On March 14, 1904, William Loeb in Washington, D. C., wrote a letter to Paul Laurence Dunbar in Dayton. Loeb was the secretary of President Theodore Roosevelt, and the letter was on White House stationery. Paul was in failing health, and Loeb's letter was addressed to Deaconess Hospital (now known as Miami Valley Hospital).
Your letter of the 12th has been received, and in reply I beg to state that the President will be pleased to have you do as you suggest.
William Loeb to Paul Laurence Dunbar, March 14, 1904. Paul Laurence Dunbar Papers, Ohio History Connection (Microfilm edition, Roll 1).
Loeb was replying to a letter that Paul wrote to President Roosevelt a few days earlier. A draft of that letter is preserved in the notebook of Paul's secretary.
To His Excellency
Theodore Roosevelt
President of U. States
The White House
Washington D. C.
Mr. President:
Some time ago your little son Kermit wrote me asking me for a autograph and it gave me great pleasure write him a bit of verse call "Boy Time." Would you think it a great presumption, or palpable currying for public favor, if I should make it the first of a series of child's poems, which I am doing in a book for Dodd Mead & Co. It is a matter of taste, I must leave the decision entirely to you. For the poem is unreservedly your son's and only be used by me by grace of your permission.
I am very sincerely obedient servant
Paul Laurence Dunbar to Theodore Roosevelt, undated draft [March 12, 1904]. Paul Laurence Dunbar Papers, Ohio History Connection (Microfilm edition, Roll 1).
Kermit Roosevelt, the president's second son, was 14 years old at the time. Paul's poem called "A Boy's Summer Song" was published the following year.
'Tis fine to play
In the fragrant hay,
And romp on the golden load;
To ride old Jack
To the barn and back,
Or tramp by a shady road.
To pause and drink,
At a mossy brink;
Ah, that is the best of joy,
And so I say
On a summer's day,
What's so fine as being a boy?
Ha, Ha!
Excerpt from "A Boy's Summer Song," by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Published in Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (1905).
Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley. In 1904, he sought election for a full term and Paul wrote a poem in support of his campaign. Just a few days before the election, Roosevelt wrote to express his thanks to Paul.
I am touched that you should have written me from your sick bed. I appreciate the poem. As a token of my regard, will you accept the accompanying two volumes of my speeches?
Theodore Roosevelt to Paul Laurence Dunbar, November 2, 1904. Paul Laurence Dunbar Papers, Ohio History Connection (Microfilm edition, Roll 1).
Paul Laurence Dunbar, the Afro-American poet, who is now making his headquarters at 219 Summit Street, in this city, his native place, has received two autograph volumes of the speeches of President Theodore Roosevelt and a beautiful letter, expressing the appreciation of the president over a campaign poem that Mr. Dunbar composed and sent to the president. Mr. Dunbar received the beautiful gift and letter Saturday.
"Paul Dunbar Honored by the President." The Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio). November 5, 1904. Page 3.
There's a mighty sound a-comin',
From the East and there's a hummin'
And a bummin' from the bosom of the West,
While the North has given tongue
And the South will be among
Those who holler that our Roosevelt is best.
We have heard of him in battle
And amid the roar and rattle
When the foemen fled like cattle to their stalls;
We have seen him staunch and grim
When the only battle hymn
Was the shrieking of the Spanish mauser balls.Now, the fight is on in earnest,
And we care not if the sternest
Of encounters try our valor or the quality of him,
For they're few who stoop to fear
As the glorious day draws near,
For you'll find him hell to handle when he gets in fightin' trim.This poem was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar a week before the election. He submitted it to the president and received a letter of appreciation and two autograph volumes of Roosevelt's speeches. The Daily News exclusively published the letter last Saturday, and now gives the poem its first publication.
"Dunbar's Tribute to Roosevelt." The Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio). November 10, 1904. Page 4.
Roosevelt's letter and book of speeches are on display at the Dunbar House in Dayton.