The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-12-22

In view of the movement for a
Roosevelt memorial, William Allen
White has written in the Emporia
Gazette this story of his last meeting
with his friend, Colonel Roosevelt:
l was going to Europe In Deem
Der, 1918, and had written to Colonel
Roosevelt that l should be passing
through New York the day before sail
ing He sent an invitation for me
to come to see him at noon, so at
noon l appeared at Roosevelt 'hospi-
tai
Mrs. Roosevelt was exceedingly gra-
cious. She frankly explained that the
colonel had taken narcotic and was
dosing more or less heavily to make
up for loss of sleep the night before.
and that he might sleep all the after
noon. and so 1 went to luncheon
engagement at 1880 and at 2:3O ap-
peared at my club to get my trunk
and go to my ship with it. But at
the office of the club thee Jerk met
me with great excitement. ,,
"Please call up the Roosevelt hos
pital," said the clerk. "They have
been calling here every ten minutes
for an hour!"
But it could not be done. The trunk
had to go to the ship. AS I came
down the stairs and passed the desk
in the club ten minutes later, the
clerk again hailed ME and said:
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt at
Roosevelt hospital says he must see
you this afternoon before you leave
town"
Riot When Date Was Broken.
But ship is a ship and a colonel
is after all, only a colonel. so I took
the taxi with the trunk to the dock.
At 4 o'clock it was aboard and the
taxi was taking me up to the Roose-
welt hospital. The nurse took me
quickly to Mrs. Roosevelt, whose eyes
twinkled with appreciation Of the sit
uation. and explained what she did
not need to explain to me who knew
the colonel
She told him rather casually that
had called, and he remembered
rather wildly that he had an appoint
ment.
1t was not that the appointment was
with me. With anyone else it would
have been the same. His word was
his word and he stirred up the whole
hospital to make it good.
When l met the doctor, he said
"Man-Id rather see you than a mill
lion dollars; come right in here and
calm this riot!"
In the room, a rather bleak hospital
room, propped up in bed. he sat-not
the rudy, active, exuberant creature
which the world knew; but pale
Colonel Roosevelt. a bit subdued,
somewhat giving the Impression of a
chained but untamed lion. He was
not fretting, but was taking his cap.
tivity with philosophy. He was still
full of babble and chuckle and fall
setto glee! But he seemed to have
no taste for his enemies: generally
he smacked his lips as he gulped them
natural instinct of salubrious hater
he seemed to be under the shadow
of his approaching doom.
But he was none the less gay and
felicitous in ardor which he poured
upon life. His fountain of joy in life
was still flowing strong.
Pride in Soldier Son.
First of all he sent for a letter
from the colonel of one of his sons
regiment. The letter told the father
WHAT u uIlc Ol11CC1 lIC Ooy "dS lAcl
that colonel later in Germany and told
him how his letter had given the
keenest joy I ever had seen in the
fathers face. Proud?-why all that
Theodore Roosevelt ever achieved in
the White House or in politics was as
nothing-and it has been my good
fortune to see him in great moments
Of success-compared with the pride
with which he read that letter from
his sons colonel. His eyes brimmed
and he beamed like one who has re-
ceived a great benedfction.
Then we fell to talking politics, and
finally he rang a bell and produced an
article which he had just written, the
first of q series in his mind.
This series was to call the attention
Of the country to the fact that we
must not expect to return to the good
old times before the world war, but
that we shall have to make new issues
for the new times. The first article,
which was to be published some time
in January or February. prepared the
people for a program which should
consider:
An 8-hour day in industry.
Old apa nenSfOnS