That is a remarkable record Colonel Roosevelt made in going
through equatorial Africa for so many months in the jungle and
in the swamp and yet never suffering any kind of ill-health for
an hour of the whole time.
It would be a remarkable record for any white man, and is
particularly so in the case of Mr. Roosevelt. As a youngster it
was a question in his own family whether he would ever arrive at
maturity. He was a sickly child.
The family, instead of coddling the youth, sent him out to the
plains in the great Northwest to rough it on a cattle ranch.
There he lived on plain fare, in poorly constructed houses, and
rode a bronco from sunrise until dark, often before the sun rose
and often after darkness set in. He returned to the house tired
and slept soundly until the morning call came again. This was
just what made the robust man of Mr. Roosevelt that he is.
Plain fare, plenty of outdoor life, with exercise, is the
natural condition for man to pass his life in. Civilization,
unless guarded against, levies a terrible tax upon human life.
Fine houses, too comfortable clothing, a table too liberally
supplied, make direct attacks upon man’s physical health. Late
hours, irregular hours, overpacked rooms, with their fetid
atmosphere, levy a still heavier tax.
(1365)
=Hearers=--See SYMPATHY, LACK OF.