Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1921-10-27
them to follow his example.

become recognized as the appropri-
ate time for paying formal tribute
to his memory, thousands of people
have visited his grave during the
year. Flowers by the basketful
were strewn upon it daily last sum-
mer by motorists who gathered the
blooms as they toured over Long Is
land. On several Sundays their of
ferings covered the little plot inside
the massive iron grating with a flo
raj blinket several feet thick.
The traveller falls under the spell
of Roosevelt's memory almost be-
fore dismounting from the train
that carries him from New York to
the former presidents home town.
As he turns his back on the railway
station he is noisily solicited as a
fare by "jitney" drivers offering to
show him the Roosevelt Sights" in
exchange for a none too modest no.
norarium. If the wayfarer acceeds,
be is driven through the town over
smooth Streets paved many years
ago, he will be told, through the pub
lie spirited efforts of Colonel Roose-
welt.
And if he sets out to walk the mile
or two to the cemetery, he must still
traverse the town and meet with
constant reminders of the man
whose life there has become rooted
in the traditions of the little COM
munity. The legend on the corner
stone of a public building sets forth
Col. Roosevelt's connection with it's
rearing; signboard's hand with ri
gid index finger points the way to
Sycamore Hill, once the Little
White House," and now the resi-
dence of the former presidents Wi
dow; nearly every store has it's life
! size portrait, its colored represen-
tation of Roosevelt mounted and in
the uniform of Rough Rider, or
its poster showing him delivering
campaign address from a flag drap-
| ed stage.
The elm oak shaded highway lead
ing to the cemetery and continuing
on to Camp Upton, where American
soldiers trained for service in France
is furrowed by the feet of hundreds
of boys whom Roosevelt entertained
at Sycamore Hill during brief leaves
when he used to say he would will
ingly have missed being President
to change places with one of them.
Scores of incidents illustrating
the esteem in which foreign visit
ors regard the memory of Roose-
welt have been marked before the
gate of the cemetery plot. The
grave is near the top of conical
knoll rising in one corner of the lit
tie burial grounds. Overhead the |
autumn foliage of encircling locust
trees forms the vaulted ceiling of a |
natural cathedral. Facing it, a mile
or more distant across the silver
reach of Oyster Bay cove, rises Sa-
gamore Hill, sombre under its cloak
of feathery evergreens. Inside the
railing is simple headstone of |
white marble between two sentinel
cedars; beside the grave a tiny flag
or two, faded, but erect as was for
merly the soldierly figure of the man
who sleeps beneath.
A month ago four we'll dressed
Italians approached the plot, knelt
at the gate and crossed themselves.
After remaining silent in prayer for
several minutes, they again made
the sign of the cross and then began
scooping up handfuls of earth which
they put in their pockets. At this
puncture a guard interferred.
Mister one of the quartet plead
ed, I'VE loved Colonel Roosevelt. All
Italy loved him, too. Tomorrow We
start home and we want to take
some dirt from near the grave to
his friends over there"
They We're allowed to depart with
their relics.
A few days afterward a man and
two boys, of about ~ and IA years,
looked in silence through the bars
for some minutes. Then the elder
addressed the others, apparently his
sons.
Boys" he said, "there lies the
body of a mana real he man, who
was in public life from the time he
was q until his death. During that
time no man could ever point the fin
ger of shame at him and say he did
a crooked thing. Try, if you can,
to be like him."
Among tomorrow's visitors will be
more than a thousand Boy Scouts,
troops from all over
New York, New Jersey and Connec-
n 1 IL I