Your TR Source
An excerpt from a letter Quentin Roosevelt wrote about traveling in France during the summer of 1909. He discusses seeing a flying show, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. He does not like French train travel and discusses subjects of photographs he has captured with his camera.
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
1909
Chronology of the daily life of Theodore Roosevelt between January 1879 to December 1883. Notable events include Theodore Roosevelt’s engagement and marriage to Alice Hathaway Lee, his appointment to the New York State Legislature, and his first visit and buffalo hunt in North Dakota.
Theodore Roosevelt Association
1985
This postcard shows a very busy street in Paris, with a profusion of pedestrians, carts, and busses. In the background stands the Cathedral of Notre Dame, as well as other large buildings. Charles C. Myers explains that this is one of the principal rendezvous points of many bus and street car lines, and describes Parisian public transit.
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “This shows a busy square in Paris, on the east bank of the River Sein, and the principle rendezvoux [sic] of many omnibuses and also a transfer point of several street car lines. The street cars of Paris are of the double deck type–one penny if you ride above and two pennies if you ride below. In the distant [sic] is the twin towers of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most noted church buildings in the world.”
Postcard showing a close-up view of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Pedestrians are visible in front of the cathedral. Charles C. Myers discusses the dimensions of the cathedral and the pipe organ. He comments on the stained glass depicting the life of Christ and the statues of Adam and Eve.
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “Here is the Notre Dame at closer range. It is one of the oldest Cathedrals in the world being founded in 1182. The foundation was laid by Pope Alexander 3rd then a refugee in France. The inside measurements of this building is 417 ft long, 156 ft wide and 112 ft high. The roof is supported by 75 large stone columns 4 ft in diameter and 112 ft long and also 108 smaller ones of different lengths. The two rows of large columns are set farther apart at the top so that when you look up they seem to be parallel. The great pipe organ was built in 1750 and has over 6000 pipes and 5 key boards. It was the largest in the world at the time it was built. On either side of the chapel are two circular windows 42 ft in diameter. These windows are of stained glass and representing scenes during the life of Christ and are of note as they are the only circular windows of the kind and size in the world. The Notre Dame is also the only church in the world having life size statues representing Adam and Eve. This church is built entirely according to the old Gothic style of architecture and is indeed very interesting.”
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.