theodore roosevelt-第13节

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ir　on　their　appearance；　I　am　impressed；　not　only　by　the　excellence　of　their　writing；　but　by　their　lasting　quality。　If　he　had　not　done　so　many　other　things　of　greater　importance；　and　done　them　supremely；　he　would　have　secured　lasting　fame　by　his　books　on　hunting；　ranching；　and　exploration。　No　other　American　compares　with　him；　and　I　know　of　no　other；　in　English　at　least；　who　has　made　a　contribution　in　these　fields　equal　to　his。

Throughout　these　eight　or　ten　volumes　he　proves　himself　to　be　one　of　those　rare　writers　who　see　what　they　write。　As　in　the　case　of　Tennyson；　than　whom　no　English　poet；　in　spite　of　nearsightedness；　has　observed　so　minutely　the　tiniest　details　of　form　or　the　faintest　nuance　of　color；　so　the　lack　of　normal　vision　did　not　prevent　Roosevelt　from　being　the　closest　of　observers。　He　was　also；　by　the　way；　a　good　shot　with　rifle　or　pistol。　If　you　read　one　of　his　chapters　in　〃Hunting　the　Grizzly〃　and　ask　yourself　wherein　its　animation　and　attraction　lie；　you　will　find　that　it　is　because　every　sentence　and　every　line　report　things　seen。　He　does　not；　like　the　Realist；　try　to　get　a　specious　lifelikeness　by　heaping　up　banal　and　commonplace　facts；　he　selects。　His　imagination　reminds　one　of　the　traveling　spark　which　used　to　run　along　the　great　chandelier　in　the　theatre；　and　light　each　jet；　so　that　its　passage　seemed　a　flight　from　point　to　point　of　brilliance。　Wherever　he　focuses　his　survey　a　spot　glows　vividly。

The　eye；　the　master　sense　of　the　mind；　thus　dominates　him；　and　I　think　that　we　shall　trace　to　its　mastery　much　of　the　immediate　power　which　he　exerted　by　his　writings　and　speeches　on　public；　social；　and　moral　topics。　He　struck　off；　in　the　heat　of　composition　or　of　speaking；　phrases　and　similes　which　millions　caught　up　eagerly　and　made　as　familiar　as　household　words。　He　even　remembered　from　his　extensive　reading　some　item　which；　when　applied　by　him　to　the　affair　of　the　moment；　acquired　new　pertinence　and　a　second　life。　Thus；　Bunyan's　〃　muckraker〃　lives　again；　thus；　〃the　curse　of　Meroz；〃　and　many　another　Bible　reference；　springs　up　with　a　fresh　meaning。

No　doubt　the　purist　will　find　occasional　lapses　in　taste　or　expression；　and　the　quibbling　peddler　of　rhetoric　will　gloat　over　some　doubtful　construction；　but　neither　purist　nor　peddler　of　rhetoric　has　ever　been　able　in　his　writing　to　display　the　ease；　the　rush；　the　naturalness；　the　sparkle　which　were　as　genuine　in　Roosevelt　as　were　the　features　of　his　face。　On　reading　these　pages；　which　have　escaped　the　attention　of　the　professional　critics；　I　wonder　whether　they　may　not　have　a　fate　similar　to　Defoe's；　for　Defoe　also　was　read　voraciously　by　his　contemporaries；　his　pamphlets　made　a　great　rustle　in　their　time；　and　then　the　critics　turned　to　other　and　spicier　writers。　But　in　due　season；　other　critics；　as　well　as　the　world；　made　the　discovery　that　only　a　genius　could　have　produced　Defoe's　〃every…day；〃　〃commonplace〃　style。

His　innate　vigor；　often　swelling　into　vehemence；　marks　also　Roosevelt's　political　essays；　and　yet　he　had　time　for　reflection；　and　if　you　examine　closely　even　some　of　his　combative　passages；　you　will　see　that　they　do　not　spring　from　sudden　anger　or　scorn；　but　from　a　conviction　which　has　matured　slowly　in　him。　He　had　not　the　philosophic　calm　which　formed　the　background　of　Burke's　political　masterpieces；　but　he　had　the　clearness；　the　simplicity；　by　which　he　could　drive　home　his　thoughts　into　the　minds　of　the　multitude。　Burke　spoke　and　wrote　for　thousands　and　for　posterity；　Roosevelt　addressed　millions　for　the　moment；　and　let　posterity　do　what　it　would　with　his　burning　appeals　and　invectives。　He　was　not　so　absolutely　self…effacing　as　Lincoln；　but　I　think　that　he　realized　to　the　full　the　meaning　of　Lincoln's　phrase；　〃the　world　will　little　note；　nor　long　remember　what　we　may　say　here；〃　and　that　he　would　have　made　it　his　motto。　For　he；　like　all　truly　great　statesmen；　was　so　immensely　concerned　in　winning　today's　battle；　that　he　wasted　no　time　in　speculating　what　tomorrow；　or　next　year；　or　next　century　would　say　about　it。　Mysticism；　the　recurrent　fad　which　indicates　that　its　victims　neither　see　clear　nor　think　straight；　could　not　spread　its　veils　over　him。　The　man　who　visualizes　is　safe　from　that　intellectual　weakness　and　moral　danger。　But　although　Roosevelt　felt　the　sway　of　the　true　emotions；　he　allowed　only　his　intimates　to　know　what　he　held　most　intimate　and　sacred。　He　felt　also　the　charm　of　beauty；　and　over　and　over　again　in　his　descriptions　of　hunting　and　riding　in　the　West；　he　pauses　to　recall　beautiful　scenery　or　some　unusual　bit　of　landscape；　and　even　in　remembering　his　passage　down　the　River　of　Doubt；　when　he　came　nearer　to　death　than　he　ever　came　until　he　died；　in　spite　of　tormenting　pain　and　desperate　anxiety　for　his　companions；　he　mentions　more　than　once　the　loveliness　of　the　river　scene　or　of　the　massed　foliage　along　its　banks。　Naturalist　though　he　was；　bent　first　on　studying　the　habits　of　birds　and　animals；　he　yet　took　keen　delight　in　the　iridescent　plumage　or　graceful　form　or　the　beautiful　fur　of　bird　and　beast。

The　quality　of　a　writer　can　best　be　judged　by　reading　a　whole　chapter；　or　two　or　three；　of　his　book；　but　sometimes　he　reveals　a　phase　of　himself　in　a　single　paragraph。　Read；　for　instance；　this　brief　extract　from　Roosevelt's　〃Through　the　Brazilian　Wilderness；〃　if　you　would　understand　some　of　the　traits　which　I　have　just　alluded　to。　It　comes　at　the　end　of　his　long　and　dismaying　exploration　of　the　River　of　Doubt；　when　the　party　was　safe　at　last；　and　the　terrible　river　was　about　to　flow　into　the　broad；　lakelike　Amazon；　and　Manaos　was　almost　in　sight；　where　civilization　could　be　laid　hold　on　again；　Manaos；　whence　the　swift　ships　went　steaming　towards　the　Atlantic　and　the　Atlantic　opened　a　clear　path　home。　He　says：

'The　North　was　calling　strongly　the　three　men　of　the　NorthRocky　Dell　Farm　to　Cherrie；　Sagamore　Hill　to　me；　and　to　Kermit　the　call　was　stronger　still。　After　nightfall　we　could　now　see　the　Dipper　well　above　the　horizonupside　down　with　the　two　pointers　pointing　to　a　North　Star　below　the　world's　rim；　but　the　Dipper；　with　all　its　stars。　In　our　home　country　spring　had　now　come；　the　wonderful　Northern　spring　of　long；　glorious　days；　of　brooding　twilight；　of　cool；　delightful　nights。　Robin　and　bluebird；　meadow…lark　and　song…sparrow　were　singing　in　the　mornings　at　home；　the　maple　buds　were　red；　windflowers　and　bloodroot　were　blooming　while　the　last　patches　of　snow　still　lingered；　the　rapture　of　the　hermit　thrush　in　Vermont；　the　serene　golden　melody　of　the　wood　thrush　on　Long　Island；　would　be　heard　before　we　were　there　to　listen。　Each　was　longing　for　the　homely　things　that　were　so　dear　to　him；　for　the　home　people　who　were　dearer　still；　and　for　the　one　who　was　dearest　of　all。'　*

*　Through　the　Brazilian　Wilderness；　320。



CHAPTER　VI。　APPLYING　MORALS　TO　POLITICS

I　have　said　that　Roosevelt　devoted　the　two　years　after　he　came　back　to　New　York　to　writing；　but　it　would　be　a　mistake　to　imagine　that　writing　alone　busied　him。　He　was　never　a　man　who　did　or　would　do　only　one　thing　at　a　time。　His　immense　energy　craved　variety；　and　in　variety　he　found　recreation。　Now　that　the　physical　Roosevelt　had　caught　up　in　relative　strength　with　the　intellectual；　he　could　take　what　holidays　requiring　exhaustless　bodily　vigor　he　chose。　The　year　seldom　passed　now　when　he　did　not　go　West　for　a　month　or　two。　Bill　Sewall　and　Wilmot　Dow　were　established　with　their　families　on　the　Elkhorn　Ranch；　which　Roosevelt　continued　to　own；　although；　I　believe；　like　many　ranches　at　that　period；　it　ceased　to　be　a　good　investment。　Sometimes　he　made　a　hurried　dash　to　southern　Texas；　or　to　the　Selkirks；　or　to　Montana　in　search　of　new　sorts　of　game。　In　the　mountains　he　indulged　in　climbing；　but　this　was　not　a　favorite　with　him　because　it　offered　less　sport　in　proportion　to　the　fatigue。　While　he　was　still　a　young　man　he　had　gone　up　the　Matterhorn　and　Mont　Blanc；　feats　which　still　required　endurance；　although　they　did　not　involve　danger。

While　we　think　of　him；　therefore；　as　dedicating　himself　to　his　literary　workthe　〃Winning　of　the　West〃　and　the　accounts　of　ranch　lifewe　must　remember　that　he　had　leisure　for　other　things。　He　watched　keenly　the　course　of　politics；　for　instance；　and　in　1888　when　the　Republicans　nominated　Benjamin　Harrison　as　their　candidate　for　President；　Roosevelt　supported　him　effectively　and　took　rank　with　the　foremost　Republican　speakers　of　the　campaign。　After　his　election　Harrison；　who　both　recognized　Roosevelt's　great　ability　and　felt　under　obligation　to　him；　wished　to　offer　him　the　position　of　an　under…secretary　in　the　State　Department；　but　Blaine；　who　was　slated　for　Secretary　of　State；　had　no　liking　for　the　young　Republican　whose　coolness　in　1884　he　had　not　forgotten。　So　Harrison　invited　Roosevelt　to　be　a　Civil　Service　Commissioner。　The　position　had　never　been　conspicuous；　its　salary　was　not　large；　its　duties　were　of　the　routine　kind　which　did　not　greatly　tax　the　energies　of　the　Commissioners；　who　could　never　hope　for　fame；　but　only　for　the　approval　of　their　own　consciences　for　whatever　good　work　they　did。　The　Machine　Republicans；　whether　of　national　size；　or　of　State　or　municipal；　were　glad　to　know　that　Roosevelt　would　be　put　out　of　the　way　in　that　office