The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-02-02
ROOSEVELT'S TRIP TO
KH4RTOUM DESCRIBED
Joseph Bucklin Bishop, Roosevelt's BIZ
ographer, Calls ColonePs Letter "A
Human Document of Excep-
tional Character"

Colonel Roosevcits longest letter,
$4,000 word personal account of his
trip from Nhartoum 10 London in 1909
and which is described by his hiograph-
er, Joseph Bucklin Bishop, as "A hu.
man document OF exceptional charae.
ter" appears as the first Of two install
ments in the February issue Of Serb
ner's Magazine
soon after retiring from the pres
idency,o explains Mr. Bishop, "the col
onel went to Africa on a hunting trip.
He had arranged before his departure
for several formal addresses, which he
was to make in Germany, England,
France and Norway on his return.
When he reached khartoum in March,
1910, on his way home, he yielded to
urgent appeals and made two addresses
on Egyptian affairs, one at khartoum
and the other at Cairo, which aroused
much controversy and led later to
speech on the same subject. also by
urgent request, at the Guidhall in Lon
don.
From Khartoum he went to Rome,
Vienna. Budapest, Paris. Brussels, The
Hague. Copenhagen, Chrstiana. Stock
holm. Berlin and thence to London. At
the close of his tour he paid long
visit TO his longtime correspondent
and friend. Sir George Otto Trevelyan,
at the latters estate at Welcombe,
Stratford on. Avon. During the visit
his narrative of his experiences IN
Egypt and Europe so strongly inn
pressed Sir George that he urged him
most earnestly TO put it in writing.
This Roosevelt did the following year,
in the form of letter to Trevelyan,
under date of Oct /, 1911"
The former president, in the missiye,
made crank and searching comments
upon the characteristics and PERSONAL
tiles OF kings, emperors and other emf.
nent personages with whom he came in
contact, and in the opening paragraph
requested that it shorld not be made
public until long after all OF us who
are now alive are dead" Trevelyan. in
authorizing its publication. said: II do
not hesitate 20 say that It should be
published and the sooner the better.
The world would ,be much the richer
for it. The times are such that the
human interest and solid value of this
wonderful paper would be very great
indeed now"
The colonel drew an intimate picture
of British rule in Egypt, praised it on
the whole and declared that the task
of super imposing the Goth century
upon the 18th" was mighty one
(which only great and powerful ma
ton could attempt and which It is a
= tIs.sr 70. ha4tn ~
tempted.r Nearly 1000 words are de
voted to The Vatican Incident and
the reason Roosevelt was not presented
to Pope Plus y. A certain Methodist
clergyman in Rome had been conduct
ing an attack upon the head OF the
Catholic church and when Nice-Pres-
ident Fairbanks. some time before, Wis
tied the Holy city, the supreme pOntiff
stimulated that he would not receive
him i'm audience il he addressed Meth
odist gatherings Roosevelt took the
same attitude a. Fairbanks, that he
must decline to submit TO any condi-
tions which in any way limit my free
dom Of conduct"
The colonel said in his letter to Sir
George that one Of his volunteer secre-
taries at that time was anxious to
prevent the Vatican from committing
what he felt would be great blunder
and while the colonel was at Naples
went TO Rome to see the then papal
secretary Of state. Cardinal Merry del
Val The stipulation by the pope was
not withdrawn and Colonel Roosevelt
adhered to his resolution Of making no
agreement to refrain from speaking be.
fore Methodist MEETINGS. According
w." he wrote. Il was not presented At
the Vatican.
In q public statement at the time.
The colonel declared that the respect
and regard Of those IT my fellow
Americans who arc Catholics are a.
dear 10 nc a. the respect and regard of
those who are Protestants." and he -
pressed the hope that the incident
would be treated as = merely personal
matter without rsncor or bitterness
While in Rome the colonel visited
King Victor Emmanuel and Queen Hell
eua II Italy. whom he described -
faithful. conscientious and wfse -
well a. loyable couplc Later be
sav in Vienna the aged Franz Josef
emperor 81 Austria. who aid Dc traz
stlle last representative Of the old sys-