Eleanor Roosevelt – My Day (Feb. 1941)

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eleanor

MY DAY

By Eleanor Roosevelt

February 1, 1941

Washington, Friday –
Yesterday, Sister Providencia, a daughter of Congressman Tolan, held an exhibition of work done by the Indians in the Pacific Northwest reservations, in the Indian Affairs Committee Room at the Capitol. Sister Providencia has been at work five years and she has succeeded in reviving some of the old arts and crafts among these people and adapting them to the modern market.

Their gloves are a joy, soft and warm, and anyone who lives a country life would be most thankful to possess a pair. I was late for my appointment and rather afraid that the exhibition might be closed. But I found that the room was still crowded with people, which shows that there is active interest in this type of handwork.

The President’s birthday dinner last night was a great success. We had, as usual, an abundance of amateur talent displayed by every member of the group. Our only professional entertainment was provided by Mr. Lauritz Melchior, who sang a group of songs for us which lifted us far above our usual level of fun and entertainment. We are all grateful to him for a very delightful interlude.

Everyone at the table contributed something in the way of admonition, inspiration or affection, so that at least during this dinnertime the President must have felt that he was having a personal birthday celebration.

I feel, occasionally, that this day has become such a collective birthday party, that the personal side of it has rather slipped away. But the small group who have attended these reunions ever since 1921, reminded the now augmented gathering last night that this was the twentieth year we had met together on this occasion. Many of those years had no connection with public functions, therefore, it is only right that a short period of this day should be devoted to a purely personal celebration.

As soon as dinner was over, I started to visit the different Birthday Balls. It seemed to me that the crowds were larger and more enthusiastic than usual. I met the different stars at various hotels and cut a most beautiful creation of a birthday cake at the Wardman-Park Hotel.

Then I dashed back to the White House in time to join those stars who were able to be there during the President’s broadcast. They continued on their rounds after the broadcast was over, but I went gratefully to bed, and actually had a little time to read an article by Irwin Ross in Harper’s Magazine of January 1941. I collect articles that I want to read and am always several months behind. This one, however, was well worth keeping.

Today is a much more peaceful day. I hope from now on, since the busiest month of the year has come to a close, that we shall lead a quieter and more reasonable life in the White House.

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February 3, 1941

Washington, Sunday –
On Friday afternoon, I attended a Girl Scout ceremony in the DAR National Headquarters. This was a birthday celebration at which they presented the work of their service bureaus in tableaux which showed what the girls can do in national defense. The climax was reached when they handed me a blank check, drawn to the order of the People of The United States, on the hours of their service.

In the evening, I went to a meeting called by a group of people who wanted to consider the advisability of forming a municipal assembly in the District of Columbia. I was astonished at the number of organizations existing in the District. Many of them are civic organizations which are federated and which, if they agreed on any one thing ought to be able to bring a great deal of influence to bear on the District government and the committees in Congress which deal with District matters.

Since I am only a temporary resident of the District, I feel that I have very little right to take part in anything affecting the citizens of the District, except as the District is of importance and interest to any citizen of the United States. Where the District institutions are concerned, I have always felt that all citizens should take an interest in having here, models for the rest of the country; both for the value it would be to us in carrying back suggestions to our own States and communities, and because of the service we could render to observers from other countries. I have always found that I could learn things from other countries and would like to feel that we offered here our best in every field in the hope that we might be useful.

The people of the District must decide whether a municipal assembly would be a good instrument for them. I was certainly impressed by the number of organizations there seem to be in the District, and the small results they seem to achieve.

After this meeting, I attended the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Birthday Ball, which like all the others, seemed to be better attended than last year.

Yesterday, Mrs. Montgomery Angell and I, with her two children made a trip to Monticello. They stopped first at Mt. Vernon, and then I joined them. We were fortunate in having a beautiful day, which made a picnic lunch possible. After visiting Jefferson’s home, which is always a joy to me, the children came back to Washington, while Mrs. Angell and I went to Richmond, Va., to attend a meeting of the newly organized Southern Electoral Reform League. I hope they will be successful in Virginia in having the poll tax removed, for I always feel that the State of Virginia should be a leader in all reforms.

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February 4, 1941

Washington, Sunday –
Yesterday promised to be a peaceful day, but I forgot that I had been away Saturday and not one, but two baskets of mail awaited my return.

However, even though I had taken Saturday off, I felt I must be free one day in the week in the White House, so I deliberately spent some time showing the children around the house after lunch, and talking with various friends. In between, I read through innumerable letters. My tea guests stayed until 7:00 and I was barely ready to welcome other guests who came to supper.

After supper we had The March of Time and a light newsreel, which the President seemed to enjoy. At 9:20, I left to go on the radio with Mr. Bill Stern for three minutes. It was an interesting opportunity to meet him and it was an added pleasure to find both his wife and mother in the studio. I suppose, just because I am so poor at all sports, I have a great admiration for those who excel in sports and who know a great deal about them.

This morning, I went to Mrs. Townsend’s musicale and enjoyed hearing Mr. Emanuel Feuermann and Mr. Rudolf Serkin. Mrs. Claude Wickard, the wife of the Secretary of Agriculture, and I drove straight to the Shoreham Hotel to lunch with Mrs. Jesse Jones, wife of the Secretary of Commerce, who gave a charming party for me. From there I went with Mrs. Morgenthau to the house warming in the new house just opened by the Washington Self-Help Exchange Inc.

This house stands by itself, quite back from the street and is admirably fitted to be a home for single men. There is ample room downstairs for lounging and office work, as well as a kitchen and dining room. 47 men can be housed on the second and third floors. The building has been completely rehabilitated by the men themselves.

They learned how to scrape and refinish floors. They painted everything. They recovered chairs and hung curtains. Not one new thing was bought for this whole house and yet it is simple and attractive in its furnishings. This is a temporary home for lonely men and they pay for their room and board in script, which they earn in the shops. At the same time they do work which will help them to obtain jobs, which may be enough to put many of them back on their feet as self-supporting human beings.

They had at the house an exhibition of the work done at the exchange shops which are, of course, in another building. They have a baby dress made from the material which architects use in their drawings, and a very nice baby dress it was. There were also many loaves of bread from their bakery and much reconstructed furniture.

Back at the White House, I received the Ambassador of Panama and Señora Brin, and the Ambassador of Chile and Señora Michels. This evening, we have a number of people coming to dinner with us informally.

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February 5, 1941

Washington, Tuesday –
I was interested last evening to talk to four more of the young people who are down here as government interns for the winter. I think I have mentioned these young people before. Ex-Congressman Davenport shepherds this group and I usually see them in one large gathering some evening during the winter.

This year it happens that a number of them had some tie with friends of mine and I have had an opportunity to see five of them more informally. They are all extremely interested and seem to be getting a great deal out of their actual work in some government department or in assisting in one of the congressional offices.

An amusing incident, was the discovery by Mrs. Robert Baker, whose husband is professor of astronomy at the University of Illinois, and who lives in Urbana, that one of the young people was the daughter of another professor who lived only two blocks from the Baker home. They had to come to Washington, however, to meet!

Because I had been unable to see some of the March of Time movies, I asked to have them shown over again for my benefit last evening. The one in which Mr. Quentin Reynolds is the narrator, that begins with the singing of carols on Christmas Eve, the night when Mr. Reynolds was starting back to the United States, was one of the most moving newsreels I have ever seen.

How utterly weary people must be, sleeping night after night, herded like animals on the tube platforms in London. I could not help wondering how they could go on day after day to work with such unrefreshing rest. To me, it is air at night that matters almost as much as sleep.

We also saw a short reel showing what is being done under the Maritime Commission to encourage the building up of our merchant marine and the training of our men for this service. It is a most interesting film and one which I hope will be widely distributed commercially.

Miss Mary Margaret McBride spent last night with us and left this morning by plane from New York City. She has been in Florida on an advertising program, but we talked of much besides Florida because I always find her a charming and delightful person with a wide range of interests.

I lunched today with Mrs. Frank Walker, wife of the Postmaster General, and it was a delightful party. Soon this round of gaiety with the wives of the Cabinet will be brought to a close. In the spring, there are lunches for various congressional wives’ groups, but they are not scheduled quite so closely together.

I had word from New York State this morning that they have had really cold weather and snow enough to do some skiing even around our cottage. I cannot help wishing that there was time to stay there and tramp the hills for two or three days. Snow in the city is something we always want to see melt away, but snow in the country is beautiful for a long time.

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February 6, 1941

New York, Wednesday –
On leaving the very pleasant lunch given by Mrs. Frank Walker yesterday, I went to the Calvary Baptist Church, where an afternoon seminar on the migratory worker was going on under the auspices of the National Christian Mission. The churches have been working for some time on this problem; and I feel it is a very good thing for all of us, no matter to what special denomination we may belong, to join in work which translates into action the spiritual beliefs we hold.

Over the banisters, as I came out of the church, a little old lady called to me in French. I answered her in her own language, for I think one must have a hunger sometimes, when in a foreign land, to hear other people talk the language of your birth.

From there, I went to receive a watch from Mr. William V. C. Ruxton, President of the British-American Ambulance Corps, Inc. A duplicate of the one given to me is being sent to Queen Elizabeth, and these watches with the insignia of the RAF are going to be on sale at local jewelers all over the country for the benefit of this committee. Here in Washington they are trying to raise $25,000 – the first $1,000 was handed to Mr. Ruxton today for the purchase of a flying ambulance to pick up aviators shot down at sea.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hawkins of Reno, Nevada, arrived to spend last night with us, and we had the usual small dinner preceding the Congressional Reception. After the reception was over, Mrs. Henry Morgenthau, Jr., and I left on the night train for New York. We breakfasted in my apartment in New York and at 9:00, Miss Rose Schneiderman of the Women’s Trade Union League joined us there. We started at once for Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where I had promised to speak for a few minutes to the girls who have been on strike at the Leviton factory for a great many weeks.

We are now starting on our drive to Amherst, Massachusetts. Both of us are armed with fur coats and warm clothes, though I confess it seemed impossible to believe in Washington that it could really be cold up here.

We have had a warm winter so far in Washington and I have been able to sleep with both my bedroom windows open. My bed stands between them, so when the wind blows I sometimes am awakened in the middle of the night by swishing curtains over my face and shades and papers blowing off my night table!

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February 7, 1941

Amherst, Mass., Thursday –
The drive from New York City yesterday over the Merritt Parkway, up through Danbury and Simsbury to Amherst was very beautiful. The snow gleamed and sparkled in the sun and the bare trees were very lovely against the blue sky. We had no idea how long it would take us but everything went very smoothly.

The roads were clear and our one concern was whether we would find any inn open for lunch. Mrs. Morgenthau had set her heart on stopping at the White Turkey Inn, but when we got there, it was marked “closed for the winter.” In New Milford we found a gift shop and tearoom combined and had a very good lunch. Some youngsters discovered that it was the President’s wife who was inside and came in with the usual autograph books.

Finally, there arrived a young lady, quite breathless, who said she was the reporter for the weekly paper. Her questions were very few, her real concern was to get a young man, who had just enlisted in the Army, to come in and shake hands. She told me his courage had failed him, so that I was evidently more terrifying than possible battles. But she went out and urged him in, and I hope he found the President’s wife quite harmless.

We reached Amherst a little before 4:00. Bob Morgenthau met us and took us to our rooms. With great care, he had chosen rooms at the back of the inn because the Birthday Ball was being given and he thought, otherwise, we would be kept awake by the dancing. There were flowers awaiting us from the political union. I am beginning to feel that these young people are not only extremely good organizers but very thoughtful and considerate of the comfort of their guests.

Several people dropped in to see me, all of whom I enjoyed. Then we dressed and prepared to meet the press and the photographers. President King came over to share this interview, and then Mrs. Morgenthau and I dined with President and Mrs. King.

The hall for the meeting was filled and the questions of the young men after my short talk seemed to me very thoughtful and interesting. The times are such that youth today is taking life very seriously. I think this younger generation is going to face the realities of the world situation and the changes that have come about here and abroad with a more realistic understanding than ever before. This attitude in youth is what gives us greater hope for the future.

Another lovely day, and we are starting out now for Mt. Holyoke and Smith Colleges. It will be interesting to go from a man’s colleges to colleges where there are only women. I am looking forward to having an opportunity to hear the girls discuss their point of view on the national and international scene.

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February 8, 1941

New York, Friday –
Thursday morning, it looked as though we would have a pleasant day, but before long the grey clouds gathered and I began to wonder if snow was going to impede our progress. However the day remained more or less fair and quite warm. We left Amherst, Mass., at 10:30 to drive to Mt. Holyoke and Smith Colleges.

At Mt. Holyoke, they had arranged for an assembly which was to be a question and answer period. The questions had all been sent in ahead and they had been classified and duplicates eliminated. For that reason, I was able to cover in an hour all those they had prepared. I found them very well thought-out questions covering a wide field of interests. I lunched at Mead Hall with a selected group representing different activities. We had time for a little more talk before leaving for Northampton about three.

There I put in a busy few hours! Dropping my bags at Mrs. Werner Josten’s house, I hurried to Miss Dodd’s bookshop and signed some of my own books for her. Then she took me over to the alumnae meeting in the Alumnae House. They said they regretted not having their most illustrious member present, and I was equally sorry not to have the pleasure of seeing Mrs. Coolidge.

She sent me a sweet note and some lovely flowers and I would have liked to tell her what a trail of admiration and affection she has left in Washington. Everyone who knew her still speaks of her graciousness and kindness. I think it is a satisfaction when you have returned to live in your own home, to know that an interim spent in some other place has left such pleasant memories.

The meeting at the Alumnae House was in the interest of a scholarship for a refugee student. I was glad to have an opportunity to hear of the work which Smith College has done along this line. I only hope that I was able to add something to their interest in refugees.

Miss Mary Jackson was waiting for me at the close of the meeting and I went with her to meet some members of the Democratic Club and of the Political Forum. Then we had a half hour to dress and went back to the old Wiggins Tavern for a small dinner, attended about equally between faculty and students. From there we went to the joint meeting of the Political Forum and the Democratic Club. The hall was filled and the questions again showed awareness of what is going on in the world today and a desire to prepare for the future.

After that meeting, we went back to Mrs. Josten’s house and she had a delightful reception, but I will confess that I was not sorry when I finally found myself in bed. The morning seemed to come remarkably soon.

Torrents of rain accompanied us on our journey back to New York City today and we crawled down one very long slippery hill. On the whole, we made good time, lunched at my cottage at Hyde Park and arrived at my apartment just ahead of Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. who came to tea.

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February 10, 1941

Charleston, W. Va., Sunday –
On Friday night, in New York City, I attended one of the nicest graduation ceremonies in which I have ever taken part. Harlem Hospital, which is a city hospital, has a training school for nurses. These colored girls must have a high school education at least, and many of them have college degrees.

Most of them come from New York City, though there were girls graduating whose homes were in Pennsylvania, Texas, Mississippi and other states. I imagine that the greater number of them would like to remain in New York City in order that they may make a little more money, but I hope that some of them will find their way to states where they are much needed. The superintendent of the hospital, told me she had just placed four girls in administrative positions in the South.

The exercises were held in Mother Zion Church. Then we went over to the nurses home, where the girls with their families and friends, were received and where we all had supper.

Mrs. Henry Morgenthau Jr. and I had to hurry home afterwards to dress and to meet Miss Thompson to board the night train for Washington, because the stormy weather made us fear there would be no flying Saturday morning. However, we arrived in Washington to find clear blue skies. But, if I had not had a full day at home, I wonder how I would ever have left for Charleston, W. Va., last night.

There were guests at lunch and guests at dinner and quite a large group of young people for tea. Mr. Julien Bryan showed his pictures taken in Brazil and told us about them after dinner. The President and I, and all our guests, who included Vice President and Mrs. Wallace, Mr. John Hay Whitney and several people from Mr. Nelson Rockefeller’s office as well as our own house guests, enjoyed not only Mr. Bryan’s lecture with pictures, but also the brief special arrangement he has made for the movies.

He has done the same thing in other South American countries and I think he will contribute much to our knowledge of them. The possibilities for production and interchange of goods appeared before us and our opportunities for better cultural relations were made evident by the pictures. He shows what other nations, such as Great Britain, Italy and Germany, have done.

It is easy to see that Germany has put more thought and money into her relationship with Brazil, at least, than we have. Mr. Bryan told us, however, that he estimated that 80 percent of the people were friendly to the United States. But we have not proved ourselves as yet, and the results of the war in Europe will have some effect on our influence in this hemisphere.

After the pictures were over, Miss Thompson and I took the train and arrived this morning in Montgomery, W. Va., to go through Dr. Laird’s hospital there. I think I shall write a whole column about this hospital someday. In the meantime, I wish that hospital managers all over this country could see it. It is the most encouraging place I have seen for many a long day.

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February 11, 1941

Washington, Monday –
I am thankful beyond words for one quotation from Mr. Willkie on his return from Europe:

If we give aid to Britain we are likely to stay out of war.

I am glad that this is his conviction after his trip.

On leaving Montgomery, W. Va., yesterday, we motored directly to Charleston, and I was impressed, as I always am, by the beauty of this state. The streams at this season are partly frozen and the hills powdered with snow. Yet, all through this section, on the hillsides and along the road, the usual sad, grimy looking little houses make one’s heart heavy. Life could not be lived normally, joy could not exist in such surroundings. I wonder sometimes at the buoyancy of human spirit which rises above such surroundings and aspires to a better life.

At the hotel, our rooms were filled with lovely flowers, which made one forget that winter still held sway outside. The press paid me a short visit and then we had a quiet lunch and time to go over some mail.

After the lecture, we attended a reception at the Governor’s mansion. I had to be reminded by Miss Thompson that, at the hotel, there was work to be done, before I finally tore myself away at 6:30.

The group sponsoring the lecture gave it as a benefit for the Morris Memorial Hospital, which is a hospital for crippled children. When I saw it some years ago, it was only partially completed, but one could tell that the spirit necessary to help these children overcome their handicap was there. Several of the patients came to the lecture and afterwards to tea. One perfectly charming young woman, Miss Marjorie Dohan, from Ohio, is receiving treatment and at the same time earning her way by acting as secretary. They told me that everyone is devoted to her and I can well understand it, because she is as pretty as a picture and radiates a cheerful, happy spirit.

I succeeded in finishing the mail and doing a little dictating before I went to the train at 10:00, escorted by the efficient state police sergeant who had watched over us all day. My respect for the state constabulary in every State grows as I see more of them. They are so competent and so thoughtful, both in matters of safety and in the comfort of the guests visiting their states.

Mrs. Blackburn Watts and Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Koontz saw us off to the train and we woke this morning just outside of Washington.

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February 12, 1941

Washington, Tuesday –
Yesterday, Lord and Lady Halifax lunched with me and it was my first opportunity to meet them, for they were prevented from coming earlier by Lady Halifax’s illness.

In the afternoon, I spent an hour with Dr. Latham Hatcher and a group that is planning a meeting in the interests of better guidance for rural youth. The defense program is affecting rural youth as it is affecting young people in the cities. In many cases it is harder in rural areas for them to obtain guidance or help on any problem which may arise.

I noticed that, in our discussion, the health problem seemed very important to a great many of us. It is rather generally accepted that, from the draft experience, we shall gain much knowledge of value to rural communities and homes, which will be applicable to standards of living in rural communities as well as to urban communities.

We are learning that many of the physical disabilities which come to young people between the ages of 18 and 25 have their roots in malnutrition, or in bad habits of diet and general physical care acquired during childhood and adolescence. It is often not only a question of family income, but a lack of knowledge which brings about physical defects and weaknesses which handicap young people in later life.

Monsieur René Le Roy, the French flutist, who has been on so many concert tours in this country, has just succeeded in getting over here from France. He came down from New York yesterday to spend a few days with us here.

This morning, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to talk over with people in the government, who are now working on various aspects of the problem, the housing situation here in the District of Columbia, and the inclusion of such things as hospitals and schools in the defense housing projects. I sometime wonder if people outside of the government have any idea how many people in the government service are working on the ideas which they are troubled about. They send in suggestions in rather unfinished form which need to be worked over and finally put into shape for actual achievement.

At 11:30, a group of men from Williamsport, Pa., came in to tell me of the plight in which their valley finds itself. They have three cities where the people are mainly miners and gradually mine after mine is closing down, leaving them with no means of earning a living. I had to acknowledge that I could not pull rabbits out of a hat, but I sent them over to the National Resources Board to be steered into the right channels for expert advice on their problem. I only hope that these people, who represent so many hopeless, anxious people at home, found some light and hope in the nation’s capital.

I lunched with Mrs. Henry Morgenthau Jr. and it was as it always is every year, a delightful party.

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February 13, 1941

Washington, Wednesday –
I wonder how many of you noticed in the papers an announcement of Negro History Week, which runs from February 9 to February 16. I have long felt that, while we are in school, all of us should learn more about the contributions of the various races making up the people of the United States of America since the beginning of its history. At the same time, it is important to know each year, what special contributions have been made by different groups in their different fields of endeavor.

A nationwide poll is conducted each year by the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature of the New York Public Library, to determine:

…the twelve Negroes (individuals, organizations or institutions) who have most distinguished themselves during the past year.

At the same time, they choose six white people, or institutions, who have done most toward the improvement of race relations “in terms of a real democracy.”

This, I think, is valuable in giving recognition where it is due, and in keeping us aware of the contributions of our various racial groups. We should be grateful for what they achieve, for it is the sum total of all our achievements which makes the greatness of our country, and we must feel pride in every individual who contributes to the whole.

Yesterday afternoon, I attended the reception given by the Congressional Club, and went from there to a fashion show and a tea given at the Shoreham Hotel for the benefit of the Goodwill Industries. I came home in time to welcome a guest from New York City, Miss Esther Lape, and to prepare for the early dinner which always precedes the big receptions.

Last night, the reception was the largest we have held this year and the most brilliant, for uniforms predominated and plain evening clothes were rather conspicuous. The Army and Navy reception is apt to bring many friends and acquaintances together, but in spite of the President’s habit of stopping people to talk to them, they go by with such precision and rapidity that it does not take much longer than other receptions.

By 10:30, the President was able to be upstairs with the door of his study shut on the outer world, while Mr. Willkie told him of his European impressions. I went to work on my mail and found the President still awake at quarter before one. I feel sure that whatever report Mr. Willkie gave was not depressing, for the President turned everything we talked about into a humorous story.

This morning, we are going down to the Lincoln Memorial, where a wreath will be placed to commemorate the day. Then we shall await the arrival of the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg with her husband and son.

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February 14, 1941

Washington, Thursday –
I always get a thrill when I stand at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial and watch the flags waving and see the flowers being placed on his shrine on February 12. So many terrible things were said of him while he was alive; if by chance, he was the person that those who said them, described. On the other hand, there were people, many of them, all over this country, who did not wait for his death to give him their love and devotion. And when his death occurred, they felt they had lost a personal friend.

One cannot live in the White House without feeling the influence of the Lincoln tradition, because so many rooms are marked with his name. Aside from that, time has allowed us to get away from the bitterness of his day and to evaluate his services to mankind. His passion for justice and freedom for all, his great kindliness, which made him at times put mercy above justice; seem to be driven home as you look at his portraits and live in this house. He was never petty. There is no record that he ever made people suffer for things said of him. His patience seems to have been phenomenal, and his sense of humor allowed him to rebuke with an amusing story what some people might have called treason.

May we plain people learn from him to practice the virtues that make life better for us all in the long run.

Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Luxembourg, and some of her party, went with me to Mt. Vernon yesterday afternoon. Mr. Charles C. Wall, the resident superintendent at Mt. Vernon, took us to the tomb and house where Mrs. Horace M. Towner, regent of the Mt. Vernon Ladies’ Association, met us and accompanied us through the house. Her Royal Highness was very appreciative of the beautiful situation and this country place built in Colonial days.

I never cease to marvel at the ability with which women of that period must have run their numerous businesses in order to provide their very large families, which included all their dependents, with shelter, food and clothing, and recreation. Education, judged by the size of the school house, did not require much space in those days.

After the dinner given here last night, Mr. Sigmund Spaeth, known on the air as “The Tune Detective,” entertained us all for a half an hour or more with “Music For Fun.” I was delighted to see many of the busy tired men around us relax and laugh. I think it meant more to the Americans perhaps than to our foreign guests, but even they seemed to be entertained and amused.

This morning, my press conference ladies met the Grand Duchess and then we held a short conference. Today our guests are busy, but I think on the whole they are not being put through as close a schedule as usual, so I hope they may have more time to enjoy themselves.

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February 15, 1941

Washington, Friday –
Yesterday afternoon, our Luxembourg guests enjoyed with me a short musical program given by the Chamber Music Guild String Quartet and two young English singers, Miss Viola Morris and Miss Victoria Anderson, whose fresh young voices seemed to bring spring into the room.

In the evening, a number of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, with their wives, came to dinner and afterwards the moving picture The Philadelphia Story was shown. I had seen this as a play, but Katharine Hepburn is as charming in the movies as she is on the stage and off the stage. Everybody else in the cast is excellent and the whole picture was received with great enthusiasm by our guests. I was glad to find that apparently very few people had seen it before.

I have been sent a very useful book called The New Pitfalls In English by Sophie C. Hadida. The person sending it to me, I am sure, has found that I need to study my own language. I suppose many of us forget any grammar we may have learned in our childhood and speak our own language almost entirely by ear. If we had to stop to think of the rules, conversation would be slow.

The difficulty in a country as big as ours, is that our ear becomes accustomed to usage which varies with the locality. In addition to that, some of us may not have had the opportunity of learning the correct usage when we were young. I shall try to study this book carefully, but I feel quite sure that there will always be both grammatical errors in what I write and mistakes in pronunciation in what I say. The best I can do is to try to correct my errors and be humbly grateful to anyone who gives me any assistance.

I have just received from the Roosevelt Memorial Association their new publication, the Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia, edited by Mr. Albert Bushnell Hart and Mr. Herbert Ronald Ferleger. Mr. William Allen White has written the foreword and there are excerpts from people both here and abroad, praising Theodore Roosevelt as a man, writer, statesman and naturalist.

My uncle made a deep impression on me. I was enormously pleased when William Allen White once said to me at dinner, that my voice reminded him of his old friend, Theodore Roosevelt. I did not tell him how much I wished I had some of the other qualities which have made Theodore Roosevelt one of our unforgettable personalities. This book is a great source of pleasure as well as an interesting historical document, and I hope it will be be in every library.

Our guests are leaving us this morning. I, who had planned to fly to New York City, had to change my plans and take a train because of fog. I hope to be there in time for several appointments and a quiet dinner before attending the Newspaper Women’s Ball at 10:30 tonight.

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February 17, 1941

Washington, Sunday –
I spent all day yesterday in Boston. While only one hour was spent in the morning visiting NYA projects. I really found it a very exciting hour. Over in Charlestown, Mass., I visited the new worker center for foundry and machine work. Besides the boys who are being trained, I found the first ten girls being trained in the use of machines, which they conceivably might operate, not only on defense projects, but in times of peace. I watched with care and I could see nothing that they were doing which was over-taxing or not suited to women’s abilities.

In the foundry, a boy who had made a name plate for me, explained the various processes and handed me the plate. I think I shall use it on my Hyde Park Cottage so no one will enter without knowing the owner. Then we went over to the “Shell” near the river, which the NYA has acquired as its offices and for use by the music project. Here we found the symphony orchestra practicing and they played Ravel’s “Bolero” for me.

It was really a delight to watch and hear them. Surely with the young artists, who are receiving an opportunity to develop their art on NYA, and the older ones on WPA, who have an opportunity to bring music to more and more people in the country, we shall gradually develop into a music-loving people. We cannot all be artists, but we can all be familiar with music. We can join in community singing, can enjoy music together as part of our community activities, which we develop for our joint participation. In doing this, we will certainly be a happier and better nation.

I enjoyed my lunch with the Women’s Trade Union League group very much. In the afternoon I went to Harvard to meet with a group of students, which included delegates from Radcliffe, Wellesley, and Boston University. There is much to be learned from the questions these groups ask. They show much thought and effort to solve many of the problems we older people face and try to think through for the present and the future. I am glad to find this interest from youth, for a fresh, young approach is certainly valuable.

After this meeting, I dined with a small group which included Representative and Mrs. Thomas H. Eliot and I flew back to New York City on the 8:30 plane. My hosts were most kind and thoughtful and took care of me till I entered the plane. Then, to my joy, I was met in New York City by our son, Franklin, Jr., who drove me home and spent an hour chatting before he went off to meet his wife and some friends.

A lazy pleasant morning today at the apartment and I caught the 12:00 plane back to Washington. We flew with the blueness of the sky above us, but a high wind made it a slightly bumpy trip. Now we await Mr. Harry Hopkins’ arrival. I must say I look forward with great pleasure to welcoming him home and with intense interest to hearing what he has to say of his trip.

15

February 18, 1941

Washington, Monday –
Last evening we had a little party to celebrate Mrs. Henry Morgenthau Jr.'s birthday, which really does not occur until some time this week. Our only guests besides the Secretary and Mrs. Morgenthau, were Mr. Harry Hopkins, who arrived from New York just in time for dinner, and Mlle. Eve Curie, who is spending 24 hours with us between lectures.

On this visit, Mlle. Curie has been in the Midwest, and shortly she will start on a long lecture trip which will take her all the way to the West Coast. She has lived in England ever since she left France and I think there must be moments when our whole mentality in this country must seem like an unreal dream to her.

There is no use denying that seeing the bombs drop, even if they do not hit you, puts a different perspective on life. The thing which impresses me in talking with Mlle. Curie, is the minuteness of organization which is required under conditions such as many of the English people are now living under. This is so particularly in the industrial towns.

The contrasts even over in Britain are very great and make it easier to see why we can feel as remote as we do. The block by block organization for every eventuality where bombs are dropping, for instance, and the remote Highland home where people still live their usual daily lives as though nothing unusual were going on, show what a few miles can do to make understanding of conditions difficult.

This week testimonials are being paid all over the nation to Mr. Paderewski because the year 1941 is the golden anniversary of his debut in the United States. He has given endless pleasure to people throughout this country and, in addition, he has many times contributed from his earnings to our charities. This testimonial week is our opportunity to offer him not only the homage of music but a substantial contribution which he will be able to use for the good of his country.

I wonder if you have been receiving as many recent appeals for aid for China as have been coming to me. Perhaps you feel a little confused. I confess that I have occasionally, but there are two things which appeal to me particularly. One is the development of the Chinese cooperatives, because that is something which is helping the people of China to help themselves. It has, therefore, been especially fostered by Madame Chiang Kai-shek.

The other is the work of the China Emergency Relief Committee, which is putting on a drive at the present time to raise a million dollars by June for medical supplies for China. This organization, for which Pearl Buck and Vincent Sheean and numerous other people have done so much, is working in cooperation with the China Medical Aid. The hope is that every individual who realizes what the lack of medical supplies means to a country will lend his cooperation.

16

February 19, 1941

Washington, Tuesday –
At the White House the other night, we were shown the movie Major Barbara. It is a very human story and one I think many of us will enjoy. I saw the play many years ago, and it has been well produced and is very effective as a movie.

Mrs. Helm, Miss Thompson and I went to a luncheon yesterday, given by Mrs. John Herrick as a second celebration for Mrs. Henry Morgenthau Jr.'s birthday. If the number of parties given for some one is any indication of the affection that people have for that person, Mrs. Morgenthau should realize how many people have warm spots in their hearts for her.

The prizes won by Mrs. Herrick’s dogs were on exhibition, and I was duly impressed. After lunch, when I saw the dogs running around outside, I could readily understand that they would be winners. They are really beautiful dogs, but “Fala,” the President’s little Scottie, still holds my heart. Though I have only a toy dog to keep him company at present, someday I shall have a live one when I really live in the country again.

We had a most interesting and delightful evening last night. Before our party began, I dropped in for a few minutes at a dinner given by one of Mrs. von Hesse’s speech classes. Her youngest pupil recited a poem to music and it was really remarkably well done. I was back at the White House before our guests arrived.

After dinner, Mr. Alan Lomax, who has been collecting and making records of American folk songs for the Library of Congress, put on, under Mr. MacLeish’s direction, a program partly sung by professionals and partly by boys from nearby Army, Navy and Marine Corps camps. I think everyone enjoyed the evening. The honors went about equally to the professionals and the non-professionals.

I hope these songs spread through all the branches of the services. I would like to see musical instruments available and records of these songs in the recreation centers of every group and in every community center near a camp throughout the country. I think it would serve to make us conscious of our own rich background of folk literature and music.

Our youngest grandchild is becoming quite accustomed to the White House. He is brought down every morning at nine and says:

How do you do?

…to everyone at breakfast and then I take him on a round of visits. First he sees his grandfather, and there he has a grand time with “Fala,” “Fala” likes him as much as he likes “Fala.” He pokes his little hand right into the dog’s mouth and gets it licked all over and smiles broadly when “Fala” dances round on his hind legs trying to reach him.

Then we visit all the other people who may be trying to rest in the morning and rouse them from their slumbers, so that they can admire the youngest member of the family before he goes back to play in his pen. He is a well disciplined baby for the rest of the day.

17

February 20, 1941

New York, Wednesday –
A few guests lunched with me yesterday, one or two afternoon visitors and an evening spent happily listening to a fine concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Then the night train to New York City and a series of appointments here this morning which I will tell you about tomorrow.

Days ago, I promised to write a column about the miners’ hospital in Montgomery, West Virginia. I hesitated to write about it until I could investigate every possible source to see whether there was something wrong with it that I had not been able to discover! It seemed to me too good to be true, yet I failed to find that Dr. Laird himself, who is so interested in rendering a service to his patients at a minimum cost, was painting too rosy a picture or forgetting to mention some fact which would make this service impossible to duplicate. I have grown skeptical, I suppose, so I kept on trying to find out if there were any flaws in the plan.

I can find no flaw, and so at last I want to tell you what has been done in Montgomery. At the same time I want to pay a tribute of admiration to Dr. Laird and his associates, for the remarkable organization and humanitarian approach to this question of hospital care.

Here in a small place in West Virginia, surrounded by a mining area which is none too prosperous – as you may see if you drive past the houses lived in by the miners – there is a hospital which is as well equipped, as attractively furnished, as airy and light and cheerful as any I have ever seen. The nurses seem to give skilled and loving service. There is a training school for nurses, and most of the girls come from miners’ families. That, perhaps, is why they know so well how to care for the men and their families, who make up the bulk of patients. The miners receive complete hospitalization for themselves, their wives, children, and aged parents who live with them, for the sum of $1.00 per month. There is no extra charge for operations, for anesthetics or for medicine. Some of the cases of broken backs have been in the hospital over a year.

Every detail is thought out and carefully planned. Every room in this hospital is not only attractive but convenient for nurse and patient. The equipment is of the best and arranged in the most convenient way for those who have to use it.

There is no skimping on wages. Everyone receives the average for the vicinity for the type of work they are doing. Babies, old people and young people are cared for equally well.

After much questioning, the only explanation for this remarkable achievement of Dr. Laird’s seems to be the great care taken to eliminate waste. One other is the preventive medical work which the graduate nurses do when employed by the coal mine owners. Dr. Laird says that after they have been at work for two years there is a distinct drop in the number of people coming in with minor ailments, which are eliminated by better knowledge of nutrition and general health care.

Dr. Laird should be utilized to teach more young men who are going to work in hospitals all over the country what really good management of a hospital can achieve.

18

February 21, 1941

Washington, Thursday –
I have to begin my column today by figuratively putting on sackcloth and ashes, because the people who came to visit me last week were from Williamstown, Pennsylvania and NOT Williamsport, Pennsylvania. I have maligned the fair name of Williamsport, which is thriving in every possible way, and the manager of the Williamsport Community Trade Association is quite rightly very much annoyed with me. I hereby make my humble apologies. It is Williamstown which has difficulties to face. Perhaps Williamsport can give them help.

And now for another mistake which seems to have brought a certain young movie actress, who came here for the Birthday Balls, a lot of unfavorable publicity. It appears that Lana Turner, on the night of January 30, 1941, is said to have “poked Anna Sklepovich in the ribs” in what is alleged to have been an unfriendly manner. I remember that particular meeting and picture taking quite well. There were crowds all around us, the cameramen were telling us what to do every minute, and I am rather surprised that we did not actually knock each other down. I am quite sure that no one tried to get anyone else out of the picture, because what we were trying to do was to get everyone into the picture and not have them hidden by the most gorgeous and monumental cake I have ever seen, which threatened to hide everybody except me.

I am too tall to be hidden, unless something stands over six feet. Miss Sklepovich was a nice child, who was invited when a prankster had first sent her a false invitation to see the President.

The movie stars who came on for the party did so to help the cause of infantile paralysis and I do not think they should receive unfavorable criticism. The response to this annual appeal is very heartening and it is really too crowded at every party for any of us to know whether we observe all the amenities.

I had a most interesting time yesterday at Hunter College. Some time I want to go back to see that extraordinary sixteen story building which houses 7,000 students. The girls were a delightful audience and charming hostesses. I particularly enjoyed my question period. A broadcast later for the British American Ambulance Corps was very interesting. I hope that the sale of the new stamps designed by Mr. Arthur Szyk, which were presented to me, will meet with great success.

I am sorry that I shall not be able to attend the performance of Claudia on the evening of February 26 in New York City. It is being given for the benefit of Pioneer Youth Inc., an organization which does a great deal for underprivileged youngsters by establishing camps and carrying on clubs. Their work is not confined to New York City alone, but even helps the sharecropper children in Alabama.

I flew down to Washington this morning and, since the wind was so high, we had a few rough minutes before landing.

19

February 22, 1941

Washington, Friday –
Yesterday afternoon, in Washington, I visited a house on Independence Avenue, where exhibitions are held of children’s art work; painting, ceramics and block printing. Children from all over the city had sent in work, but a good many children come to this house and work in their free time. Some of them were in the studio painting while we were there. They looked very happy and one little colored boy was doing A Street Corner, which was extremely realistic.

I liked one story they told me about a little girl who was asked what she did at the art center and who answered:

They don’t teach us anything. They just give us the courage to do things.

Every inch of the house is used for some form of art work. The writers’ project had some new pamphlets on exhibition which I had not seen before. I asked at once for several sets because they looked to me like the most simple and sensible manuals on various important subjects, such as government, how to buy a house, household training and so forth.

There is some difficulty about keeping these professional projects going here and elsewhere. They are not considered part of national defense and if anything is going to be cut, these projects are. The sponsors of the art project here have brought out a leaflet on the outside of which they simply put:

The strength of our nation lies in the skills of its citizens.

I came away with a sense of tremendous urgency about preserving these projects in the interests of real defense of our country.

I found Mrs. Samuel Rosenman at the White House after a day spent attending a series of conferences on housing. She is doing a wonderful piece of work in New York City and I am always glad to have her come down here and contact the people who are working here. Mrs. Gifford Pinchot also came to see me. Finally I had to hurry to be ready for an early dinner, for Miss Dorothy Thompson and I had to be at Constitution Hall for the Town Hall Meeting at a quarter before eight.

I really enjoyed the evening, for all I had to do was to preside. That meant introducing Miss Dorothy Thompson and reading the questions which were sent up for the panel and Miss Thompson to answer. Her address was interesting, but her handling of the questions was really inspiring. Even Congressman Mundt of South Dakota, who, I think, had come prepared to uphold the opposition point of view, enjoyed it. In fact, I think everyone had a good time. The differences of opinion were friendly but fervent, and I hope served to clarify the points discussed.

20

February 24, 1941

Washington, Sunday –
On Friday, I lunched with Mrs. Claude Wickard, the wife of the Secretary of Agriculture. We had such a pleasant time that, on reaching the station, I found I had kept my husband’s train waiting five minutes. However, the important point for me was that he did wait, and then we started for Hyde Park.

Miss Thompson and I worked all the way up, except for a very pleasant dinner period. Secretary and Mrs. Morgenthau and their daughter, Joan, and Mr. Harry Hopkins were also on the train. We all had a hilarious time and then went back to work until the train reached the station at 10:30 p.m. Even then I had to finish the mail after I reached home.

Yesterday morning I was very leisurely, but I had the pleasure of talking with a group of people who are interested in making our public schools more effective in training young people for life in a democracy. I enjoyed my hour with them and then the whole family from the big house joined me at the cottage for lunch. The day was rather cloudy, but enough snow remained on the ground to give us the contrast between the dark evergreen trees and the white ground beneath them, so that the country looked beautiful.

It was very peaceful and I would have liked to stay, but a promise made months ago started me back to Washington in the late afternoon. This morning I am on my way to Petersburg, Virginia, to visit the state college there and give a short talk. I am glad, however, that the President is able to have at least two full days at home, and I hope nothing will bring him back to Washington until Monday.

I hope you saw the announcement of a new series of nationwide dramatic programs presented by the Free Company, which makes its debut this Sunday from 2:00 to 2:30 EST. I hope the many of you listened in because the script writers are among the best known in our country. The producers and actors are all people we know and admire. One part of their description of what they mean to do stands out before me:

It’s America in the spring of 1941. It’s a frank appraisal of the freedom we wish to retain, and the faults we wish to remove. It’s America today. With all its flaws and all its problems, still the best place on earth to live.

They should make us realize this superlatively well. It is a good to see Americans as a whole take stock of what we want to do.