What a difference between Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt!  I had the joy of meeting "Teddy" more than once during his Presidency. He looked for all the world what you would expect a man to look who wielded the "Big Stick" with crushing effect against all comers, whether these opponets chanced to be Spaniard in the block-houses of San Juan Hill, an untameable broncho 'way out west, lion in the African
jungle , poisonous snakes in the fever infested swamps along the River of Doubt- or a political opponent anywhere. Roosevelt would clench his fist  (this was my first impression of him) and penetrate with his keen eye until there was left no glimmer of doubt as to the man's intense earnestness and his fixed purpose to see right through whatever job he undertook.  His massive shoulders, his prominent teeth, the half squint in his eye, his rather unkempt moustache, all contributed to make him a formidable personality. But often there came into his face the light of full enjoyment of a humorous remark of situation. He could laugh as heartily as he fought doggedly. And whenever I shook hands with him I decided that here was a man of broad and kindly humanity. I loved him from the onset.
     Roosevelt was a magnificent figure in America life for many years. I read in a London newspaper the other day that a very eminent German biographer, Emil Ludwig, had made the pointed statement that
"Bismarck and Roosevelt, are the two outstanding figures of the past hundred years."  I do not propose to examine this observation in any way and only quote it to show how powerfully the redoubtable Teddy impressed himself upon the world. Surely he was the most many-sided President America ever had. When I first went to the States I simply could not understand why he was either madly loved or violently hated. It was a complete enigma to me until I began to realize some of the forces the bull-dog  President was up against. His enemies openly cursed and slandered him. I was tremendously interested  (and keenly shocked) to come across some printed villifications of the President the like of which we would never have tolerated in the press of Britain. I cut out some of these published tirades at the time and put them away beside my American "souvenirs"  from which I have just retrieved them. They struck me then as being so terrible, applied to the President of the country, and yet so picturesque in phraseology that I decided to keep them as curios. One political opponent referred to him as "this roaring, ring-tailed, buck-jumping prophet,"  while the other applied the tar and features in this language.. "Had the President
been damned by Sycorax (who this lady was I haven't the foggiest idea but she can't have been nice to know 0, sired by the Devil, and born in Hell he would disgrace his parents and dishonour his country no more!" Of course I don't know waht Teddy had said about the fellows who made these delicate come-backs at him; probably he had stirred 'em up considerable!
     Roosevelt told me once that the one word he hated most was 'Can't."  He taught his sons to hate it too. When they were wee lads their father used to construct what seemed the most impassable obstacles and tell them they must get through. They generally did get through and the result is that these sons today are truly of the lion's brood. Teddy hit hards but he hit square. I am doubtless partial in all that I have said about him becaused I liked him so much, but I am convinced that his old enemies will today concede
that "the elements were so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world .. this was a man!"