Selected Speeches and Writings of Theodore Roosevelt ed. by Gordon Hutner (review)

No one who ever occupied the White House has been a more prolific writer than Theodore Roosevelt. His collected works encompass many volumes, among them nearly thirty books. His works also include essays, articles, and speeches, not to mention the approximately one hundred thousand letters he wrote. What makes his written work even more remarkable is that he wrote knowledgeably on such a wide range of topics. Compiling a book that is a representative selection of the writings of this son of New York is a formidable, seemingly overwhelming task. Professor Gordon Hutner of the University of Illinois accepted the challenge to winnow the massive quantity of Roosevelt material into a single volume. The result is Selected Speeches and Writings of Theodore Roosevelt, a well-organized and readable gem that provides a perceptive glimpse into this multilayered figure.

Among our presidents perhaps only Thomas Jefferson matches the intellectual curiosity of Theodore Roosevelt. While Jefferson's journeys into the cerebral world generally took place in the comfort of his beloved Monticello, Roosevelt was a man of action whose journeys involved travel, observation, and adventure. He was the man in the arena, to use one of his better-known phrases. After all, no one else has been the recipient of both the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Nobel Peace Prize. To capture the essence of this man in just over three hundred pages of prose is no easy task. With so many words attributed to Roosevelt, where does one begin—what is to be included and what is to be excluded?

Wisely, Hutner has organized this collection by category. These include culture and society, national politics, campaigns and controversies, observations and travels, biography, history, and arts and letters. Each section includes between two and seven selections taken from Roosevelt's written work. These include speeches and essays as well as excerpts from his books. Each selection is preceded by solid synopsis of the material that invites and encourages the reader to delve into the documents themselves to experience the richness of Roosevelt's fertile mind.

Some of the choices are widely known by Roosevelt devotees, such as "The Strenuous Life." That selection, perhaps more than any other, provides an insightful look into his nature. Yet, Hutner also includes an essay titled "The American Boy," which was written for young people, in which Roosevelt articulates the themes of hard work, self-discipline, and physical exercise that were so integral to the development of his own character.

To remind us that no one is perfect, Hutner includes some material that today's audiences might find disconcerting. Roosevelt's last public speech was to a group known as the Circle for Negro War Relief. Although, in many ways, he was progressive on civil rights issues, this speech is rather uncomfortably patronizing and paternalistic. By including these words, Hutner reminds us that we should not be guilty of reverse moral projection by judging Roosevelt based on present-day moral values rather than those of his era. The inclusion of a document such as this one presents a more complete picture of Theodore Roosevelt the man.

Some may quibble about what has not been included. For instance, nothing from his autobiography is presented, although it is debatable whether that work was one of his more compelling literary efforts. The only account from his trip to the Amazon (which nearly led to his death) is a description of a rodeo he observed in Chile. The writings based on his personal experiences, however, are revealing and descriptive. In "Hunting the Grisly" he writes of being "lulled to sleep by the stream's splashing murmur, and the loud moaning of the wind along the naked cliffs" (186).

Roosevelt was at his best when he was passionate about a subject. An ardent conservationist, he connects conservation and democracy by stating that national parks like Yellowstone preserve the nation's majestic beauty for everyone, not just...