Your TR Source
Theodore Roosevelt denies having given such a quote. As stated repeatedly, he thoroughly supports the militia and military. The Boy Scouts is not merely a military movement. Although it helps with such skills, the organization primarily develops qualities useful in times of peace.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1910-12-23
Scoutmaster William H. Lindsay informs Theodore Roosevelt the Boy Scouts of Portland, Oregon, were disappointed they could not participate in welcoming him to the city. Therefore, Lindsay asks Roosevelt for a personal message of greeting and encouragement.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-04-29
M. L. Sim regrets to inform Theodore Roosevelt that he has canceled the luncheon. He asks if he can visit while in Oyster Bay, New York, on April 11 or 12.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-04
Wallace Batchelder regretfully informs Theodore Roosevelt of the death of George Aitken, who was to accompany him to the reception for Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell and to visit Roosevelt to discuss his trip to Vermont. To honor his friend, Batchelder will not attend the reception. However, he would like to arrange the program outlined in his previous letter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1910-09-21
Hermann Hagedorn uses quotes from various friends, family, and colleagues of Theodore Roosevelt to demonstrate that he had an active Christian faith that he nurtured with Bible study and regular church attendance. He employs these quotations to counter the argument that Roosevelt was not a Christian and because Roosevelt himself seldom spoke openly about his faith.
Reverend George E. Talmadge, the Rector of Christ Church in Oyster Bay, New York, provides a view of Theodore Roosevelt the parishioner. He provides a number of anecdotes about Roosevelt’s participation in Sunday services and his support of church ministries. Talmadge discusses Roosevelt’s religious roots in the Dutch Reformed Church, his work with the Boy Scouts, and the death of Quentin Roosevelt.
A picture of Christ Church in Oyster Bay, New York accompanies the Talmadge article.
A bulletin describing the history, purpose, and structure of the Boy Scouts of America.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-02
Boy Scouts of America’s April 17, 1911 newsletter contains seven articles. Ernest Thompson Seton compares the American Boys Scouts with the British Boy Scouts. The British scouts are more disciplined, whereas the American scouts are skillful at camping and have “greater lung power.” There is a discussion on doing a troop exchange. National Scout Commissioner Daniel Carter Beard discusses how scouts should regard men like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone as heroes rather than Jesse James or Robin Hood-type characters. The Executive Board plans to establish a Scout Masters’ School at Silver Bay, New York, in conjunction with the Boys’ Workers Camp. The two new manuals are almost ready to be published. Lorillard Spencer is planning summer activities for New York scoutmasters. New Jersey scouts are cleaning up areas to prevent mosquitoes. Italian scouts are working on propagating universal peace.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-04-17
Margaret Sanger writes about the Boy Scouts, stating that the movement was imported to the United States from Great Britain and “seized upon most enthusiastically by America’s grown up boy scout, Theodore Roosevelt.” Sanger criticized the Boy Scouts, claiming the organization was intended to train boys to obey and prepare them for the military, support the capitalists, and continue the oppression of the working class. She argues that President Roosevelt was “delighted” to “hasten” these ideas upon American society.
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project
1912-04-06