The History Book Club discussion

Hello Everyone,

This is the discussion for the book Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life & the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough.

This begins the fourth week's reading in our new Presidential Series group discussion.

The complete table of contents is as follows:

Syllabus

Mornings On Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

Table of Contents

Author's Note 9

Part One
ONE: Greatheart's Circle p.19
TWO: Lady from the South p.39
THREE: Grand Tour p.69
FOUR: A Disease of the Direst Suffering p.90
FIVE: Metamorphosis p.109

Part Two
SIX: Uptown p.131
SEVEN: The Moral Effect p.149
EIGHT: Father and Son p. 160

Part Three
NINE: Harvard p. 195
TEN: Especially Pretty Alice p. 218
ELEVEN: Home is the Hunter p. 237
TWELVE: Politics p. 251
THIRTEEN: Strange and Terrible Fate p. 277
FOURTEEN: Chicago p. 289
FIFTEEN: Glory Days p. 316
SIXTEEN: Return p. 351

Afterward p. 362

Notes p. 373
Bibliography p. 413
Index p. 427

The assignment for this week includes the following segments/pages:

Week Seven - July 18th - July 19th -> Chapter EIGHT p. 160 - 191
EIGHT - Father and Son

We look forward to your participation; but remember this is a non spoiler thread.

We will open up threads for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers.

This book is being kicked off on May 30th. This will be the seventh week's assignment for this book.

We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, or on your Kindle.

A special welcome to those who will be newcomers to this discussion and thank you to those who have actively contributed on the previous Presidential Series selection. We are glad to have you all.

~Bryan

TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS SELECT VIEW ALL
David McCullough

This chapter is entitled "Father and Son" and we pick up now with TR going to Harvard. We learned from a previous chapter that Harvard is geared toward the sciences and TR is thinking about becoming a scientist.

It is another metamorphosis for TR, because his asthma is much better, and he thrives on being on his own. Although he loves his studies and stays in a private room without roommates, he does begin to build a social life. He meets a Bostonian, Henry Minot, and even meets women.

However, he remains in isolation in two ways. The first is his father's politics. Although TR is known to go out to a parade to drum up support for Hayes, this is about it. Once in office, Hayes investigates the New York Custom House and Chester Arthur with the help of Theodore's friend, John Jay. Hayes and Secretary of the Interior, William Evarts, like Theodore and want to make him to be the new Collector. We learn this is a important job with the a lot of patronage and money. McCullough says it all: "Indeed, the customs service was notorious as an asylum for nonentities and has-beens, a kind of warm, dry dumping ground for failed merchants and broken down sports with political connections, and for every kind of political hack." (p. 172) So, it is quite common for the Collector to be taken a good chunk of the fines and forfeitures (pretty much extortion) and sprinkle down some money to his underlings.

However, Conkling, who controls the customs service and the Senate committee, gets Theodore's name dismissed. We learn it was a relief for Theodore that he did not get it, because he prefers his life as it is. The tragedy comes 2 months later in February 1878 when Theodore dies of stomach cancer.

TR is in isolation regarding his father's sickness. TR is never told Theodore was sick, but he did come to see his father on the day he died. It is a heavy blow to the family and for TR. He felt he has not lived up to his father's expectations and was in self-doubt. By summer, his feels a little better, but his asthma is back. McCullough also suggests that there is a "darker undercurrent" (p. 189) of anger and fear in TR's actions. As we close the chapter, he heads back to Harvard thinking about his future.

Great chapter, I thought. McCullough style is really good as he covers the politics and the personal life of the Roosevelts.

I am fascinated by the affect of Theodore's death on TR. We learn he takes out his anger on his horse and shoots not just wildlife, but bottles, too. We also learn he had a bad fight with Edith Carow that summer.

How would you feel if you were not told your father is dying? Can you imagine a life without your biggest role-model and best friend?

Some tidbits on the Custom House:

Conkling built his political machine on a rich source of patronage, the New York customhouse, headed by the collector of the port of New York. Before income taxes, the chief sources of federal revenue were the duties charged on imported goods. The busy port of New York served as the point of deposit for many imports, and its customhouse became the largest federal office in the government, taking in more revenue and handing out more jobs than any other. Since the days of Andrew Jackson, the "spoils system" had prevailed in the hiring and retention of federal employees. Each new administration cleaned house, regardless of the ability of individual civil servants, making room for its own appointees. As was the case at the city and state level, these federal jobs provided the glue that united political party organizations. Yet increasingly in the post-Civil War era, federal offices like the New York customhouse became symbols of waste, fraud, and incompetence that cost the government millions of dollars.

Numerous scandals within the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant led Republicans to seek a less-tarnished candidate for the 1876 contest. Chet Arthur supported Conkling's bid for the Republican presidential nomination, but when the nomination went instead to the reform-conscious governor of Ohio, Rutherford B. Hayes, Arthur threw the support of his office behind Hayes, raising funds and getting out voters to help Hayes carry New York and win the election. Rather than showing his gratitude, however, President Hayes appointed a commission to investigate the New York customhouse. When the group's report exposed inefficiency, graft, and a bloated payroll, Hayes issued an order forbidding federal officeholders to take part in political activities, so that the customhouse could be run under a merit system. Conkling's lieutenants, Arthur as collector and Alonzo Cornell as naval officer of the port—both members of the Republican State Committee—should have resigned under this order, but they refused. Hayes then fired both men and nominated Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. (father of the future president) and L. Bradford Prince to replace them. An outraged Conkling persuaded the Senate to reject both nominations.
(Source: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/h...)

A little tidbit I found spot on in the foreshadowing department:

"To family and servants he was young lord of the manor, father's 'noble boy,' and in spirit he hungered for visions of noble quests and high valor." (p. 163)

He truly lived for noble quests and high valor as an adult!

This was a strong chapter to me in two ways - the first was the description of the progression of the disease in Theodore SR and how it was coped with. The second was the effect upon all the family - none of the children really at this point were below young adulthood and it was a joint family suffering (if they really know as TR did not till the end)
The other thing that occured to me is that in our society today (US - western Europe too if one wishes) virtually everyone has access to better pain insulation than Theodore had and I wonder how the "common man/woman" had to suffer and cope thru these types of illnesses.

Thanks, Vince. You wish we had more letters or information on this private episode. It really must have been tough for everyone. I think Mittie and Theodore might have decided not to tell TR (and maybe the rest) to spare them the pain.

When I read this part, I remember the description of John Wayne who had stomach cancer-very painful.