The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-02-06
Twenty Thousand Word
Personal Account
HUMAN IT IS DETAILED
Trip From Khartoum to London
Described; Word of His
s's@ Biographer
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l

New York, February 2.-Colone
Roosevelt's longest letter." a $4,000.
word personal account of his tril
from Khartoum to London in 100!
and which is described by his biog.
rapher, Joseph Bucklin Bishop, as
"a human document OF exceptiona
character" appears as the first oil
two installments in the February is
sue of Scribner's Magazine publish
ed today.
"Sooa after retiring from the
Presidency" explains Mr.. Bishop, ''tn,
colonel went to Africa on a hunting
trip. He mad arranged before his de-
parture for several formal addresses
which he was to make in Germany
England, France and Norway on his
return. When he reached Khartounl
in March 1910, on his way home, he
yielded to urgent appeals and made
two addresses on Egyptian affairs
one at KhartouR: and the other al
Cairo, which aroused much contro-
versy and led later TO a speech on
the same subject, also by urgent re-
quest. at the ,Guildhall in London.
Visited Number of Places.
From Khartoum he went tC
Rome, Vienna, Budapest, Paris, Brus-
sells, The Hague, Copenhagen, Chris
tiania. Stockholm, Berlin and thence
to London. AT the close of his tour
he paid a long visit to his long time
correspondent and Friend, Sir George
Otto Treyelyan, at the latter's es-
tate at Welcome, Stratford- on Avon.
During the visit his narrative of his
experience in Egypt and Europe so
strongly impressed Sir George that
he urged him most earnestly to put
il in writing This Roosevelt did
the following year, in the form of n
letter to Trevelyan, under date of
October /, 1911"
The former president, in the mis-
sive, made frank and searching
comments upon the characteristics
and personalities of kings, emperors
and other eminent personages with
whom he came in contact" and In
the opening paragraph requested that
it would not be made public until
long after all of us who are now alive
are dead" Trevelyan, in authorizing
its publication, said: 81 do not
hesitate to say that it should be
published and the sooner the better.
The world would be much the rich :
er for it. The times are such that
the human interest and solid value
of this wonderful paper would be
very great indeed now"
Picture of British Rule.
The colonel drew an intimate pic
ture of British rule in Egypt, prais
ed it on the whole and declared that
the task of super imposing the
twentieth century upon he seventh"
was a mighty one (which only a great
and powerful nation could attempt
and which it is high and honorable
thing to have attempted" Nearly 81
900 words are devoted to 1.-THE Vati-
can Incident" and the reason Roose-
welt was not presented to Pope Plus
X. A certain Methodist clergyman
in Rome had been conducting an at
tack upon the head of the Catholic
church and when Vice President
Fairbanks, sometime before, visited
the Holy City the Supreme Pontiff
stipulated that he would not receive
him in audience if he addressed
Methodist gatherings. Roosevelt
took the same attitude as Fairbanks,
that he must decline to submit to
any conditions which in any way
limit my freedom of conduct"
The colonel said in his letter to
Sir George that one of his volunteer
secretaries at that time was anxious
to prevent the Vatican from commit
ting what he felt would be great
blunder" and while the colonel was
at Naples went to Rome to see 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 before
Methodist meetings. Accordingly,
he wrote, 81 was not presented at
the Vatican"
Colonel Visited Emmanuel.
In public statement at the time.
the colonel declared that 1.-The respect
ard regard of those of my fellow
Americans who are Catholics are as
dear to me as the respect and regard
of those who are Protestants," and
he expressed the hope that the in
cident would be treated as a merely
personal matter without rancor or
bitterness.
While in Rome the colonel visited
ing Victor Emmanuel and Queen
Helena of Italy whom he described
as faithful, conscientious and wise"
as we'll as loveable couple. Later he
saw in Vienna the aged Franz Josef,
emperor of Austria, who said he was
.'the last representative of the old
system, whereas embodied the new
movement"
"I shall always bear testimony to
the good manners, and the obvious
sense of responsibility and duty, of
the various sovereigns," the colonel
wrote. Il thoroughly liked and re-
spected almost all the various kings
and queens met; they struck me
as serious people, with charming
manners, devoted to their people and
anxious to justify their own positions
by the way they did their duty"