theodore roosevelt-第4节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


t　Oyster　Bay；　where　his　father　first　leased　a　house　in　1874；　he　spent　much　of　his　time　on　the　water；　but　he　deemed　sailing　rather　lazy　and　unexciting；　compared　with　rowing。　He　enjoyed　taking　his　row…boat　out　into　the　Sound；　and；　if　a　high　headwind　was　blowing；　or　the　sea　ran　in　whitecaps；　so　much　the　better。　He　was　now　able　to　share　in　all　of　the　athletic　pastimes　of　his　companions；　although；　so　far　as　I　know；　he　never　indulged　in　baseball；　the　commonest　game　of　all。

When　he　entered　Harvard　as　a　Freshman　in　1876；　that　institution　was　passing　through　its　transition　from　college　to　university；　which　had　begun　when　Charles　W。　Eliot　became　its　President　seven　years　before。　In　spite　of　vehement　assaults；　the　Great　Educator　pushed　on　his　reform　slowly　but　resistlessly。　He　needed　to　train　not　only　the　public　but　many　members；　perhaps　a　majority；　of　his　faculty。　Young　Roosevelt　found　a　body　of　eight　hundred　undergraduates；　the　largest　number　up　to　that　time。　While　the　Elective　System　had　been　introduced　in　the　upper　classes；　Freshmen　and　Sophomores　were　still　required　to　take　the　courses　prescribed　for　them。

To　one　who　looks　back；　after　forty　years；　on　the　Harvard　of　that　time　there　was　much　about　it；　the　loss　of　which　must　be　regretted。　Limited　in　many　directions　it　was；　no　doubt；　but　its　very　limitations　made　for　friendship　and　for　that　sense　of　intimate　mutual；　relationship；　out　of　which　springs　mutual　affection。　You　belonged　to　Harvard；　and　she　to　you。　That　she　was　small；　compared　with　her　later　magnitude；　no　more　lessened　your　love　for　her；　than　your　love　for　your　own　mother　could　be　increased　were　she　suddenly　to　become　a　giantess。　The　undergraduate　community　was　not　exactly　a　large　family；　but　it　was；　nevertheless；　restricted　enough　not　only　for　a　fellow　to　know　at　least　by　sight　all　of　his　classmates；　but　also　to　have　some　knowledge　of　what　was　going　on　in　other　classes　as　well　as　in　the　College　as　a　whole。　Academic　fame；　too；　had　a　better　chance　then　than　it　has　now。　There　were　eight　or　ten　professors；　whom　most　of　the　fellows　knew　by　sight；　and　all　by　reputation；　now；　however；　I　meet　intelligent　students　who　have　never　heard　even　the　name　of　the　head　of　some　department　who　is　famous　throughout　the　world　among　his　colleagues；　but　whose　courses　that　student　has　never　taken。

In　spite　of　the　simplicity　and　the　homelikeness　of　the　Harvard　with　eight　hundred　undergraduates；　however；　it　was　large　enough　to　afford　the　opportunity　of　meeting　men　of　many　different　tastes　and　men　from　all　parts　of　the　country。　So　it　gave　free　play　to　the　development　of　individual　talents；　and　its　standard　of　scholarship　was　already　sufficiently　high　to　ensure　the　excellence　of　the　best　scholars　it　trained。　One　quality　which　we　probably　took　little　note　of；　although　it　must　have　affected　us　all；　sprang　from　the　fact　that　Harvard　was　still　a　crescent　institution；　she　was　in　the　full　vigor　of　growth；　of　expansion；　of　increase；　and　we　shared　insensibly　from　being　connected　with　that　growth。　In　retrospect　now；　and　giving　due　recognition　to　this　crescent　spirit；　I　recall　that；　in　spite　of　it；　Omar　Khayyam　was　the　favorite　poet　of　many　of　us；　that　introspection；　which　sometimes　deepened　into　pessimism；　was　in　vogue；　and　that　a　spiritual　or　philosophic　languorous　disenchantment　sicklied　o'er　the　somewhat　mottled　cast　of　our　thought。

Roosevelt　took　rooms　at　No。　16　Winthrop　Street；　a　quiet　little　lane　midway　between　the　College　Yard　and　Charles　River；　where　he　could　pursue　his　hobbies　without　incessant　interruption　from　casual　droppers…in。　Here　he　kept　the　specimens　which　he　went　on　collecting；　some　livea　large　turtle　and　two　or　three　harmless　snakes；　for　instanceand　some　dead　and　stuffed。　He　was　no　〃grind〃；　the　gods　take　care　not　to　mix　even　a　drop　of　pedantry　in　the　make…up　of　the　rare　men　whom　they　destine　for　great　deeds　or　fine　works。　Theodore　was　already　so　much　stronger　in　his　health　that　he　went　on　to　get　still　more　strength。　He　had　regular　lessons　in　boxing。　He　took　long　walks　and　studied　the　flora　and　fauna　of　the　country　round　Cambridge　in　his　amateurish　but　intense　way。　During　his　first　Christmas　vacation；　he　went　down　to　the　Maine　Woods　and　camped　out；　and　there　he　met　Bill　Sewall；　a　famous　guide；　who　remained　Theodore's　friend　through　life；　and　Wilmot　Dow；　Sewall's　nephew；　another　woodsman；　and　this　trip；　subsequently　followed　by　others；　did　much　good　to　his　physique。　He　still　had　occasional　attacks　of　asthmahe　〃guffled〃　as　Bill　Sewall　called　itand　they　were　sometimes　acute；　but　his　tendency　to　them　slowly　wore　away。

All　his　days　Roosevelt　was　proud　of　being　a　Harvard　man。　Even　in　the　period　when　academic　Harvard　was　most　critical　of　his　public　acts；　he　never　wavered　in　his　devotion　to　Alma　Mater　herself；　that　dear　and　lovely　Being；　who；　like　the　ideal　of　our　country；　lives　on　to　inspire　us　in　spite　of　unsympathetic　administrations　and　unloved　leaders。

〃The　One　remains；　the　many　change　and　pass。〃

Nevertheless；　in　his　〃Autobiography；〃　Theodore　makes　very　scant　record　of　his　college　life。　〃I　thoroughly　enjoyed　Harvard；〃　he　says；　〃and　I　am　sure　it　did　me　good；　but　only　in　the　general　effect；　for　there　was　very　little　in　my　actual　studies　which　helped　me　in　after　life。〃　*　Like　nine　out　of　ten　men　who　look　back　on　college　he　could　make　no　definite　estimate　of　the　actual　gains　from　those　four　years；　but　it　is　precisely　the　indefiniteness；　the　elusiveness　of　the　college　experience　which　marks　its　worth。　This　is　not　to　be　reckoned　financially　by　an　increase　in　dollars　and　cents；　or　intellectually；　by　so　many　added　foot…pounds　of　knowledge。　Harvard　College　was　of　inestimable　benefit　to　Roosevelt；　because　it　enabled　him　to　find　himselfto　be　a　man　with　his　fellow　men。

*Autobiography；　27。


During　his　youth　his　physical　handicap　had　rather　cut　him　off　from　companionship　on　equal　terms　with　his　fellows。　Now；　however；　he　could　enter　with　zest　in　their　sports　and　societies。　At　the　very　beginning　of　his　Freshman　year　he　showed　his　classmates　his　mettle。　During　the　presidential　torchlight　parade　when　the　jubilant　Freshmen　were　marching　for　Hayes；　some　Tilden　man　shouted　derisively　at　them　from　a　second…story　window　and　pelted　them　with　potatoes。　It　was　impossible　for　them　to　get　at　him；　but　Theodore；　who　was　always　stung　at　any　display　of　meanness　and　it　was　certainly　mean　to　attack　the　paraders　when　they　could　not　retaliatestood　out　from　the　line　and　shook　his　fist　at　the　assailant。　His　fellow　marchers　asked　who　their　champion　was；　and　so　the　name　of　Roosevelt　and　his　pugnacious　little　figure　became　generally　known　to　them。　He　was　little　then；　not　above　five　feet　six　in　height；　and　under　one　hundred　and　thirty　pounds　in　weight。　By　degrees　they　all　knew　him。　His　unusual　ways；　his　loyalty　to　his　hobbies；　which　he　treated　not　as　mere　whims　but　as　being　worthy　of　serious　application；　his　versatility；　his　outspokenness；　his　almost　unbroken　good…nature；　attracted　most　of　the　persons　with　whom　he　came　in　contact。　He　rose　to　be　President　of　the　Natural　History　Society；　a　distinction　which　implied　some　real　merit　in　its　possessor。　His　family　antecedents；　but　still　more　his　personal　qualities；　made　easy　for　him　the　ascent　of　the　social　terraces　at　Harvardthe　Dicky；　the　Hasty　Pudding　Club；　and　the　Porcellian。　He　was　editor　of　the　Harvard　Advocate；　which　opened　the　door　of　the　O。K。　Society；　where　he　found　congenial　intellectual　companionship　with　the　editors　from　the　classes　above　and　below　him；　and　when　Dr。　Edward　Everett　Hale　wished　to　revive　and　perpetuate　the　Alpha　Delta　Phi　Fraternity；　Roosevelt　was　one　of　the　half…dozen　men　from　the　Class　of　1880　whom　he　selected。

My　first　definite　recollection　of　him　is　at　the　annual　dinner　of　the　Harvard　Crimson　in　January　or　February；　1879。　He　was　invited　as　a　guest　to　represent　the　Advocate。　Since　entering　college　I　had　met　him　casually　many　times　and　had　heard　of　his　oddities　and　exuberance；　but　throughout　this　dinner　I　came　to　feel　that　I　knew　him。　On　being　called　on　to　speak　he　seemed　very　shy　and　made；　what　I　think　he　said；　was　his　maiden　speech。　He　still　had　difficulty　in　enunciating　clearly　or　even　in　running　off　his　words　smoothly。　At　times　he　could　hardly　get　them　out　at　all；　and　then　he　would　rush　on　for　a　few　sentences；　as　skaters　redouble　their　pace　over　thin　ice。　He　told　the　story　of　two　old　gentlemen　who　stammered；　the　point　of　which　was；　that　one　of　them；after　distressing　contortions　and　stoppages；　recommended　the　other　to　go　to　Dr。　X；　adding；　〃He　cured　me。〃

A　trifling　bit　of　thistledown　for　memory　to　have　preserved　after　all　these　years；　but　still　it　is　interesting　to　me　to　recall　that　this　was　the　beginning　of　the　public　speaking　of　the　man　who　later　addressed　more　audiences　than　any　other　orator　of　his　time　and　made　a　deeper　impression　by　his　spoken　word。

One　other　reminiscence　of　Roosevelt　at　Harvard；　almost　as　unsubstantial　as　this。　Late　in　his　Senior　year　we　had　a　committee　meeting　of　the　Alpha　Delta　Phi　in　Charles　Washburn's　room　at　15　Holworthy。　Roosevelt　and　I　sat　in　the　window…seat　overlooking　the　College　Yard　and　chatted　together　in　the　intervals　when　business　was　slack。　We　discussed　what　we　intended　to　do　after　graduation。　〃I　am　going　to　try　to　help　the　cause　of　better　government　in