the days of my life

第77部分 (第1/7頁)

ertain　conditions　can　be　put　a　stop　to　is　of　much　weight　ing　from　such　a　man；　and　the　conclusion　throws　a　light　upon　his　character　which　would　astonish　many　even　in　this　country。

Office　of　Theodore　Roosevelt；

The　Outlook；　287　Fourth　Avenue；

New　York：　June　28；　1912。

Dear　Mr。　Haggard；　—　I　have　but　a　moment　in　which　to　answer　your　wele　letter；　as　I　am　driven　almost　to　death。　There　are　but　a　limited　number　of　my　own　countrymen；　among　those　of　the　highest　education；　who　understand　as　you　do　just　what　I　am　striving　for。　I　suppose　that　as　we　grow　older　we　naturally　lose　the　natural　feeling　of　young　men　to　take　an　interest　in　politics　just　for　the　sake　of　strife　—　the　same　kind　of　interest　one　takes　in　big　game　hunting　or　football；　the　kind　of　interest　quite　patible　with　doing　excellent　work　but　which　cannot　inspire　the　highest　kind　of　work。　As　we　get　older；　if　we　think　seriously　at　all；　and　if　we　escape　falling　into　a　permanent　Palmerstonian　jauntiness　of　attitude；　we　cannot　avoid　being　deeply　and　indeed　painfully　impressed　with　the　tremendous　problems　of　our　social　and　industrial　life。　To　me　politics　and　applied　ethics　ought　to　be　interchangeable　terms；　and　my　interest　in　the　former　arises　chiefly　from　my　interest　in　the　latter。　If　the　whole　game　is　one　of　mere　sound　and　fury；　without　any　sincerity　back　of　it；　any　real　purpose　of　achievement；　then　it　is　all　of　as　little　importance　as　a　contest　between　the　blues　and　the　greens　in　the　Byzantine　circus。　I　am；　I　hope　and　believe；　a　practical　man；　and　I　abhor　mere　sentimentality；　but　I　abhor　at　least　as　much　the　kind　of　so…called　practical　man　who　uses　the　word　“practical”　to　indicate　mere　materialistic　baseness；　and　who　fails　to　see　that　while　we　of　course　must　have　a　material　and　economic　foundati