All the world. Are couple of stories. He was hunting a berth in mississippi he felt it was a desire not to kill that all bird which had left for so long. A very young bear, he did not decide to kill it because it was too young. I think it is a true story but not killing of him that bear the newspapers picked it up and it became a story in popular press. Created the teddy bear. Of course we still have teddy bear yesterday. This is where they come from, named after Theodore Roosevelt. Arizona are very sensitive of theodore work as a s environmentalist, he is the great ere with american environmentalist, john muir. We owe him a great deal as an environmentalist, he established five national parks, 80 National Monuments including the grand canyon, game and bird reserves. Hundred 50,000,000 acres of forest reserve. We owe a great deal of our environmental consciousness to the work of Theodore Roosevelt. Another a story for evening i think, but something that we like to think about, especially those who live in arizona. This is a statement about the nyon, arizona has a far as wonder which as i know is absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to do one thing in connection with in images of nterest and the country, to keep this as it is now. Re it is still very much at this natural state. We love it and we hope you will all have an opportunity some point to visit the grand canyon. When you do that you will importance of Theodore Roosevelt, not only as a president for all the other for his e did, but environmental activity. From ltic tonight, aside his political life, is his habit of reading poetry. Here we see him pictured in a a big fat on and boots. At is he doing, hes reading this is one of the things that he always did. Reading that, with him is a disease. Because he liked to read so much. He also read a great deal of this is a statement that appears in one of his books. A look at this and you will see his love for poetry. Everybody goes through periods which he uring recently poetry, and some people, of whom i am one, also passed the period during which they voraciously before poets of widely different kinds. Be harassed and pope, now schiller, scott, long follow. Sometime one wishes to read for the sake of contrast, when i left much in account i have a volume of a kind of s antiseptic to dust, tepid, bread, ater, frying pan salad belly bacon and to infrequent washing of Sweat Drenched clothing. Excellent writer as well, you notice the vividness of his writing. Is amazing about this variety of s the powers mentions. For the ns 16 powers ancient world throughout history up to his age. He likes to read. They come from the classical world, england, america, germany. Every style of poetry from couplets to 3 verse, every of poems from narrative the lyric. He was an intelligent reader of poetry. I wonder if we went around the room right now and i asked you the 16 favourite poets, from time eferred to to time. You could properly find if you. 16 powers come to his mind as is thinking about poetry. He mentions swinburn. Is worth a picture 1000 words, you cannot imagine two people more different from one another. On one hand, on the other. Thinker and writer, roosevelt was forthright and eager to progress. Described as ht be a decadent writer who rebelled against the values that the government had. Living a bohemian rebellious lifestyle, he had the habit of excessive drink which almost killed him as a young man. He held a fascination for beautiful present and unforgiving women that inspired visions of massacres in his poetry. Repudiates it traditional christianity and revelled in poetic fantasies of mediaeval themes. His writing style has been called pessimistic, sometimes pornographic. What could wo these two men have in common . They later read a lot of different things. Were exotic and shocking, in his imagination to away rent worlds, one far from the earthiness of cow camps. The lways combined rigourous of outdoor with splashes of reading. On his african hunting a peditions he took with him come to be nine his pig skin library. A consistent on issues of books enjoyed reading and rereading, which is put down covers ket size and the were taking of. Covered with pig skin. Often by reading would be done resting on a tree, decide a beast which i had killed. In either case it may be get water for washing, in consequence the book was the same with blood, sweat, gun oil. These vanished, while pig skin grew just to seem used. Skin library weighs 60 pounds. Were hird of these books, books of poetry. Please went over the history of from homer to dante, shakespeare, longfollow. Selection about his of certain books, he described reading philosophy this me on any ke with a very small portion of the books that i like, that of re are very many kinds books which for a moment did not attempt anything so proportions as a continual comparison between books which may appeal to totally different set of emotions. For instance, one correspondent pointed out to me that tennison trivial compared to i owning. Another asked why had put longfellow on the level with tennison. Like all of them without thinking necessarily to compare them. Great variety of literature that appeared to different set of emotions and different set of experiences that he would have at any given time. He liked to have these books so whatevers going on on even in the jungle, he could pull out the book and read to his heart. The variety of his i think i skipped ahead. That is an example of the of his reading i admire , he said tennyson. I do not need to apply a common rule to these poets, like there compare keats with shelley. I enjoy them all. Probably one territory of poets which hed like more than others was war poetry. Every man that has had any real power during a battle knows when the wolf rise in his he revels in them, in the toil and pain and danger. As for setting of the triumph. He admired in particular one of epics of european war. Of also praises account fighting in longfellows saga. Likes civil r he war poetry, he loves that the powers by walt whitman, braveheart, longfellow. For their rating of the civil war. He was able to memorise and from the civil an example of two standards that he memorised about the civil war which gives his feelings of about war. You marching soldiers with banners. We are marching south to battle for the lord. Capt leads your army . The great from israel. The blow before the rubble war puppets of the north. When they are scattered, and they all fall flat. Will see to that. The world is freedom and have the worlds own. Has led us the lord to sweep the rebel floors. This is a poem written from the point of view of the north, the victors. Full of biblically imagery. Side of the e north, theyre going to go down south and conquer and Service People free. The poem is full of what we call triumphalism. It does not admit much room for fourth analysis. Concern for those who suffer and requirements by truth of action and consequence, are buried under the images of the mounting rhythm. Makes memorisation easy. As they go off into battle, anticipating war and hoping for. Ctory we know that roosevelt was a warrior. He struggled hard for believed was right, and his commitment to not admit space for qualification. This captures all the confidence that he felt as commanderinchief. In 1903, wwhen roosevelt was in white house, his son was college prep storage school in massachusetts. Book of ned to read a poetry called the children of the night. He liked the book of poetry so much that he sent a copy to his in the white house. Roosevelt himself like the book great deal. Who was Edwin Robinson . The early 20th century. He won 3 pulitz prices. He came from a family which was when he sfunctional, was born his mother was disappointed, she wanted a daughter and instead she was giving a son. In fact, the First Six Months of his life she did not even give him a name. Was away on vacation, the people that were there said this baby needs a name. Out the name edwin, it became his first name. She was from arlington, massachusetts. That is how he got his middle name. You got the feeling he was not very last and he suffered a great deal as a result. Great deal of catastrophe in a family. A brother who died of another brother and failed the business became an alcoholic. He ended up in award for homeless people. The only one as that had a full life and a rather successful life. With alcohol led and depression, it is easy to think about hen you his upbringing and the social family he came from. He is a man who never married and depended upon the world of good friends and companions, tthere is monetary prizes that he would win, but he never had a great deal of money. He left hand to mouth good deal of his time. So Theodore Roosevelt read a poetry, and mans elected a great deal. Wrote to robinsonand said, i have enjoyed your poetry so i must write you. Do you mind if i ask what you are doing, i wish i could see you. They began a correspondence, in roosevelt came to know who robinson was and his hand to with some tence personal problems, and he wanted to do something for this poet. So he found them a job in the new york custom house in wall street. Not was a job that did require 95 schedule. He could continue to rise his poetry and have a steady income. Did this for robinson, he made a vast difference in his life as you can imagine. Roosevelt rther, contacted a publisher and he convinced them to publish a edition of his poetry, tto make sure people would buy the book. A little extra push, he went review nd wrote a book of this book. He published it so he was be, as president endorsing the poetry of this man. It went to great lengths, had a picture many president s doing that. Mile for a xtra poet. One of ake a look at these pounds, and you might be the poetry y robinson wrote. Of you have read this before. Lets take a look at it. Never richard cory went downtown, we people at the pavement looked at him. He was a gentleman from salter and n, clean favourite, imperially slim. He was rich, yes, richer than a king. An unruly scored in every grace. In fine, we thought that he was everything the makers wish that we were in his place. He went without the meat and cursed. Richard cory went home and put bullet through his head. Is a shocking poem. It is a first power were a self is the ing gunshot wound main theme. It is disturbing. Robinson is portraying the trouble that people have, wwhich they hired. Unhappiness, psychological problems, loneliness and unwilling to show it. So they hide behind a mask and suffer. One day they commit suicide. Despite that they had wealth, despite the fact that they could be handsome and above everybody else in many ways, ddeep in themselves they can be unhappy at catastrophe follows end of their lives. Serious kind of power, is not a light hearted fun loving power. Expert sevelt was an and appreciated the art that robinson was able to capture. This type of person he hides behind the mask. Well, robinson stayed the house as long as roosevelt was president. White house, the leave the e had to custom house. Letter to a friend he concern is a ef a ar that i might turn out disappointment to tr, he must be wondering how long it takes a man to write 100 pages of verse. He did write another book which he published immediately after left the custom house. Published in 1910 and dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt. There are 2 pounds, one of the beginning and one at the end. Is about beginning is aham lincoln and it called the master. The one at the end is called is about aler, and Theodore Roosevelt. Between, s that are in links both of hhe them as powerful president s who shaped the nation and pointers towards the future. The problem is identical. They both have eight lines, they both have the same rhyme. Equating lincoln with roosevelt, as the two greatest dents from his point of view. He always wondered if he had fulfilled the wish that roosevelt had for him. Wrote to his son, i dont like to think what i would be now if it was not for your astonishing father. Me out of hellby the head of the head, and so enable me to get my last book together, and in all probability get it published. I hope sincerely that made him understand that i know this. The evelt believed in importance of literature for progress of American Culture and took active steps to promote poetry. Additions to his efforts, he publications zine poems by young poets. He wrote the introduction of a twovolume set of poems. Arranged for velt poet to find we could be sso saved of the discredit of a man like him. When the widow of a poet sent money of his own pocket. He was a rare individual, a man of power and action who had a deep love of poetry. Not onlywas he a successful president worthy of having his stone and Mount Rushmore to stand for ever between jefferson and lincoln, but also had fun time on a busy life to read poetry and write about the value and importance of poetry for the American Culture. To use his will to promote 20th century of american poets. Thank you very much. [applause] if anybody has any questions or observations, comments they would like to make. Anything i could flush out for you. As much as he loved to read, did he write any . Did not write poetry. Write any poetry but he was a great reader. Who e were other president s book, ite poetry, in my are several who wrote poetry, in particular adams. Lincoln jimmy wrote a Ronald Reagan great poem. President s did write poetry but not Theodore Roosevelt. It take what period did to carve Mount Rushmore. Something like 20 years, his family are trying to carve an of an indian chief, crazy horse, and another location on e mountain. It took a great deal of time. The question back there. There is a great deal of referring the bible, to biblical poetry. I missed the question. The bible ever quote for poetry . Did he read a lot of the bible during his time . The bible did read as poetry. President s other did as well. Full of great old y, particularly the testament. Many president s read them and continue to read them, not only spiritual messages but also for the song of those poems. I have a story in regard to the palm of richard cory, it is one of my husbands favourite. Recite it in entirety, in the last few weeks he had the power of speech and i got the book out and started to read one of his favourite poems. When a got a richard cory he could recite it all along with me. Is an extremely powerful poem, the images are so vivid that once youre committed to memory it is going to be there for a long time. Image of the suicide is such an unexpected ending to that poem, that is disturbing. It enters your consciousness like a bolt of lightning. Is a wonderful poem. Did you get started and decide to study the connection between president s and poetry . How did i get started on the project . About 10 years ago i was told to write an essay. In a processof preparing that essay, i had to do a lot of research on robinson. Review on this book written by Theodore Roosevelt. So surprised by that, the president taking his time to write a book review. My mind around that. The essay on robinson and then went back, and that more research on roosevelt to find out what was going on. I read about roosevelt i started to get all this information about him as a lover of poetry. I was stunned by it. So i wrote an essay on that. Then i thought i was finished, i started to recall i abraham somewhere that lincoln read poems. Then i knew that jimmy carter had written poetry. Probably did son something with poetry because he did everything intellectually. Source of the research in all the president s. Them which ith 18 of had some degree of involvement in literature and poetry. Suddenly i realised i had a ever that nobody had written about before. Was an interesting story so put together all these essays that i wrote and ended up with this book. That is how got started. President s who wrote poetry, does the poetry as lect their experiences head of state and the terms on which they govern all why they completely different topics . Very interesting question. The question is if the poetry they wrote reflected their lives . The answer is yes. John quincy adams for example, who wrote more poetry than any other president. Two books of poetry. An epic poem of over 2000 s. Su he wrote while he was in office. He lived he was a Second Generation adams. He was raised of being of doing good work for a growing public and an american nation. Years of public as president , congressman. He still wished that he could remembered as a poet. That is how important poetry was for him. So much he terature wished to enter the pantheon of be remembered for that, rather than for his public service. Take songs for example, from the Old Testament them into english verse. Abraham lincoln wrote poetry which reflected his personality. He had a great heart for the common man. He has great feelings for ordinary people. Were plans like that, that about those characteristics. Surprising story is wilson, s government as a very serious man who struggled for peace after world war i. The league of sh nations, to bring harmony and peace to the world. And yet, he loved poetry and will recite them constantly. So many limericks the people that he wrote them. He may have written some of them in fact. It is very difficult to trace the authors of limericks, because there are so many of them. This was an avenue for him to let loose a m, to bit from trials as a politician and a person in government. Different approaches, wonderful er wrote a called always the reckoning. Shows the good man that he was and the life that he led. His inside of the world around lives of the south. Some of the contradictions of life in the south, he captures those things in poetry. He talks about his politics in poetry too. Can those things that one do in poetry, president who wrote poetry did that. Okay. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate your attention. [applause] we have sent copies of his book over here in the table. I thought he was going to bring a whole bunch but this all he had left. If youre interesting take on a look at the book be considered here. Thank you all for coming. [applause] coverage of the us. Show you American History tv that tell our nations story. And 50th wars anniversary, investing battlefields and Historic Sites what are the facts reveal about the history. The presidency, looking at policy and legacie. Lectures in history with college professors. Cspan 3, lectures on Facebook Follow us on twitter. American history tv. Visit the Research Interest of one of the Worlds Largest libraries. On american s history tv, is sophie oliver, a ndidate from the university of london. In the body that funds my they sent some people out. Learning about it i discovered how important the library was. The