The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-10-28
OYSTER BAY TRIBUTE
Villagers Paid the Honors
To Roosevelt Today
BOW HEADS IN SORROW
Big-Hearted TEDDY" Loved the
Children Whose Memory
They Cherish
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.


New York, October 27.-CiVie,
memorial and social organizations,
Joined today In celebrating the
sixty third anniversary OF Theo-
dore Roosevelt's birth series
Of ceremonies here and at Oyster
Bay, the Long Island village where
the former president spent the
last years Of his life. The program
at Oyster Bay included pilgrim
ages to Roosevelt's Grave by dele
nations of Spanish and World war
veterans, boy scouts and schooi
children of the village. who were
chosen to lay a wreath on Roose-
Velt's grave.
In New York the program began
with a birthday pageant at Carne-
ole hall. in which several hundred
high school girls participated.
The climax of the day will be
reached at a dinner for boy scouts
at which Postmaster General Will
Hays, Earl Beatty, adnira: OF the
British fleet, and William Boyee
Thompson, president of the Roose-
welt memorial association, Will
speak.
Oyster Bay, N. Y. October 26.-Res-
1dents of this little hamlet today
bowed their heads in sorrowful men,
DRY of a beloved villager. While the
rest OF the nation has dedicated the day
to celebrating the sixty third ami
versary Oh Theodore Roosevelt, states
man, President and man oil letters,
oyster Bay remembers the familiar
sympathetic, big hearted teddy,
whose grave on the hill top is an ever
present reminder of their loss.
The little wooded cemetery has De-
come the object or pilgrlmages from
ali over the world and thousands are
looked for tomorrow.
Among them are expected hundreds
OF former friends and thousands Oh
admirers, besides formal delegations
of Spanish, and world war veterans and
Boy Scouts OF America, They will
come, for the most part, to lay flow
ers or flags en- the grave While dip
lomats from foreign countries will
bring testimonials OF respect from
. their governments and peoples abroad.
But old time neighbors and init
mates OF the Colonei say that OF ali
tributes to his memory, he himself
would most have appreciated those o.
the children whom he loved, and so
theirs is to be the part OF paying hon'
Remember Him AS Santa Claus
The older children OF 0S~fer Bay
Cove School, which nestles l.. grove
of trees a few hundred yards from
Roos.,velt's grave, remember him best
as the Santa Claus of their annual
Christmas celebrations. Some of them
now sit in the seats and use the
desks once occupied by the elder
Roosevelt children, Kermit, Theo-
dore, Archie and Ethel. None OF
these has forgotten the red pillow fat
tened figure, rosy cheeks, powdered
D mustacus and grotesque false beard
of the principal actorLin their Yule-
tide pageant.
Three weeks before Christmas il
was Colonel Roosevelt's custom 10
summon the teachers to Sycamore Hill
a mile away and there instruct them
to have all the children write letters
to Santa, telling what they wanted
him to bring them. Then, after all
the scrubbed requests mad come III
the Colonel and Mrs. Roosevelt would
go in to New York and buy the gllt'
asked for, adding to eacn "toot' OF
rock candy, a CONNECTION of which ne
Colonel recalled he had been inordi-
nately fond as boy.
On Christmas Eve he and My>
Roosevelt would drive oyer to the
school, where, under graat elm tree
he would distribute the presents tc
forty or more youngsters and theI
Join in singing carols and romping ant
laughing with the spirit OF play thai
never quite deserted him. FROM tnt
time his own children were old enough
to go to school, he missed playini
Santa Claus but twice-once when Inc
was in Africa, and again during his
illness at Roosevelt Hospital.
Even on that last Christmas Eve
the children were not forgotten. Col
onel Roosevelt delegated Archie Il
attend to his annual duties, tellins
his son what kind OF candy to buy
and how to play the part OF Saint
Nicholas. The night Archie plaJe.
Sann Claus his father told friends VINO
visited his bedside how much he miss
ed participating in the event. @
Children Now Grown Ups
So today these children, many Of
them grown ups now, with children
of their own, will carry Oyster Bays
The present school pupils will march
to the cemetery in a body and lay 8
wreath on the grave. Then they vii
sing the ColonePs favorite songs and
their teacher will tell or his gooe
deeds and exhort them to follow nis
example.
come recognized as the appropriate
time for paying formal tribute to his
memory, thousands OF Deople nave "
ited his grave during the year. Flow,
ers by the basketball were strewn uD
on it daily last summer by motorists
who gathered blooms as they tour
ed over Long Island. On several Sun
days their offerings covered the little
plot inside the massive iron grating
with a floral blanket several feet thick
The traveller falls under the spell
of Roosevelt's memory almost before
dismounting from the train that car
ries him from New York to the former
Presidents home town. AS he turns
his back on the railway station ne Is
noisily solicited as fare by "jitney'
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