Eleanor Roosevelt – My Day (Nov. 1941)

21

November 25, 1941

Washington, Monday –
We had a very pleasant dinner party last night, consisting of my husband and myself! He ate milk toast and I ate one poached egg, which was good for our figures and permitted much conversation, since neither of us had to pay attention to our food.

I spent the evening wrapping Christmas presents and was joined by one of my friends, who arrived from the train. She remarked that she had not found me in such a carefree mood for a long time. There was no mail in sight and no interviews scheduled, just a deluge of Christmas wrapping, paper, ribbons and cards.

Today is colder but really lovely. I reached the office this morning before anyone else was in sight and came up in the elevator with Miss Wilma Shields, head of the Volunteer Bureau Section, who seems to be another early bird. We had a very full staff meeting, followed by a meeting with Mrs. Stanley Resor, who has kindly come down to give us some advice and is lunching with me today.

I returned to the White House in time for my press conference at 11:00. At noon, I met a very charming young woman who, with her sister, has taken over her late husband’s business, the making of wire screening. Priorities affect this industry, especially where they use copper. It is not a very large industry and the amount of materials needed in it are not very great, but Mrs. John Ralston is here not only in the interests of her own plant or the industry, but because of the danger she feels a shortage in screen wire will mean to the health of the nation.

She points out that screens are of vital importance in our camps, and in all our defense industry buildings. Without them, we lay ourselves open to epidemics of all kinds which are spread by flies and mosquitoes.

Talking of health, a most interesting health cooperative came to my attention the other day. It is called the New York Volunteer Health Cooperative. You have a certain freedom in the choice of doctors. You pay $18.00 a year without hospitalization. You cannot belong if you earn more than $2,000 a year while single, or $3,000 a year when married. There are already over one thousand members.

There is much I should like to find out about this organization. For instance, just what are the services rendered if hospitalization is not included? I suppose if there is only a limited choice of doctors, there will be the same complaint about the doctor-patient relationship. People in this salary range do need more access to good and inexpensive medical care.

22

November 26, 1941

Washington, Tuesday –
This has been a busy day. Beginning with a meeting this morning at 9 o’clock at the Office of Civilian Defense, I had no free minutes until I was back at the White House at 12:15, to meet and be photographed with Miss Margaret Hamma, the world’s champion typist. Then I went to the Women’s National Press Club luncheon.

In spite of my membership in this club, I rarely manage to get there for lunch. Tuesdays come and go and there always seems to be something desperately necessary to be done at home. There was a time when I occasionally went out for lunch or tea, but that is now past and I nearly always make people come to me to save time.

At 2:30 I went to the sale for United China relief, received a group of 10 people at the White House a little after 3, and made a 4 o’clock plane for New York City.

I shall be in New York City a little more than 24 hours, since I am speaking tonight at Hunter College and tomorrow at noon at New York University. Tomorrow evening I attend the Night of Stars performances in Madison Square Garden for the benefit of United Palestine Appeal. Thursday morning I shall be back at my desk here.

I received an interesting little folder the other day sent out by the Community Service Society in New York City. It describes their employment service, which is largely devoted to placing people who, for one reason or another, have lost confidence in their own ability to hold a job. This is a difficult service because it is hard to find the right conditions and the right people to work together, so that the person to be rehabilitated will finally feel capable of standing on his own feet.

Too many people are classed as unemployables. With a little care and patience they might have found their own niche in the world, and been able to carry on a useful existence. The Community Service has been successfully meeting this situation and I think it is interesting to know that they obtain their jobs to a very great extent from people who have employed some of their “cases” before and are willing to take a chance again.

They state:

Fortunately, we find that few people can be labelled once and for all as unemployables. They show an encouraging tendency to refuse to stay put in any such category.

I find it increasingly difficult to feel either elated or depressed by the news which comes to us from the actual theaters of war. When I read one dispatch, the Nazis claim continuing victories. When I read another, the other side has moved forward without any setbacks. I now just pray that I can believe the things which I want to believe, and try to forget the rest.

23

November 27, 1941

New York –
A very delightful song, “Freedom’s Land,” has just been sent me. The music is by Roy Harris and the words by Archibald MacLeish. The last lines seem to me particularly fine:

Be proud, America, to bear the endless labor of the free; To strike for freedom everywhere and everywhere bear liberty.

Few of us think of liberty as being the product of the “endless labor of the free,” and yet that is perhaps the first lesson which history teaches us. We may never relax in our vigilance if we are going to keep our freedom.

I have just been reading a statement made by the representatives of various local, state and national agencies, who came together in conference at the call of the Children’s Bureau last summer, to consider what could be done in connection with the day care of children of working mothers.

National defense has forced this question upon us, for in many areas fathers and mothers both are obliged to go to work and leave their small children unprotected while they are at work. The overcrowding in some communities means the children are playing in the streets because there is no play space or school space.

One of the things recommended by this conference was the development of comprehensive community programs for day nurseries, child centers, housekeeper service and individual counseling service. It is suggested that nursery schools and nursery centers should not be located in industrial plants, but should be community agencies serving the community as a whole. Infants should be given individual care, preferably in their own homes.

The conference stressed the necessity of maintaining standards for personnel and equipment and programs. An inter-agency committee has been created and is continuing to study this question, which has come to be a very important one in various parts of the country. I hope that those in communities meeting this particular aspect of the defense problem will try to fit themselves for service in the care of these children, who mean so much to the future of the country.

I have seen a number of people today, met the engagements I told you about yesterday, and am taking the night train back to Washington. It is sometimes hard to believe that so many activities have been packed into the short space of one day.

24

November 28, 1941

New York –
There were more young people at the meeting at New York University yesterday than the auditorium would hold and I was sorry that Chancellor Chase, Mr. Rex Stout and I could not talk to those outside, as well as those inside, at the same time.

I saw several persons in the morning, had one other appointment in the afternoon, did some Christmas shopping, and then attended the Night of Stars entertainment in Madison Square Garden. That is an extraordinary outpouring of talent of every kind. There was not a vacant seat in the whole Garden, as far as I could see. One committee had collected the money to pay for 1,000 seats, which were filled by servicemen who seemed most enthusiastic when their favorites came to the stage. Mayor La Guardia led a unique band in a unique way and as he was leaving, they burst forth with, “For he’s a jolly good fellow,” which certainly represented the feeling of everybody in that vast audience.

As I thought of the people all over the world rendered homeless by war’s upheaval and starting their lives all over again, I was thankful for the spirit of generosity shown there. I thought also of the women representing many of the South American countries, who came to the White House on Tuesday to see me, after their meeting in Baltimore where they had been consulting together as to the best way of giving aid to refugees in their countries. We are not the only generous people in the world. There are many also in the neighboring republics who are bending every effort to alleviate suffering.

We are making great preparations just now, in the Office of Civilian Defense, for the celebration on December 15, of the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. The additions to our Constitution known as the Bill of Rights were put there by the fathers of our country to guard our liberties. They were promised before the Constitution could be ratified. We are, however, not always as careful as we should be to do more than give lip service to this Bill of Rights of ours, as the following story illustrates:

To the newest recruit on the OEM publicity staff, one day last week, capital life seemed rosy. His chief, Robert Horton, had entrusted him with an important assignment; a rental agency had found him a comfortable apartment. An evening call to sign his lease altered the outlook. “Religious affiliation?” the landlord inquired. “Jewish,” he replied. Still apartment hunting, the aide this week put new fervor into his assignment – promoting the nationwide observances, December 15, of the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights.

I pray that we will take this celebration to heart.

25

November 29, 1941

Washington, Friday –
Yesterday was a fairly busy day at the Office of Civilian Defense, and in the evening I presided over a debate. The meeting was called by the alumnae groups of ten women’s colleges having branches in Washington. They conceived it as their contribution to defense, feeling that among their members, leaders of forums and public discussions, could be found. At the present time, such public discussion is necessary to civilian defense.

The speaker last night was Professor W. Y. Elliott, who spoke on national defense “Policy and Performance.” It was an extremely interesting speech and was followed by a discussion carried on by Senator Pepper of Florida, Congressman John M. Vorys of Ohio, and Congressman Hatton Sumners of Texas, Miss Eloise Davison of OCD and Mr. Elliott.

I do not suppose a presiding officer should ever ask questions unless there is a lull in the discussion, but I did because I was really anxious to know the answers. It seemed to be a very interesting evening for everyone present.

I have just read a novel called Conceived in Liberty by Howard Fast. I could not help thinking all through the evening how very applicable to many of the subjects we were discussing was this tale of the winter at Valley Forge and the efforts of the men there to clarify in their own minds why they were fighting. Some of our discussions today seemed to stare at me from the pages of the book.

This morning, the organizations met to consider the choice of women to go from here to England, and agreed upon the basis on which their choices should be made. Many of them have to go back to their boards to get authorization to send a representative and to pay their expenses. They must also plan for such travel on their return as seems necessary to spread the picture of what they have seen, before as wide a group as possible.

The New York Women’s Trade Union League is going to have Miss Dorothy Maynor this year as guest singer for the annual benefit on December 3rd. They give this for the support of their club house and their activities among industrial workers. When I heard her sing last year, I thought she was different but just as gifted in her way as Marian Anderson. I am happy this concert will give so many people an opportunity to enjoy her beautiful voice.

The International Student Service has its first conference of students here today, and I am going to attend the first session. They have very interesting speakers, who ought to prove valuable to every economics student attending.