Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Pierre de Coubertin
President Roosevelt agrees with Pierre de Coubertin about muscle memory in growing males and adds his own points to Coubertin’s theory. As examples, Roosevelt describes his sons’ (Archibald, Kermit, and Theodore) and his own athletic interests and abilities. He comments on Coubertin’s opposing viewpoint to most English men – that physical development should be the “be-all and the end-all…business of life” – and agrees that young males should experiment with all forms of exercise and sports in order to keep up “a reasonable acquaintance with them” in later years.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1903-06-15