ForwardBoyhoodandYouthTheVigorofLifePracticalPoliticsInCowboyLandAppliedIdealismTheNewYorkPoliceTheWarofAmericatheUnreadyTheNewYorkGovernorshipOutdoorsandIndoorsThePresidency；MakinganOldPartyProgressiveTheNaturalResourcesoftheNationTheBigStickandtheSquareDealSocialandIndustrialJusticeTheMonroeDoctrineandthePanamaCanalThePeaceofRighteousnessFOREWORD
Naturally，therearechaptersofmyautobiographywhichcannotnowbewritten。
Itseemstomethat，forthenationasfortheindividual，whatismostimportantistoinsistonthevitalneedofcombiningcertainsetsofqualities，whichseparatelyarecommonenough，and，alas，uselessenough。Practicalefficiencyiscommon，andloftyidealismnotuncommon；itisthecombinationwhichisnecessary，andthecombinationisrare。Loveofpeaceiscommonamongweak，short-
sighted，timid，andlazypersons；andontheotherhandcourageisfoundamongmanymenofeviltemperandbadcharacter。Neitherqualityshallbyitselfavail。Justiceamongthenationsofmankind，andtheupliftingofhumanity，canbebroughtaboutonlybythosestronganddaringmenwhowithwisdomlovepeace，butwholoverighteousnessmorethanpeace。Facingtheimmensecomplexityofmodernsocialandindustrialconditions，thereisneedtousefreelyandunhesitatinglythecollectivepowerofallofus；andyetnoexerciseofcollectivepowerwilleveravailiftheaverageindividualdoesnotkeephisorhersenseofpersonalduty，initiative，andresponsibility。Thereisneedtodevelopallthevirtuesthathavethestatefortheirsphereofaction；butthesevirtuesareasdustinawindystreetunlessbackofthemliethestrongandtendervirtuesofafamilylifebasedontheloveoftheonemanfortheonewomanandontheirjoyousandfearlessacceptanceoftheircommonobligationtothechildrenthataretheirs。Theremustbethekeenestsenseofduty，andwithitmustgothejoyofliving；theremustbeshameatthethoughtofshirkingthehardworkoftheworld，andatthesametimedelightinthemany-sidedbeautyoflife。Withsoulofflameandtemperofsteelwemustactasourcoolestjudgmentbidsus。Wemustexercisethelargestcharitytowardsthewrong-doerthatiscompatiblewithrelentlesswaragainstthewrong-doing。Wemustbejusttoothers，generoustoothers，andyetwemustrealizethatitisashamefulandawickedthingnottowithstandoppressionwithhighheartandreadyhand。Withgentlenessandtendernesstheremustgodauntlessbraveryandgrimacceptanceoflaborandhardshipandperil。Allforeach，andeachforall，isagoodmotto；butonlyonconditionthateachworkswithmightandmaintosomaintainhimselfasnottobeaburdentoothers。
Weofthegreatmoderndemocraciesmuststriveunceasinglytomakeourseveralcountrieslandsinwhichapoormanwhoworkshardcanlivecomfortablyandhonestly，andinwhicharichmancannotlivedishonestlynorinslothfulavoidanceofduty；andyetwemustjudgerichmanandpoormanalikebyastandardwhichrestsonconductandnotoncaste，andwemustfrownwiththesamesternseverityonthemeanandviciousenvywhichhatesandwouldplunderamanbecauseheiswelloffandonthebrutalandselfisharrogancewhichlooksdownonandexploitsthemanwithwhomlifehasgonehard。
Mygrandfatheronmyfather’ssidewasofalmostpurelyDutchblood。
WhenhewasyounghestillspokesomeDutch，andDutchwaslastusedintheservicesoftheDutchReformedChurchinNewYorkwhilehewasasmallboy。
About1644hisancestorKlaesMartensenvanRooseveltcametoNewAmsterdamasa“settler“——theeuphemisticnameforanimmigrantwhocameoverinthesteerageofasailingshipintheseventeenthcenturyinsteadofthesteerageofasteamerinthenineteenthcentury。FromthattimeforthenextsevengenerationsfromfathertosoneveryoneofuswasbornonManhattanIsland。
Myfather’spaternalancestorswereofHollandstock；exceptthattherewasonenamedWaldron，awheelwright，whowasoneofthePilgrimswhoremainedinHollandwhentheotherscameovertofoundMassachusetts，andwhothenaccompaniedtheDutchadventurerstoNewAmsterdam。Myfather’smotherwasaPennsylvanian。HerforebearshadcometoPennsylvaniawithWilliamPenn，someinthesameshipwithhim；theywereoftheusualtypeoftheimmigrationofthatparticularplaceandtime。TheyincludedWelshandEnglishQuakers，anIrishman，——withaCelticname，andapparentlynotaQuaker，——andpeace-lovingGermans，whowereamongthefoundersofGermantown，havingbeendrivenfromtheirRhinelandhomeswhenthearmiesofLouistheFourteenthravagedthePalatinate；and，inaddition，representativesofaby-no-
meansaltogetherpeacefulpeople，theScotchIrish，whocametoPennsylvaniaalittlelater，earlyintheeighteenthcentury。Mygrandmotherwasawomanofsingularsweetnessandstrength，thekeystoneofthearchinherrelationswithherhusbandandsons。
AlthoughshewasnotherselfDutch，itwasshewhotaughtmetheonlyDutchIeverknew，ababysongofwhichthefirstlineran，“Trippetroppatronjes。”Ialwaysrememberedthis，andwhenIwasinEastAfricaitprovedabondofunionbetweenmeandtheBoersettlers，notafewofwhomknewit，althoughatfirsttheyalwayshaddifficultyinunderstandingmypronunciation——atwhichIdonotwonder。ItwasinterestingtomeetthesemenwhoseancestorshadgonetotheCapeaboutthetimethatminewenttoAmericatwocenturiesandahalfpreviously，andtofindthatthedescendantsofthetwostreamsofemigrantsstillcroonedtotheirchildrensomeatleastofthesamenurserysongs。
Ofmygreat-grandfatherRooseveltandhisfamilylifeacenturyandoveragoIknowlittlebeyondwhatisimpliedinsomeofhisbooksthathavecomedowntome——theLettersofJunius，abiographyofJohnPaulJones，ChiefJusticeMarshall’s“LifeofWashington。”Theyseemtoindicatethathislibrarywaslessinterestingthanthatofmywife’sgreat-grandfatheratthesametime，whichcertainlyincludedsuchvolumesastheoriginal/EdinburghReview/，forwehavethemnowonourownbook-shelves。OfmygrandfatherRooseveltmymostvividchildishreminiscenceisnotsomethingIsaw，butatalethatwastoldmeconcerninghim。In/his/boyhoodSundaywasasdismaladayforsmallCalvinisticchildrenofDutchdescentasiftheyhadbeenofPuritanorScotchCovenantingorFrenchHuguenotdescent——andIspeakasoneproudofhisHolland，Huguenot，andCovenantingancestors，andproudthatthebloodofthatstarkPuritandivineJonathanEdwardsflowsintheveinsofhischildren。Onesummerafternoon，afterlisteningtoanunusuallylongDutchReformedsermonforthesecondtimethatday，mygrandfather，asmallboy，runninghomebeforethecongregationhaddispersed，ranintoapartyofpigs，whichthenwanderedfreeinNewYork’sstreets。Hepromptlymountedabigboar，whichnolesspromptlyboltedandcarriedhimatfullspeedthroughthemidstoftheoutragedcongregation。
Bytheway，oneoftheRooseveltdocumentswhichcamedowntomeillustratesthechangethathascomeovercertainaspectsofpubliclifesincethetimewhichpessimiststerm“theearlierandbetterdaysoftheRepublic。”OldIsaacRooseveltwasamemberofanAuditingCommitteewhichshortlyafterthecloseoftheRevolutionapprovedthefollowingbill：
TheStateofNewYork，toJohnCapeDr。
ToaDinnerGivenbyHisExcellencytheGovernorandCounciltotheirExcellenciestheMinnisterofFranceandGeneralWashington&Co。
WEaCommitteeofCouncilhavingexaminedtheaboveaccountdocertifyitamountingtoonehundredandfifty-sixPoundstenShillings
tobejust。
ReceivedtheaboveContentsinfullNewYork17thDecember1783
ThinkoftheGovernorofNewYorknowsubmittingsuchabillforsuchanentertainmentoftheFrenchAmbassadorandthePresidentoftheUnitedStates！Falstaff’sviewsoftheproperproportionbetweensackandbreadareborneoutbytheproportionbetweenthenumberofbowlsofpunchandbottlesofport，Madeira，andbeerconsumed，andthe“coffeeforeightgentlemen“——apparentlytheonlyoneswholastedthroughtothatstageofthedinner。Especiallyadmirableisthenonchalantmannerinwhich，obviouslyasaresultofthedrinkingofsaidbottlesofwineandbowlsofpunch，itisrecordedthateightcut-glassdecantersandsixtywine-glasseswerebroken。
DuringtheRevolutionsomeofmyforefathers，NorthandSouth，servedrespectably，butwithoutdistinction，inthearmy，andothersrenderedsimilarserviceintheContinentalCongressorinvariouslocallegislatures。BythattimethosewhodweltintheNorthwereforthemostpartmerchants，andthosewhodweltintheSouth，planters。
Mymother’speoplewerepredominantlyofScotch，butalsoofHuguenotandEnglish，descent。ShewasaGeorgian，herpeoplehavingcometoGeorgiafromSouthCarolinabeforetheRevolution。TheoriginalBullochwasaladfromnearGlasgow，whocamehitheracoupleofcenturiesago，justashundredsofthousandsofneedy，enterprisingScotchmenhavegonetothefourquartersoftheglobeintheinterveningtwohundredyears。Mymother’sgreat-grandfather，ArchibaldBulloch，wasthefirstRevolutionary“President“ofGeorgia。
Mygrandfather，herfather，spentthewintersinSavannahandthesummersatRoswell，intheGeorgiauplandsnearAtlanta，finallymakingRoswellhispermanenthome。Heusedtotravelthitherwithhisfamilyandtheirbelongingsinhisowncarriage，followedbyabaggagewagon。IneversawRoswelluntilIwasPresident，butmymothertoldmesomuchabouttheplacethatwhenIdidseeitIfeltasifI
alreadykneweverynookandcornerofit，andasifitwerehauntedbytheghostsofallthemenandwomenwhohadlivedthere。Idonotmeanmerelymyownfamily，Imeantheslaves。Mymotherandhersister，myaunt，usedtotelluschildrenallkindsofstoriesabouttheslaves。
OneofthemostfascinatingreferredtoaveryolddarkycalledBearBob，becauseintheearlydaysofsettlementhehadbeenpartiallyscalpedbyablackbear。ThentherewasMom’Grace，whowasforatimemymother’snurse，andwhomIhadsupposedtobedead，butwhogreetedmewhenIdidcometoRoswell，veryrespectable，andapparentlywithyearsoflifebeforeher。ThetwochiefpersonagesofthedramathatusedtoberepeatedtouswereDaddyLuke，theNegrooverseer，andhiswife，Mom’Charlotte。IneversaweitherDaddyLukeorMom’Charlotte，butIinheritedthecareofthemwhenmymotherdied。Afterthecloseofthewartheyresolutelyrefusedtobeemancipatedorleavetheplace。Theonlydemandtheymadeuponuswasenoughmoneyannuallytogetanew“critter。”thatis，amule。WithacertainlackofingenuitythemulewasreportedeachChristmasashavingpassedaway，oratleastashavingbecomesoinfirmastonecessitateasuccessor——asolemnfictionwhichneitherdeceivednorwasintendedtodeceive，butwhichfurnishedagaugeforthesizeoftheChristmasgift。
Mymaternalgrandfather’shousewasonthelineofSherman’smarchtothesea，andprettymucheverythinginitthatwasportablewastakenbytheboysinblue，includingmostofthebooksinthelibrary。WhenIwasPresidentthefactsaboutmyancestrywerepublished，andaformersoldierinSherman’sarmysentmebackoneofthebookswithmygrandfather’snameinit。Itwasalittlecopyofthepoemsof“Mr。
Gray“——aneighteenth-centuryeditionprintedinGlasgow。
OnOctober27，1858，IwasbornatNo。28EastTwentiethStreet，NewYorkCity，inthehouseinwhichwelivedduringthetimethatmytwosistersandmybrotherandIweresmallchildren。ItwasfurnishedinthecanonicaltasteoftheNewYorkwhichGeorgeWilliamCurtisdescribedinthe/PotipharPapers/。Theblackhairclothfurnitureinthedining-roomscratchedthebarelegsofthechildrenwhentheysatonit。Themiddleroomwasalibrary，withtables，chairs，andbookcasesofgloomyrespectability。Itwaswithoutwindows，andsowasavailableonlyatnight。Thefrontroom，theparlor，seemedtouschildrentobearoomofmuchsplendor，butwasopenforgeneraluseonlyonSundayeveningoronrareoccasionswhentherewereparties。
TheSundayeveningfamilygatheringwastheredeemingfeatureinadaywhichotherwisewechildrendidnotenjoy——chieflybecausewewereallofusmadetowearcleanclothesandkeepneat。TheornamentsofthatparlorIremembernow，includingthegaschandelierdecoratedwithagreatquantityofcut-glassprisms。Theseprismsstruckmeaspossessingpeculiarmagnificence。Oneofthemfelloffoneday，andI
hastilygrabbeditandstoweditaway，passingseveraldaysoffurtivedelightinthetreasure，adelightalwaysalloyedwithfearthatI
wouldbefoundoutandconvictedoflarceny。TherewasaSwisswood-
carvingrepresentingaverybighunterononesideofanexceedinglysmallmountain，andaherdofchamois，disproportionatelysmallforthehunterandlargeforthemountain，justacrosstheridge。Thisalwaysfascinatedus；buttherewasasmallchamoiskidforwhichwefeltagonieslestthehuntermightcomeonitandkillit。TherewasalsoaRussianmoujikdrawingagiltsledgeonapieceofmalachite。
Someonementionedinmyhearingthatmalachitewasavaluablemarble。
Thisfixedinmymindthatitwasvaluableexactlyasdiamondsarevaluable。Iacceptedthatmoujikasapricelessworkofart，anditwasnotuntilIwaswellinmiddleagethatitoccurredtomethatI
wasmistaken。
Nowandthenwechildrenweretakenroundtoourgrandfather’shouse；
abighousefortheNewYorkofthosedays，onthecornerofFourteenthStreetandBroadway，frontingUnionSquare。Insidetherewasalargehallrunninguptotheroof；therewasatessellatedblack-and-whitemarblefloor，andacircularstaircaseroundthesidesofthehall，fromthetopfloordown。Wechildrenmuchadmiredboththetessellatedfloorandthecircularstaircase。Ithinkwewererightaboutthelatter，butIamnotsosureastothetessellatedfloor。
Thesummerswespentinthecountry，nowatoneplace，nowatanother。
Wechildren，ofcourse，lovedthecountrybeyondanything。Wedislikedthecity。Wewerealwayswildlyeagertogettothecountrywhenspringcame，andverysadwheninthelatefallthefamilymovedbacktotown。Inthecountryweofcoursehadallkindsofpets——cats，dogs，rabbits，acoon，andasorrelShetlandponynamedGeneralGrant。
WhenmyyoungersisterfirstheardoftherealGeneralGrant，bytheway，shewasmuchstruckbythecoincidencethatsomeoneshouldhavegivenhimthesamenameasthepony。Thirtyyearslatermyownchildrenhad/their/ponyGrant。Inthecountrywechildrenranbarefootmuchofthetime，andtheseasonswentbyinaroundofuninterruptedandenthrallingpleasures——supervisingthehayingandharvesting，pickingapples，huntingfrogssuccessfullyandwoodchucksunsuccessfully，gatheringhickory-nutsandchestnutsforsaletopatientparents，buildingwigwamsinthewoods，andsometimesplayingIndiansintoorealisticmannerbystainingourselvesandincidentallyourclothesinliberalfashionwithpoke-cherryjuice。