theodore roosevelt-第17节

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ll　sorts　of　persons　expressed　regrets　that　were　really　sincere；　and　their　gratitude　for　the　good　which　he　had　done　for　them　all。　Some　of　them　protested　that　he　ought　not　to　abandon　the　duty　which　he　had　discharged　so　valiantly。　One　of　these　was　Edwin　L。　Godkin；　editor　of　The　Nation　and　the　New　York　Evening　Post；　a　critic　who　seldom　spoke　politely　of　anything　except　ideals　which　had　not　been　attained；　or　commended　persons　who　were　not　dead　and　so　beyond　reach　of　praise。

Since　Roosevelt　himself　has　quoted　this　passage　from　Godkin's　letter　to　him；　I　think　it　ought　to　be　reprinted　here：　〃I　have　a　concern；　as　the　Quakers　say；　to　put　on　record　my　earnest　belief　that　in　New　York　you　are　doing　the　greatest　work　of　which　any　American　today　is　capable；　and　exhibiting　to　the　young　men　of　the　country　the　spectacle　of　a　very　important　office　administered　by　a　man　of　high　character　in　the　most　efficient　way　amid　a　thousand　difficulties。　As　a　lesson　in　politics　I　cannot　think　of　anything　more　instructive。〃

Godkin　was　a　great　power　for　good；　in　spite　of　the　obvious　unpopularity　which　an　incessant　critic　cannot　fail　to　draw　down　upon　himself。　The　most　pessimistic　of　us　secretly　crave　a　little　respite　when　for　half　an　hour　we　may　forget　the　circumambient　and　all…pervading　gloom：　music；　or　an　entertaining　book；　or　a　dear　friend　lifts　the　burden　from　us。　And　then　comes　our　uncompromising　pessimist　and　chides　us　for　our　softness　and　for　letting　ourselves　be　led　astray　from　our　pessimism。　His　jeremiads　are　probably　justified；　and　as　the　historian　looks　back　he　finds　that　they　give　the　truest　statement　of　the　past；　for　the　present　must　be　very　bad；　indeed；　if　it　does　not　discover　conditions　still　worse　in　the　past　from　which　it　has　emerged。　But　Godkin　living　could　not　escape　from　two　sorts　of　unsympathetic　depreciators：　first；　the　wicked　who　smarted　under　his　just　scourge；　and　next；　the　upright；　who　tired　of　unremittent　censure；　although　they　admitted　that　it　was　just。

Roosevelt　came；　quite　naturally；　to　set　the　doer　above　the　critic；　who；　he　thought；　quickly　degenerated　into　a　fault　finder　and　from　that　into　a　common　scold。　When　a　man　plunges　into　a　river　to　save　somebody　from　drowning；　if　you　do　not　plunge　in　yourself；　at　least　do　not　jeer　at　him　for　his　method　of　swimming。　So　Roosevelt；　who　shrank　from　no　bodily　or　moral　risk　himself；　held　in　scorn　the　〃timid　good；〃　the　〃　acidly　cantankerous；〃　the　peace…at…any…price　people；　and　the　entire　tribe　of　those　who；　instead　of　attacking　iniquities　and　abuses；　attacked　those　who　are　desperately　engaged　in　fighting　these；　For　this　reason　he　probably　failed　to　absorb　from　Godkin's　criticism　some　of　the　benefit　which　it　might　have　brought　him。　The　pills　were　bitter；　but　salutary。　While　he　was　Police　Commissioner　one　of　Joseph　Choate's　epigrams　passed　current　and　is　still　worth　recalling。　When　some　one　remarked　that　New　York　was　a　very　wicked　city；　Choate　replied；　〃How　can　you　expect　it　to　be　otherwise；　when　Dana　makes　Vice　so　attractive　in　the　Sun　every　morning；　and　Godkin　makes　Virtue　so　odious　in　the　Post　every　afternoon？〃　Charles　A。　Dana；　the　editor　of　the　Sun；　the　stanch　supporter　of　Tammany　Hall；　and　the　apologist　of　almost　every　evil　movement　for　nearly　thirty　years；　was　a　writer　of　diabolical　cleverness　whose　newspaper　competed　with　Godkin's　among　the　intellectual　readers　in　search　of　amusement。　At　one　time；　when　Godkin　had　been　particularly　caustic；　and　the　Mugwumps　at　Harvard　were　unusually　critical；　Roosevelt　attended　a　committee　meeting　at　the　University。　After　talking　with　President　Eliot；　he　went　and　sat　by　a　professor；　and　remarked；　play　fully；　〃Eliot　is　really　a　good　fellow　at　heart。　Do　you　suppose　that；　if　he　bit　Godkin；　it　would　take？〃　So　Roosevelt　went　back　to　Washington　to　be　henceforth；　as　it　proved；　a　national　figure　whose　career　was　to　be　forever　embedded　in　the　structural　growth　of　the　United　States。



CHAPTER　VII。　THE　ROUGH　RIDER

When　Roosevelt　returned　to　Washington　in　March；　1897；　to　take　up　his　duties　as　a　subordinate　officer　in　the　National　Government；　he　was　thirty…eight　years　old；　a　man　in　the　prime　of　life；　with　the　strength　of　an　ox；　but　quick　in　movement；　and　tough　in　endurance。　A　rapid　thinker；　his　intellect　seemed　as　impervious　to　fatigue　as　was　his　energy。　Along　with　this　physical　and　intellectual　make　up　went　courage　of　both　kinds；　passion　for　justice；　and　a　buoying　sense　of　obligation　towards　his　fellows　and　the　State。　His　career　thus　far　had　prepared　him　for　the　highest　service。　Born　and　brought　up　amid　what　our　society　classifiers；　with　their　sure　democratic　instincts；　loved　to　call　the　〃aristocratic〃　circle　in　New　York；　his　three　years　in　the　Assembly　at　Albany　introduced　him　to　the　motley　group　of　Representatives　of　high　and　low；　bank　presidents　and　farmers；　blacklegs　and　philanthropists；　who　gathered　there　to　make　the　laws　for　New　York　State。　There　he　displayed　the　preference；　characteristic　of　him　through　life；　of　choosing　his　intimates　irrespective　of　their　occupation　or　social　label。　Then　he　went　out　on　the　Plains　and　learned　to　live　with　wild　men；　for　whom　the　artificial　distinctions　of　civilization　had　no　meaning。　He　adapted　himself　to　a　primeval　standard　in　which　courage　and　a　rough　sense　of　honor　were　the　chief　virtues。　But　this　experience　did　still　more　for　him　than　prove　his　personal　power　of　getting　along　with　such　lower　types　of　men；　for　it　revealed　to　him　the　human　extremes　of　the　American　Nation。　How　vast　it　was；　how　varied；　how　intricate；　and；　potentially；　how　sublime！　Lincoln；　coming　out　of　the　Kentucky　back　woods；　first　to　Springfield；　Illinois；　then　to　Chicago　in　its　youth；　and　finally　to　Washington；　similarly　passed　in　review　the　American　contrasts　of　his　time。　More　specific　was　Roosevelt's　training　as　a　Civil　Service　Commissioner。　The　public　had　been　applauding　him　as　a　youthful　prodigy；　as　a　fellow　of　high　spirit；　of　undisputed　valor；　of　brilliant　flashes；　of　versatility；　but　the　worldly…wise；　who　have　been　too　often　fooled；　were　haunted　by　the　suspicion　that　perhaps　this　astonishing　young　man　would　turn　out　to　be　only　a　meteor　after　all。　His　six　years　of　routine　work　on　the　Civil　Service　Commission　put　this　anxiety　to　rest。　That　work　could　not　be　carried　on　successfully　by　a　man　of　moods　and　spurts；　but　only　by　a　man　of　solid　moral　basis；　who　could　not　be　disheartened　by　opposition　or　deflected　by　threats　or　by　temptations；　and；　as　I　have　before　suggested；　the　people　began　to　accustom　itself　to　the　fact　that　whatever　position　Roosevelt　filled　was　conspicuous　precisely　because　he　filled　it。　A　good　while　was　still　to　elapse　before　we　understood　that　notoriety　was　inseparable　from　him；　and　did　not　need　to　be　explained　by　the　theory　that　he　was　constantly　setting　traps　for　self…advertisement。

As　Police　Commissioner　of　New　York　City　he　continued　his　familiar　methods；　and　deepened　the　impression　he　had　created。　He　carried　boldness　to　the　point　of　audacity　and　glorified　the　〃square　deal。〃　Whatever　he　undertook；　he　drove　through　with　the　remorselessness　of　a　zealot。　He　made　no　pretense　of　treating　humbugs　and　shams　as　if　they　were　honest　and　real；　and　when　he　found　that　the　laws　which　were　made　to　punish　criminals；　were　used　to　protect　them；　no　scruple　prevented　him　from　achieving　the　spirit　of　the　law；　although　he　might　disregard　its　perverted　letter。

Ponder　this　striking　example。　The　City　of　New　York　forbade　the　sale　of　liquor　to　minors。　But　this　ordinance　was　so　completely　unobserved　that　a　large　proportion　of　the　common　drunks　brought　before　the　Police　Court　were　lads　and　even　young　girls；　to　whom　the　bar…tenders　sold　with　impunity。　The　children；　often　the　little　children　of　depraved　parents；　〃rushed　the　growler〃；　factory　hands　sent　the　boys　out　regularly　to　fetch　their　bottle　or　bucket　of　drink　from　the　saloons。　Everybody　knew　of　these　breaches　of　the　law；　but　the　framers　of　the　law　had　taken　care　to　make　it　very　difficult　to　procure　legal　evidence　of　those　breaches。　The　public　conscience　was　pricked　a　little　when　the　newspapers　told　it　that　one　of　the　youths　sent　for　liquor　had　drunk　so　much　of　it　that　he　fell　into　a　stupor；　took　refuge　in　an　old　building；　and　that　there　the　rats　had　eaten　him　alive。　Whether　it　was　before　or　after　this　horror　that　Chief　Commissioner　Roosevelt　decided　to　take　the　law　into　his　own　hands；　I　do　not　know；　but　what　he　did　was　swift。　The　Police　engaged　one　of　the　minors；　who　had　been　in　the　habit　of　going　to　the　saloons；　to　go　for　another　supply；　and　then　to　testify。　This　summary　proceeding　scared　the　rum…dealers　and；　no　doubt；　they　guarded　against　being　caught　again。　But　the　victims　of　moral　dry　rot　held　up　their　hands　in　rebuke　and　one　of　the　city　judges　wept　metaphorical　tears　of　chagrin　that　the　Police　should　engage　in　the　awful　crime　of　enticing　a　youth　to　commit　crime。　The　record　does　not　show　that　this　judge；　or　any　other；　had　ever　done　anything　to　check　the　practice　of　selling　liquor　to　minors；　a　practice　which　inevitably　led　thousands　of　the　youth　of　New　York　City　to　become　drunkards。

How　do　you　judge　Roosevelt's　act？　Do　you　admit　that　a　little　wrong　may　ever　be　done　in　order　to　secure　a　great　right？　Roosevelt　held；　in　such　cases；　that　the　wrong　is　only　technical；　or　a　blind　set　up　by　the　wicked　to