OJ Humphrey and teddy bears -- 1907

I found a bizarre news story about OJH Sr. today. It seems that at the height of the Teddy bear craze (named after then-President, Theodore Roosevelt), OJH Sr. had two bear cubs shipped from Alaska. He is quoted in the article as saying, "I'm going to send these East for a friend of mine, E.H. Harriman, for his private garden."  When asked if he didn't think that teddy bears would prove better playthings for Harriman's children, he said, "Bears are better than the imitations....if the children play with (the bear cubs), they won't learn to be destructive as they do with dolls when they tear their clothes and thros them around. They will learn to care for something which needs to be fed regularly.  The cubs will teach any child who plays with them to be brave, watchful, quick,  strong, to endure pain and not to meddle with what they know nothing about."

Yikes!  My grandfather, OJH Jr., had just been born and Aunt Bobbie was not due for another two years but the Captain did have two older boys from his first marriage.  What kind of father was he?  It's clear from this what characteristics mattered most to him -- bravery, watchfulness, strength, ability to endure pain (!) -- but my goodness, what incredibly poor judgement, to keep bear cubs as pets.  I'm think he was an absent father, at best, but this makes me wonder about the worst.

And what a publicity hound!

This is from the 1907 Placerville Democrat for November something....