Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 2 (of 7)Roosevelt, Theodore
History
Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 2 (of 7)
Roosevelt, Theodore
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919; United States -- Politics and government -- 1901-1909
fitter to do the rough work of the world; all the fitter to work in
time of peace; and if, which may Heaven forfend, war should come, all
the fitter to fight in time of war. I desire to see in this country
the decent men strong and the strong men decent, and until we get
that combination in pretty good shape we are not going to be by any
means as successful as we should be. There is always a tendency among
very young men and among boys who are not quite young men as yet to
think that to be wicked is rather smart; to think it shows that they
are men. Oh, how often you see some young fellow who boasts that he
is going to “see life,” meaning by that that he is going to see that
part of life which it is a thousandfold better should remain unseen!
I ask that every man here constitute himself his brother’s keeper by
setting an example to that younger brother which will prevent him from
getting such a false estimate of life. Example is the most potent of
all things. If any one of you in the presence of younger boys, and
especially the younger people of your own family, misbehave yourself,
if you use coarse and blasphemous language before them, you can be
sure that these younger people will follow your example and not your
precept. It is no use to preach to them if you do not act decently
yourself. You must feel that the most effective way in which you can
preach is by your practice.
As I was driving up here a friend who was with us said that in his
experience the boy who went out into life with a foul tongue was apt
so to go because his kinsfolk, at least his intimate associates,
themselves had foul tongues. The father, the elder brothers, the
friends, can do much toward seeing that the boys as they become men
become clean and honorable men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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