The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-02-05
Col. RoosevelfS Message
To ALI American Boys

fintsllect, and especially great sanity
lof mind; but ii was the fact that they
each possessed the highest character,
. character both very strong and very
unssI.sh- which gxva them their pre-
e-fzsnee over their fellows
There have been Fsry able and very
masterpieces statesmen IN our hisory
But not one Of them has ever come
Within ersn measurable distance Of
the achievements Of Washington and
Lincoln or of the reputation of Wash
Ing10n and Lincoln, and this precisets
because they we're INSCRIPTIONS. be-
cause they lacked character.
Let me illustrate what mean By a
small example taken from my own ex-
perience:
When fifteen years ago / was help
| ing to raise the regiment of Rough
Riders, ! did my best to get both as
officers and enlisted men those men,
and those men only, who / believed
would make formidable fighters in q
battle, rugged men in a campaign, and
men Of indomitable purpose to see
the war through. | would not take
any man who was not strong, HARDY,
brae. able TO live in the open, able 10
handle both horse and rife
But even IL the man had all these
qualities, if he we're Quarrelsome or
egotistical, or bent on his own selfish
advancement, and If | knew that this
was the case, ! would not take him.
If he cared only for himself ! was
sure that he would be apt to be a
bad instead Of good element, in the
regiment There were some men
from the plains whom ! refused, al.
though ! knew that they were formi-
dable fighting men, because also
knew that they were quarrelsome
DULLES and would wish to exalt them.
selves at the expense of their COM
rades; and / did not wish any man
with me unless he. was prepared to
lput the honor Of the regiment and the
sarmy and the flag first of all.
No Good Unless Efficient
II man of the wrong type got in
Ito the regiment and | found that
though brave he was thinking only Of
his own advancement and shirked' do
ing work that might help others, or
intrigued against them, or failed to
support them, / got rid Of him, or
Disseminated against him or else
took the first chance to punish him as
roughly as j could. The best work
could be done only by the men who,
In addition to possessing formidable
fighting qualities, had the desire u
help others and the willingness TO
sink his own advantage in the com.
mon advantage
( What was true on very small
scale in my regiment is true on very
big scale of American citizenship as
Ia whole. The boy is not worth any.
thing II he is not efficient. / have
no use for mollycoddles, have no
use for umid boys, for the Sissy
4 type of boy. want to see boy able
to hold his own and ashamed TO
finch. But as one element of this
ability to hold his own, ! wish to see
him CONTEMPORARY Indifferent to the
mean or brutal boy who calls him
Sissy" or mollycoddle because he is
clean and decent and considerate to
others. IL boy is not fearless and
energetic. he is poor creature; but
he is an even poorer creature il ne
is bully Of smaller boys or girls, II
he is guilty Of cruel mischief, and ii
in his own home. and especially in
his relations with his own mother
and sisters, he is selfish and unfeel
ing.
! believe in play with all my heart;
but l believe in work even more
While boy or man plays, / want to