He struck the hand of a great
gentleman, a great statesman, and, in the best sense, a man of the
world, into the hands not only of kings and emperors, ministers and
soldiers, but of authors, poets, artists, men of science, explorers,
naturalists, and last, but not least, of men of action in all ranks of
life. He attained to this freedom of the Great World early in life. He
had in effect that singular advantage which belongs to kings. For twenty
years of his life at least he had always at his command the best brains
in the world. He had only to make a sign to get _en rapport_ with
the man who knew most on the subject that was interesting him. Besides
this, as his Biographer, Mr. Bishop, has pointed out, Roosevelt had the
essential mark of a great man. Emerson truly said, "He is great who
never reminds us of others." Certainly Roosevelt stood alone. Though he
touched many men of the Old World and the New, and of the old age and
the new, he was intensely individual.
As to his personal characteristic. One of the most memorable of his
personal characteristics was that, in spite of the fierce conflicts of
his political life, no one ever seriously accused him of a mean or
ignoble act.
Pages:
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593