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Driving Power

AMONG THOSE CLOSE TO HIM THERE ARE TWO THEORIES about the man. One is that, as optimist, as pragmatist, he does everything that he believes it humanly possible to do. Faced with a given situation, he is all for trying some line of action. Impulsive, even impetuous, he wants to know immediately what can be done. He then moves as far as he can to improve his world, to bring peace, to do whatever may be the job ahead of him. Having done this his conscience is clear. He has trained himself not to worry about what he cannot alter. And he has a serene trust in his own judgment.

The other theory is more complex. In his heart of hearts he is a sad man, having seen through the illusions and futilities of his time. Nevertheless, he has the courage to be cheerful and to do good in the sight of God. This theory endows Mr. Roosevelt with the humility of true greatness, the humility that few men have retained in their upward rise.

Any theory is, of course, too simple to explain this extraordinary figure whose shadow falls across our time. History may add something to our present knowledge of him, the history to which Mr. Roosevelt himself appears so eager to entrust his reputation. The remedies of this ardent doctor-at-large may have been too superficial for the disease he sought to cure. Or his dosages may have been too potent for a skeptical patient. The coming years will aid in a final judgment. Meanwhile, there is the democratic luxury of speculating on the character of this head of the greatest democracy in the world.