance had to leave school befor,
 they acquired working mastry of tn
 language. Lectures on the history 2
 the nation, the state and the city wi
 be given to stimulate interest in goo
 government, and a large assembl
 hall has been provided.
 The houses are only d block fror
 Gramercy Park, winch remains to thi day an exclusive residence distric but within this block, on both side of the Roosevelt houses, across tn ,, street and in the rear factorieV ar
 encroaching. Commerce has swallow cd up the homes n its march uptown , the association mlght not yet hay , ound q brick of tie two houses lei
 standing had the members delayed aC
 tion a year longer. It will be remen membered, however, that the assoc alton was formed, and the money be : gan pouring in the day after the e1
 President was buried.
 : The goal of the association is $1 , 100000; there is no doubt the amour :. will be oversubscribed. At the vel 2 first meeting $25,000 poured in, and : date the fund is between S75,000 ar ! $S5,000 with the work of appealing i, ! funds not fairly begun. This associ; . tion is working independently of u 2 Mems National Memorial AsSociatio , which has started out to roll up S1o I 100000, with which to erect two m