Show Describes Literary Work of Roosevelt I Brander Matthews l Praises Writings r of Late Leader D R MATTHEWS writes rites In tho J- J B BRA March number of ot was as ns distinctly a n man manof manof manot of ot letters as ho was a man of ot action Ho mado made himself known to tho the public first of all as tho the historian of or tho the American navy nav In tho war of ot 1812 ho followed this up with tho the four strenuously strenuously documented volumes of ot his his his' Winning of the West ost and amid all tho the multiplied activities of his later lator years ears I I he mado made leisure for tho the written appreciation ap ap- apI I of ot one ono or another of or tho the I books ho had found to his taste It must bo ho admitted that In the dee dec ado which has elapsed since he left the thc White House his intense Interest In public affairs led him to oto do a large larse part of ot his energy to tho consideration consideration consideration con con- of ot the pressing problems of ot the tho hour to topics of ot Immediate Importance importance Im Im- to themes of only ephemeral value sufficient unto the day In three or four different t periodicals ho lie served ser as contributing editor In editor In other words he was a writer of Jr signed editorials In which he was alwn always 8 free freo to express his own views frankly and full fully without without without with with- out undue re regard ard for Cor that mysterious entity tho the policy of the tho paper Writes rite of Travels Tra The These e contemporary contribution contributions to dallies and nd weeklies and monthlies arc are journalism rather than literature and the tho more completely they fulfilled tho the purpose of ot the moment the tho less do they demand preservation But Hut In these same ten years Roosevelt wrote also his two books of travel In Africa and In iii South America as vivacious vl as they thoy were ero conscientious his alluring and self revelatory autobiography and his two volumes of essays anti and addresses III History tor as Literature and andA A BookLovers BookLover's BookLovers BookLover's Book- Book Lovers Lover's Holidays In the Open both of thorn them pungent with his s individuality It Is not always always In In fact It Is often that that the accomplished man of ot loiters letters has the essential equipment for tor Journalism Jour jour- Ho Ito is lIkel likely to bo ho more moro or less academic and t to tJ lack the tho simplicity the tho singleness of ot purpose tho the directness directness directness direct direct- ness of or statement demanded In tho the discussion discussion dis dle- of oC the thc events of ot tho moment The editorial stands In tho same ro- ro atlon lation to literature that the stump speech holds to tho the stately oration In his state papers and messages he had already proved that he had tho the gift girt of or the winged phrase keenly pointed and barbed to flesh Jesh Itself In tho the mem mom or ory Ho lie had preached tho the of or orthe the tho strenuous life lito and he had ex expounded ox- ox p pounded the policy of or tho the square squar deal I In ID had denounced some somo men inen as l undesirable undesirable un desirable citizens' citizens and others as malefactors male malo factors of great wealth And when ho took look up the thc task of ot journalism ho he was happily Inspired to the minting of ot other memorable phrases Apt Used Uc l Thero There was for tor example an Setul felicity In his Ills characterization characterisation of ot tho the weasel words' words that sometimes suck the lIfo out of ot a Do phrase strong and bold Never did heuse ho he house use uso smooth and sleek rhetoric to dis- dis disguise guise gulso absence or vagueness of ot thought In n tho the periodical as on tho the platform ho 10 spoke out of tho the of ot his heart after his mind had clarified his emotion so 80 that It poured forth with crystalline lucidity Possibly the Ico tico of the tho platform which finds a n pro pro- profit fit It in Iteration and reiteration was re- re I I I I for tor the tho occasional diffuseness and redundancy in his writing for tor the tho periodical There was no mistaking tho full tull In Intent intent In- In tent of ot his own words Ho lie knew what lie ho meant to sa say and he be know how to 81 say it with simple sincerity and with ho vigorous ous vivacity His Ills straightforwardness straightforward straightforward- ness prevented his over 01 employing phrases that faced both wt and that provided from which ho he might crawl out Ills Hla tylo was tingling alive It was masculine and vascular and aid it was always tho the st style stylo lo of ot a gentleman gentleman gentleman gentle gentle- man and a scholar Ho lIo could puncture with a n rapier and ho he could smash with witha a Q sledge-hammer sledge and If l ho used the tho latter more moro often than the thc former it was because of or his forthrightness and consuming hatred of ot things unmanly ignominious Infamous Infamous' tho the vision It is 18 by imagination by Ly and the faculty divine that now and again an nn occasional address like Lincoln's Lincoln's Lin Lin- coln's at nt Gett Gettysburg or a a. contributed editorial like Roosevelt's on The liTho Great Adventure Ad transcends Its Immediate Immediate Immediate Im Im- mediate and temporary purpose and Is la lifted up to the hel heights of pure literature It is not without Intention that The Great Adventure has hns been set sot by the thc side of ot the thc Gettysburg ad address address address ad- ad dress they thoy are arc akin and there thero Is In Roosevelt's paragraphs not a a. little ot of the tho poetic elevation and of ot tho the exalted dignity of ot phrase which combine combino to tomake tomake tomake make tho the address a masterpiece of ot English prose st style le is firm and succulent suc uc and its excellence is duo to his ha having learned the tho lesson of tho the masters masters masters mas mas- of ot English lIe Ho wrote well wall because beca ho halt had read widely and deeply because ho had absorbed good literature for tho the sheer delight he took In It Consciously o or r r. unconsciously he enriched his vocabulary vo vocabulary vo- vo cabula accumulating a store storo of ot strong words which he mado made flexible bending them to do his bidding But Dut Buthe Duthe he ho was never bookish In his diction h he h. never novel wont In quest of recondite vo vo- vo- vo cables because his taste was refined and because he was ever er sock seeking Ins to lo bo be understood of or the people Work ork Will Ill Live Ll What seems Colonel Roosevelt's most enduring work Brander Matthews sa says s 's Varied and brilliant as aa were ero Roosevelt's Roose I velt's vell's contributions to other departments departments departments depart depart- ments of ot literature It Is 16 more moro than probable pro bable bahlo that his ultimate reputation as asa asa a lL man of ot letters lotters will most securely rest upon his stern tern labors aa ns a lL historian his his- torian not torian-not not on oh tho the brisk and lively little lIt lIt- tle book on New York fork that ho he contributed contributed contributed con con- con con- to Freemans Freeman's Historic Towns Towns' of or Brenton urea urea- series not on tho the biographies ton ten and Gouverneur Morris that he wrote for the tho American Statesman sores sor ser ice Ies es not on tho the shrewd and sympathetic tic life liCe of ot Cromwell not on the tho stirring and picturesque Hero llero Tales of ot American Ameri Ameri- In collaboration collaboration collaboration col col- can History which ho prepared with Henry Cabot Lodge but on the tho four stately tomes of his most energetic and ambitious undertaking undertaking under under- taking the story etory of ot The lh Winning of ot tho the West est which ho he began besan early In hi hid hie manhood and which ho was always alwn s 's hoping to carr carry further At tho the end of C tho the foreword to A fA A Lovers Book Holidays Holidays' there thore Is a noble passage which calls for tor quotation hero as an example of ot Roosevelt's command nail and of ot nervous English measured cadenced It Is proposed In proof of the tho assertion that the joy of ot living lUlng Is his who has hils the heart to demand It The Tho beauty and charm of ot the wilderness wilderness wil wil- are his for tho the asking for tho the edges of ot the wilderness lie llo close bo- bo side ildo tho beaten roads of ot present travel tra He le can see coo the red splendor of ot desert sunsets and the unearthly glory of or the tho afterglow on the tho battlements of ot desolate desol desol- ate nto mountains In sapphire gulfs of ot ocean ho he can visit islets above o which the wings of ot myriads of ot seafowl mako make a kind lind of ot shifting cuneiform script in tho the air Ho IIo can rIde along the tho brink of ot the tho stupendous walled cliff canyon canon eagles soar Boar below him and cougars cousars make their lairs on tho ed edges es and harr harry tho the big horned sheep no IIo can journey through tho the northern forests the homo home of or the giant moose tho the forests forests forests for for- ests of ot fragrant and murmuring life lICo In summer the Iron-bound Iron and melancholy melancholy melan melan- choly forests of ot winter Theodore Roosevelt ot had the tho heart henrt to demand It and nd tho jO joy of ot living was his lIis |