“Are you a believer in opportunity, Mr. Roosevelt?”
“To a certain extent. Many of the great changes in our lives can be
traced to small things, a chance acquaintance, an accident, or some
little happening. A time comes to every man when he must do a thing
or miss a great benefit. If the man does it, all is well. If not, it
isn’t likely that he will have the chance again. You can call that
opportunity if you wish, but it is foresight that leads a man to take
advantage of the condition of things. Foresight is a most valuable
thing to have.”
“Some men,” I remarked, after a time, “have a talent for working
themselves, while others have a talent for setting others to work.
Which is the more valuable?”
“I think a man ought to have both. If he can’t, I think he ought to be
able to work himself. The ability to work hard is, perhaps, the most
valuable aid to success. One can’t have much success without it.”
“They say it isn’t a good thing for a young man to have too many
talents, Mr. Roosevelt. Is it true?”
“That’s very hard to answer. I have managed to do many different things
in a lifetime. I might have done better by doing only one. Still, that
is another thing that depends very much upon the young man, and his
capabilities.”
“I know you must believe in recreation for people who are working,
since you are yourself indulging in it now.”
“Oh, yes, one must have some change. A man who has no outdoor exercise
is likely to wear himself out in short order. I love to be out of
doors. I always have, and that is one thing that has helped me to do
some things that I have. I go out for a time every day when I am here
at home. I enjoy being in the open air.”
“I know you think that the young man of to-day has a better chance to
make a success in life than those who lived twenty-five years ago.”
“Certainly. The young man of to-day has greater opportunities for
advancing himself and achieving a real success than any men have ever
had before. Everything offers better chances, and all a boy needs is
education enough to appreciate them when they are here. That is one
of the chief values of a good education. It aids a young man in many
things that would be invisible to the uneducated fellow. It helps
him to weigh things in his mind before deciding what to do. It is
mind-training that we need. The power to think is almost absolutely
necessary to success. Without it, a man is sure to be unequal to the
great struggle for supremacy that is going on constantly in certain
professions and lines of business.”
In a contributed article President Roosevelt gave his views of what
constitutes good citizenship. An extract from this article is given
herewith: