The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book (4 page)

That same summer he expanded his collection of books on mammals and birds and read them thoroughly. That led him to collecting specimens of the critters mentioned in the books, which almost led to disaster due to his poor eyesight.

Hunting Guns and Eyeglasses

TR had an old hunting gun, which he described as a “breech-loading, pin-fire double-barrel, of French manufacture.” The Roosevelts were living at Dobbs Ferry, New York, at the time, a few miles up the Hudson River from New York City. Rural Dobbs Ferry was an ideal hunting ground for him.

His gun was an excellent piece for “a clumsy and often absent-minded boy.” The cartridges tended to stick at times when he tried to fire the gun, which led to misfires. As a result, he said, “[I] tattooed myself with partially unburned grains of powder more than once.”

Finally, his parents stepped in to help him. That fall, he received his first pair of eyeglasses. His corrected eyesight allowed him to read more, shoot better, collect more specimens, and expand his knowledge of natural history.

Thee recognized early that TR was an avid learner. He watched with pride as his first-born son practically taught himself the basics of taxidermy and built his own wildlife museum. TR caught and killed animals, studied and stuffed them, and displayed them in his personal collection.

Writing about Insects

Not only did TR prepare specimens for posterity, but he recorded rigorous notes. One of his first “published” works was a paper titled “The Natural History of Insects,” which he wrote when he was only nine years old.

TR never lost his love for animals, a love that his children inherited. In 1902, when he was in the White House, his family menagerie included “a puppy of the most orthodox puppy type,” a terrier, a Chesapeake Bay dog, a macaw, a piebald rat, a flying squirrel, two kangaroo rats, and a pony. TR was as much a zookeeper as he was the president at the time.

Of course, Thee understood that TR’s interest in natural history was laudable and beneficial, but it alone could not serve as the foundation for a well-rounded education. The young man needed to study math, history, geography, foreign languages, and other subjects, which were best left to professional teachers. That was a dilemma for Thee.

Thee’s Misgivings

He did not believe that TR was prepared from either a health or a physical standpoint for a regular school. The next best alternative, in his opinion, was homeschooling. Thus, Thee assumed the dual role of parent and school superintendent. That was both a benefit and a drawback for TR.

Thee employed several tutors, including TR’s maternal aunt, Annie Bulloch, and a French governess.

For a few months, the youngster attended a school run by Professor John McMullen, Thee’s former tutor. TR acquired his early education mostly through homeschooling—which put him automatically at or near the head of his class.

Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt Sr.

Portrait of Martha Bulloch

Mittie and Annie related stories from their own childhoods to entertain and educate the Roosevelt children. They recounted their lives on the Georgia plantations, related tales of hunting fox, deer, wildcats, and other animals, and spun stories of their long-tailed driving horses, Boone and Crockett. When TR grew older, he founded a hunting club named after those two horses.

More to Education than Classroom Training

Thee could provide the subject background for a classical education and moral training. But he could only go so far in providing the social skills that complemented the coursework. Granted, TR had friends and a family network who helped him develop socially. But most children of his age attended private schools where they received well-rounded educations, developed complementary social skills, and participated in competitive physical activities.

In those respects, TR’s homeschooling was a detriment in his early years. Even he recognized, albeit much later, that he was not the most mature young man in New York City for the first few years of his life.

His homeschooling did provide some benefits that were above average. Whereas some students had to study geography through books, TR got to study it up close and personal. The family traveled through Europe twice, in 1869 and 1870, and through the Middle East in 1872–1873. That beat reading books as far as TR and his siblings were concerned.

Moral and Religious Training

Thee did not neglect his oldest son’s moral and religious training. Since he was a firm believer in religion and morality, he made sure to include liberal doses of both in his children’s training.

The Roosevelt children said prayers with their father every morning on a sofa. They made a game out of it. The children called the space between Thee and the arm of the sofa the “cubby-hole.” Whichever sibling occupied it on any given morning was the favorite child—on that day at least. The others were “outsiders”—until the next morning.

As part of the regimen, Thee took TR on tours of the city so he could gain some knowledge of New Yorkers’ living conditions and gain a feel for the plight of the people who were unfortunate enough not to be Roosevelts. He also inculcated religious lessons into the young boy.

Part of TR’s assignments involved memorizing stories from the Bible. Thee believed in literally practicing what he preached, and he instilled that lesson into TR. He demanded that TR stay active in the religious arena—and in all other aspects of life.

TR never forgot his early religious training. He switched denominations at different stages of his life, but he thanked God regardless of which church he sat in. He had a lot for which to be thankful.

Building the Body

The word “inaction” was not in Thee’s lexicon. He hammered into his children the idea that laziness was a bad habit that he would not tolerate. He pushed physical activity as a remedy for laziness, especially for TR.

Theodore Roosevelt at Harvard Boat House, circa 1877

Thee encouraged the youngster to exercise regularly and take boxing lessons to build himself up physically. He built an in-house gymnasium for TR where he could work out. The activity paid off.

The changes in his physique became more noticeable as he grew older. By the time TR entered Harvard, he was a much stronger and healthier-looking person than he had been a few years earlier. His father’s investment in what he called the “strenuous life” had paid off.

“Muscular Christianity”

Although Thee encouraged his son’s interest in science, he taught him the values of Muscular Christianity by taking him on his missionary rounds. He insisted that TR memorize Bible stories and taught him the principles of patriotism and manly valor. He chastised laziness, demanding constant action.

The term “Muscular Christianity” appears occasionally throughout literature, often with no explanation. A deranged preacher in Robert B. Parker’s Western novel,
Brimstone
, set in the 1880s, told a marshal advising him of trouble, “An armed and muscular Christianity cannot be defeated.” The author did not explain that it was an actual movement that affected TR’s childhood.

By the time TR was ready to leave his New York home and enter Harvard, he had matured mentally, spiritually, morally, and physically—although he was still not as robust as he needed to be to survive on his own. He continued his development process at Cambridge.

QUIZ

1-1 Which character in a major novel and movie was allegedly based on TR’s mother?

A. The Wicked Witch of the West

B. Scarlett O’Hara

C. Jane Eyre

D. Dolly Madison

1-2 Fraulein Anna, who tutored the Roosevelt children in foreign languages while they were in Dresden, helped them with two languages. One was French; the other was:

A. Chinese

B. Hungarian

C. Russian

D. German

1-3 What was the explorer David Livingstone’s nationality?