The Dominion WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1919. A LEADER OF MEN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 88, 8 January 1919, Page 4

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1919. A LEADER OF MEN

The sudden death' of Roosevelt, which is reported to-' day, removes a very great and commanding figure from the .public life of the United States, and will bo felt and regretted in many countries besides his own. As is often the case with men of rugged and forceful personality. Me. Roosevelt's character was marred by obvious faults and blemishes. Any impartial critic is bound to recognise, however, that the ex-President was a. big'enough man to carry much greater, faults. a.nd shortcomings than were actually to be laid at his 'door. It is as little in doubt that he owed his standing and authority in his own country and his fame in other countries much less to the selfadvertisement to which he was admittedly given- than to sterling, qualities of courage, perception, and honesty of purpose which far more than outweighed less worthy aspects o'f his character. As President, Mr.. Boosevelt showed himself equal to handling the most ■exacting affairs of, State with decision and not without success. But he is perhaps less likely to be remembered for his Presidential record'or for his rather tempestuous, political career than on account of the bold lead he gave his countrymen in a wider field than that of politics, particularly in the decided stand he took in regard to thewar. Of all Americans in a position to' speak with authority Me. Roosevelt was first, if not to perceive, at all events to proolaim, the merits of ,the quarrel Germany had fastened on the world, and to urge with all h|s force that the> United States could not remain an indifferent: spectator of such a struggle. Since the. war was incomparably the severest test of human quality that hae ever been imposed the way in which Mr. Roosevelt anticipated- and led opinion ■in the United-States to the right conclusion in itself 'stamps' him as truly great. _While he was trumpeting forth vain appeals for action, it was possible for his critics and detractors _to institute.'comparisons,, much to his disadvantage, between his violence and the calm patience of PRESIDENT AVILSON. But Me. Roosevelt ultimately had the satisfaction of seeing his country fighting heart and soul in the war and of hearing President. Wilson de-. Clare that th,e only wa.y to deal with Germany was to use forco without stint. " •■■,.■..'/.

As his -whole lifo demonstrated, Mr. -Roosevelt was above all things fearless and a man of action. His distinguished achievements in the war. with Spain showed that he possessed the qualities of a gallant soldier as well as those of a statesman, and given his way he would have led one of the first American divisions to France. But to assume that his attitude towards the war was based chiefly upon his combative instincts would b.6 to do injustice to, his real qualities. The breadth.of his outlook has been repeatedly made plain, and never better than' in an article he wrote after hearing of the death of his son, Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, who was killed while fighting as an'airman over the German lines on the battlefield of tho Marne. First and last the article, is a proud assertion that no sacrifice is too great in upholding the ideals of national and family lifo that are the heritage of free nations.

.Unless men are willing to fight and die. for great ideals, • including love of country, ideals will vanish, and the world will become one huge ety of materialism. And unless the women of ideals, bring forth , the men. who aro ready thus to live and die, the world of the'future will be filled with the spawn of. the unfit. Alone of human beings the good and wise mother stands on a plane of equal honour with the bravest soldiei , , for she Ims gladly gnnfi down to the brink of tho Miasm' of darkness to bring back .the children in whose hands rests the future of the years. . These are" the lessons that Mr. Roosevelt strove throughout his life to inculcate. No man of his time spoke with greater powei or with more direct sincerity of the essen-, tials upon which the life and greatness of a nation rest. . It was because he was endowpd- with the courage and vision tha't enabled him , to look into tho heart of things that Mk. Eoosevelt was an impassioned advocate of American intervention at a time when the- average American regarded; the war in a spirit of detachment as an affair in which he was remotely concernedr The same fine qualities found expression in nearly' all that lie, attempted on behalf of his country and amply justify his' widespread fame and reputation:

A meeting of the Influenza Relief Committee was held yesterday morning, at which the Mayor, Mr. J. P. Luke, preeided. After the meeting the Mayor stated that a number of cases were still being dealt with. Some required merely temporary assistance, and some were being financed until they recovered from (lie effects of the pwiucl of sickness nnd unemployment. The committee hoped tlmt within it month there would be no further need for the granting of this temporary assistance. There had been a number of very Bad cases, but tha committee had had funds'sufficient to deal with them reasonably. He hoped that when the affairs of the committee were wound up there would remain over a substnntial sum of the total subscribed by the-generosity of the public. The question of dealing with these moneys Mould ba considered .it a meeting lo ho held very soon. It is the opinion of Hip Mayor that the moneys, should ho. used for the provision of permanent relief on. linos that might be considered reasonable