The Theodore Roosevelt Centennial CD-ROM

gradual elevation of mind and character is a prerequisite

to the achievement of any kind of Christianity which is

worth calling such. Nevertheless, after all this has been

said, it remains true that the good done by missionary

effort in Africa has been incalculable. . . . Over most of

Africa the problem for the white man is to govern, with

wisdom and firmness, and when necessary with

severity, but always with an eye single to their own

interests and development, the black and brown races.

To do this needs sympathy and devotion no less than

strength and wisdom, and in the task the part to be

played by the missionary and the part to be played by

the official are alike great, and the two should work

hand in hand. (1910.) Mem. Ed. V, 102-103; Nat. Ed.

though its talent for mimicry and a certain odd

perversity in its nature often combine to mar its

performances. The way it flutters and dances in the air

when settling in a tree-top, its alert intelligence, its

good looks, and the comparative ease with which it can

be made friendly and familiar, all add to its charm.

(1905.) Mem. Ed. III, 318; Nat. Ed. III, 128.

"MOLLYCODDLE." In the long run the "sissy" and

the "mollycoddle" are as undesirable members of

society as the crook and the bully. I don't like the crook

and the bully. Don't misunderstand me; I will abate

both of them when I get the chance at them. But, after

all, there is the possibility that you can reform the crook

or the bully, but you cannot reform the "sissy" or the

"mollycoddle," because there is not anything there to

reform. With a nation, as with an individual, weakness,

cowardice, and flabby failure to insist upon what is

right, even if a certain risk comes in insisting, may be

as detrimental, not only from the standpoint of the

individual or the nation, but from the standpoint of

humanity at large, as wickedness itself. (Before

Panama-Pacific Historical Congress, Palo Alto, Cal.,

July 23, 1915.) The Pacific Ocean in History. Papers

and Addresses. (Macmillan Co., N. Y., 1917), p. 149.

MISSIONARIES. See also AFRICA; JESUITS.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER-DEVELOPMENT OF. We

should undertake the complete development and control

of the Mississippi as a national work, just as we have

undertaken the work of building the Panama Canal. We

can use the plant, and we can use the human

experience, left free by the completion of the Panama

Canal in so developing the Mississippi as to make it a

mighty highroad of commerce, and a source of

fructification and not of death to the rich and fertile

lands lying along its lower length. (Before Progressive

National Convention, Chicago, August 6, 1912.) Mem.

Ed. XIX, 405; Nat. Ed. XVII, 294.

MONEY. Money is a good thing. It is a foolish

affectation to deny it. But it is not the only good thing,

and after a certain amount has been amassed it ceases to

be the chief even of material good things. It is far

better, for instance, to do well a bit of work which is

well worth doing, than to have a large fortune. (Before

Young Men's Christian Association, New York City,

December 30, 1900.) Mem. Ed. XV, 532; Nat. Ed. XIII,

MOCKING-BIRD. The mocking-bird is a singer that

has suffered much in reputation from its powers of

mimicry. On ordinary occasions, and especially in. the

daytime, it insists on playing the harlequin. But when

free in its own favorite haunts at night in the love

season it has a song, or rather songs, which are not only

purely original but are also more beautiful than any

other bird music whatsoever. Once I listened to a

mocking-bird singing the livelong spring night, under

the full moon, in the magnolia tree; and I do not think I

shall ever forget its song. (1893) Mem. Ed. II, 61; Nat.

Ed. II, 54.

____________. The mocking-bird is as conspicuous as

it is attractive, and when at its best it is the sweetest

singer of all birds;

496.

____________. It is a false statement, and therefore it is

a disservice to the cause of morality, to tell any man

that money does not count. If he has not got it he will

find that it does count tremendously. If he is worth his

salt and is desirous of caring for mother and sisters,

wife and children, he will not only find that it counts

but he will realize that he has acted with infamy and

with baseness if he has not appreciated the fact that it

does count. Of course, when I speak of money I mean

what money stands for. It counts tremendously. No man

has any right to the respect of his fellows

<- Previous First Next ->