ROOSEVELT'S BIRTH AND EDUCATION. 59 



man's reputation and standing in college what will be liis sub- 

 sequent career. Sir Walter Scott in his academic days was 

 remarkable for nothing except dulness. He excelled in stupidity. 

 Many persons have magnificent ability, but it requires a long 

 time to wake it up, and then the right occasion must present itself. 

 Henry Ward Beecher had the distinction of being very near 

 the foot of his class in college. When told by his tutor that he 

 ought to learn his lessons in mathematics for the mental disci- 

 pline he would thus gain, he replied that, as he always had to 

 have an excuse when he failed on a lesson, he thought getting up 

 his excuses would be better discipline than learning his lessons. 



NO SIGNS OF A BRILLIANT CAREER. 



When General Grant graduated from West Point he was so 

 near the foot of a class numbering forty-four that no one ever 

 risked his reputation for acuteness by predicting that such a 

 dullard would achieve success in anything he undertook. Many 

 1 college dunce has comforted himself with such examples, but 

 uever proved himself to possess anything in common with them 

 except the stupidity. 



In Mr. Roosevelt's case it could have been predicted from his 

 college course what his career would be afterward. He was 

 known as a positive character, a strong and earnest soul, and 

 independent thinker, full of force and fire, yet not quite so reck- 

 less as to incur the charge of being hot-headed. It would indeed be 

 singular if one with so much Dutch blood in him should exhibit 

 a dangerous rashness of conduct. He showed his courage, his 

 force, his positive character in college, and it was easy to predict 

 that these traits would distinguish him in his public career. 

 This remarkable career has occasioned no very great surprise to 

 those who best knew him in his earlier years. 



On the day of his graduation he discoursed on natural 

 history. This was one of his favorite studies. His knowledge of 

 this subject is apparent on every page of his interesting descrip- 

 tions of animal life on our western plains. Even at Harvard he 

 was a kind of Nimrod and had his guns and other sporting 



