Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-22
YOUNG ROOSEVELT
BECOMES HIMSELF
Writer Says Governor of
Porto. Rico Has Stopped I'm
itating Famous Sire.
BY WILLIAM HARD.


Gov. Roosevelt of Porto Rico and Gov.
Pearson Of the Virgin Islands he will
ind two very lively and alert hosts.
Theodore Roosevelt was in Eastern
Asia when he learned of his appoint
ment to the Porto Rican governorship,
and his first act was to procure Span
ish grammar. This he learned by
heart. Upon his arrival in Porto Rico
he spoke lot Of Spanish. He now is
pretty we'll bilingual and can go from
Spanish to English and from English to
Spanish like shifting gears.
Has Unusual Memory.
He is not by nature or impulse
great linguiSh, but, like his father, he
has an astounding memory. Stephen
Benet's long epical poem, John Brown
Body" he can repeat almost word Tor
word, throughout many OF its most
pYotracted passages. This writer once,
upon returning from Ireland, tolo nm
an Irish Song Of three fairly long STAN
zas He heard it once. Several years
later he suddenly told it back to the
writer with only few words wrong.
He was none too strong physically
when a boy and his father exercised
him first into prostTation and then into
health. He is now robust and has a
Rooseveltian passion for keeping Mt.
He learns with intense energy and in
tense rapidity. He went through Har-
ward in three years, He has become
q Porto Rician in less.
BE Yourself"-His M0ttO.
The key to the Roosevelt admins
traticn of Porto Rico Is that ne Is
striving not to make Porto Rico more
A, ovfa FAa,t n Ynokn If more P0rLO
Rican in its culture and strength. BE
yourself-and more so" is his mes
sage to the island. He gives prizes for
the bsst performances IN the local IAN
guage and in the local arts. He has
secured for the island q most unusual
line of financial contributions from the
Congress at washington. Nevertheless,
he Is as little as possible the represent
alive of alieniSm and Of So called
characterization" in Porto Rico. He
has gained the confidence of the island
ers basically through being in large part
really q national Porto Rican leader.
1t is Col. RooSevelt's first great sue
cess-in fact, the first time he has stood
out in his own character. His previous
performances and even his previous
methods seemed like little limitations OF
his great sire Willingly or unwittingly,
he was always father conscious ana ne
seemed to be playing part rather than
living a reality or his own. Porto RICO
has brought him TO himself.
Pursues Own Career.
Perhaps it is because 1t is something
different from what his father ever DID
In Porto Rico young Roosevelt has
grown up He is there pursuing his own
career with his own personality. IL IS
acknowledged that he is doing Porto
Rico good, but perhaps more lmpor-
4-- i'm fc TINT Porto RICO
has done him immense good,
The governor Of the Virgin ISLANDS,
Paul M. Pearson, ives the first boy TO
60 to college from Cherryyale, Kans.
He had been taken to Kansas from LII
nois by his parents at the age OF IN
q prairie schooner. He left Cnerryvaiie
to take the road toward the higher cul-
fiire and arrived at Baldwin, kans-, /
where there was so much culture that
to house It the town started Baker Uni
versity. There Mr.. Pearson was class
mate Of the future distinguished Con-
gresham, Homer Hoch; Of the future
famous Governor and Senator, Henry
Allen, and OF Farmer Murphy, now
writer for the Baltimore Sun.
Started as Preacher.
Mr.. Pearson, upon leaving college,
became preacher.
He moved to Swarthmore, Pa, and
ulLlIlaNoly tAlC
ChautauQua Association. In 1921 ne
became president Of the Lyceum and
ChautauQua Managers Of America. He
moved toward the organizing Of diff
ferent elements in little communities,
toward the awakenment Of community
spirit and the achievement Of COM
community welfare In 1927 he eStab-
lished the National Community Founoa-
ton with that sort Of community work
in mind, and is admittedly the leading
national authority in his field.
Now 1t happens the Virgin Islands
are not a nation or a country, but
really Just q little community. TT"
problem Of the islands is largely one Ct
local collective Self-help, uEoer beneVo-
lent governmental supervision. II Is a
problem Of community organization and
Of philanthropy. Mr., Pearson has been
engaged in those two things Tor many
years.
It has been added that he is Quaker
and, like almost every Quaker, a good,
keen business man He could not re-
main a preacher He could not subse-
Quently remain college professor. He
had to get out and manage all the
complicated mechanisms Of big Chau-
tauqua enterprises. That is where point
three in him emerges. He is (a) re-
ligious (b) educational, but also (c) a
veteran expert in keeping hazardous
commercial endeavors solvent.
Mr.. Pearson should find in the Viz
gin Islands a sort of predestined OBJ
iective for his special talents.
Copyright, 1882