theodore roosevelt-第12节

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*　Riis；　101。


Nevertheless；　the　fight　was　worth　making。　It　reintroduced　him　to　the　public；　which　had　not　heard　him　for　two　years；　and　it　helped　erase　from　men's　memories　the　fact　that　he　had　supported　Blaine　in　1884。　His　contest　with　Hewitt　and　George　set　him　in　his　true　lighta　Republican　by　conviction；　a　party　man；　also　by　conviction；　but　above　all　the　fearless　champion　of　what　he　believed　to　be　the　right；　in　its　struggle　against　economic　heresy　and　political　corruption。

The　election　over；　Roosevelt　went　to　Europe；　and　on　December　2；　1886；　at　St。　George's；　Hanover　Square；　London；　he　married　Miss　Edith　Kermit　Carow；　of　New　York；　whom　he　had　known　since　his　earliest　childhood；　the　playmate　of　his　sister　Corinne；　the　little　girl　whose　photograph　had　stirred　up　in　him　〃homesickness　and　longings　for　the　past；〃　when　he　was　a　little　boy　in　Paris。　Cecil　Spring…Rice；　an　old　friend　（subsequently　British　Ambassador　at　Washington）；　was　his　groomsman；　and　being　married　at　St。　George's；　Theodore　remarks；　〃made　me　feel　as　if　I　were　living　in　one　of　Thackeray's　novels。〃

Mrs。　Roosevelt's　father　came　of　Huguenot　stock；　the　name　being　originally　Quereau；　the　first　French　immigrants　of　the　family　having　migrated　to　New　York　in　the　seventeenth　century　at　about　the　same　time　as　Claes　van　Roosevelt。　Like　the　Roosevelts；　the　Carows　had　so　freely　intermarried　with　English　stock　in　America　that　the　French　origin　of　one　was　as　little　discernible　in　their　descendants　as　was　the　Dutch　origin　of　the　other。　Through　her　American　line　Mrs。　Roosevelt　traced　back　to　Jonathan　Edwards；　the　prolific　ancestor　of　many　persons　who　emerged　above　the　common　level　by　either　their　virtue　or　their　badness。

After　spending　several　months　in　Europe；　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Roosevelt　returned　and　settled　at　Oyster　Bay；　Long　Island；　where　he　had　built；　not　long　before；　a　country　house　on　Sagamore　Hill。　His　place　there　comprised　many　acresa　beautiful　country　of　hill　and　hollow　and　fine　tall　trees。　The　Bay　made　in　from　Long　Island　Sound　and　seemed　to　be　closed　by　the　opposite　shore；　so　that　in　calm　weather　you　might　mistake　it　for　a　lake。　This　home　was　thoroughly　adapted　for　Roosevelt's　needs。　Being　only　thirty　miles　from　New　York；　with　a　railroad　near　by；　convenient　but　not　intrusive；　it　gave　easy　access　to　the　city；　but　was　remote　enough　to　discourage　casual　or　undesired　callers。　It　had　sufficient　land　to　carry　on　farming　and　to　sustain　the　necessary　horses　and　domestic　cattle。　Mrs。　Roosevelt　supervised　it；　he　simply　loved　it　and　got　distraction　from　his　more　pressing　affairs；　if　he　had　chosen　to　withdraw　from　these　he　might　have　devoted　himself　to　the　pleasing　and　leisurely　life　of　a　gentleman　farmer。　For　a　while　his　chief　occupation　was　literary。　Into　this　he　pitched　with　characteristic　energy。　His　innate　craving　for　self…expression　could　never　be　satiated　by　speaking　alone；　and　now；　since　he　filled　no　public　position　which　would　be　a　cause　or　perhaps　an　excuse　for　speaking；　he　wrote　with　all　the　more　enthusiasm。

Although　he　was　less　than　seven　years　out　of　college；　his　political　career　had　given　him　a　national　reputation；　which　helped　and　was　helped　by　the　vogue　of　his　writings。　The　American　public　had　come　to　perceive　that　Theodore　Roosevelt　could　do　nothing　commonplace。　The　truth　was；　that　he　did　many　things　that　other　men　did　which　ceased　to　be　commonplace　only　when　he　did　them。　Scores　of　other　young　men　went　on　hunting　trips　after　big　game　in　the　Rockies　or　the　Selkirks；　and　even　ranching　had　been　engaged　in　by　the　enterprising　and　the　adventurous；　who　hoped　to　find　it　a　short　way　to　a　fortune。　But　whether　as　ranch　man　or　as　hunter；　Roosevelt　was　better　known　than　all　the　rest。　His　skill　in　describing　his　experiences　no　doubt　largely　accounted　for　this；　but　the　fact　that　the　experiences　were　his；　was　the　ultimate　explanation。

Roosevelt　began　to　write　very　early。　He　thought　that　the　instruction　in　rhetoric　which　he　received　at　Harvard　enlightened　him；　and　during　his　Senior　year　he　began　the　〃History　of　the　Naval　War　of　1812；〃　which　he　completed　and　published　in　1882。　This　work　at　once　won　recognition　for　him；　and　it　differed　from　the　traditional　accounts；　embedded　in　the　school　histories　of　the　United　States；　in　doing　full　justice　to　the　British　naval　operations。　Probably；　for　the　first　time；　our　people　realized　that　the　War　of　1812　had　not　been　a　series　of　victories；　startling　and　irresistible；　for　the　American　Navy。　Nearly　ten　years　later；　Roosevelt　in　the　〃Winning　of　the　West〃　made　his　second　excursion　into　history。　These　volumes；　which　eventually　numbered　six；　are　regarded　by　experts　in　the　subject　as　of　great　value；　and　I　suppose　that　in　them　Roosevelt　did　more　than　any　other　writer　to　popularize　the　study　of　the　historical　origin　and　development　of　the　vast　region　west　of　the　Alleghanies　which　now　forms　a　vital　part　of　the　American　Republic。　One　attribute　of　a　real　historian　is　the　power　to　discern　the　structural　or　pregnant　quality　of　historic　periods　and　episodes；　and　this　power　Roosevelt　displayed　in　choosing　both　the　War　of　1812　and　the　Winning　of　the　West。

In　his　larger　history　Roosevelt　had　a　swift；　energetic；　and　direct　style。　He　never　lacked　for　ideas。　Descriptions　came　to　him　with　exuberant　details　of　which　he　selected　enough　to　leave　his　reader　with　the　feeling　that　he　had　looked　on　a　vivid　and　accurate　picture。　Here；　for　instance；　is　a　portrait　of　Daniel　Boon　which　seems　remarkably　lifelike；　because　I　remember　how　difficult　other　writers　find　it　to　individualize　most　of　the　figures　of　the　pioneers。

The　backwoodsmen；　he　says；　〃all　tilled　their　own　clearings；　guiding　the　plow　among　the　charred　stumps　left　when　the　trees　were　chopped　down　and　the　land　burned　over；　and　they　were　all；　as　a　matter　of　course；　hunters。　With　Boon；　hunting　and　exploration　were　passions；　and　the　lonely　life　of　the　wilderness；　with　its　bold；　wild　freedom；　the　only　existence　for　which　he　really　cared。　He　was　a　tall；　spare；　sinewy　man；　with　eyes　like　an　eagle's；　and　muscles　that　never　tired；　the　toil　and　hardship　of　his　life　made　no　impress　on　his　iron　frame；　unhurt　by　intemperance　of　any　kind；　and　he　lived　for　eighty…six　years；　a　backwoods　hunter　to　the　end　of　his　days。　His　thoughtful；　quiet；　pleasant　face；　so　often　portrayed；　is　familiar　to　every　one；　it　was　the　face　of　a　man　who　never　blustered　or　bullied；　who　would　neither　inflict　nor　suffer　any　wrong；　and　who　had　a　limitless　fund　of　fortitude；　endurance；　and　indomitable　resolution　upon　which　to　draw　when　fortune　proved　adverse。　His　self…command　and　patience；　his　daring；　restless　love　of　adventure；　and；　in　time　of　danger；　his　absolute　trust　in　his　own　powers　and　resources；　all　combined　to　render　him　peculiarly　fitted　to　follow　the　career　of　which　he　was　so　fond。〃*

*　Winning　of　the　West；　1；　137；　138　（ed。　1889）。


Roosevelt　contributed　two　volumes　to　the　American　Statesmen　Series；　one　on　Thomas　Hart　Benton　in　1886；　and　the　other　on　Gouverneur　Morris　in　1887。　The　environment　and　careers　of　these　two　menthe　Missouri　Senator　of　the　first　half　of　the　nineteenth　century；　and　the　New　York　financier　of　the　last　half　of　the　eighteenthafforded　him　scope　for　treating　two　very　diverse　subjects。　He　was　himself　rooted　in　the　old　New　York　soil　and　he　had　come；　through　his　life　in　the　West；　to　divine　the　conditions　of　Benton's　days。　Once　again；　many　years　later　（1900）　he　tried　his　hand　at　biography；　taking　Oliver　Cromwell　for　his　hero；　and　making　a　summary；　impressionistic　sketch　of　him。　Besides　the　interest　this　biography　has　for　students　of　Cromwell；　it　has　also　interest　for　students　of　Roosevelt；　for　it　is　a　specimen　of　the　sort　of　by…products　he　threw　off　in　moments　of　relaxation。

More　characteristic　than　such　excursions　into　history　and　biography；　however；　are　his　many　books　describing　ranch…life　and　hunting。　In　the　former；　he　gives　you　truthful　descriptions　of　the　men　of　the　West　as　he　saw　them；　and　in　the　latter　he　recounts　his　adventures　with　elk　and　buffalo；　wolves　and　bears。　The　mere　trailing　and　killing　of　these　creatures　do　not　satisfy　him。　He　studies　with　equal　zest　their　haunts　and　their　habits。　The　naturalist　in　him；　which　we　recognized　in　his　youth；　found　this　vent　in　his　maturity。　And　long　years　afterward；　on　his　expeditions　to　Africa　and　to　Brazil　he　dealt　even　more　exuberantly　with　the　natural　history　of　the　countries　which　he　visited。

Two　other　classes　of　writings　make　up　Roosevelt's　astonishing　output。　He　gathered　his　essays　and　addresses　into　half　a　dozen　volumes；　remarkable　alike　for　the　wide　variety　of　their　subjects；　and　for　the　vigor　with　which　he　seized　on　each　subject　as　if　it　was　the　one　above　all　others　which　most　absorbed　him。　Finally；　skim　the　collection　of　his　official　messages；　as　Commissioner；　as　Governor；　or　as　President；　and　you　will　discover　that　he　had　the　gift　of　infusing　life　and　color　into　the　usually　drab　and　cheerless　wastes　of　official　documents。

I　am　not　concerned　to　make　a　literary　appraisal　of　Theodore　Roosevelt's　manifold　works；　but　I　am　struck　by　the　fact　that　our　professional　critics　ignore　him　entirely　in　their　summaries　or　histories　of　recent　American　literature。　As　I　re…read；　after　twenty　years；　and　in　some　cases　after　thirty　years；　books　of　his　which　made　a　stir　on　their　ap