Eleanor Roosevelt – My Day (Oct. 1941)

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October 24, 1941

Washington, Thursday –
I spent a good part of yesterday at a meeting called by Dr. Floyd Reeves of the National Resources Planning Board, which considered the problems involving youth now and in the future. Before taking the plane at 5:00 for New York City, I returned to the White House in time to see two or three people.

My daughter and son-in-law, are leaving today for the West, so we devoted last evening to being with each other. We went to a little restaurant on 63rd Street, which we often frequented when they were living in New York City. After a short, but very good dinner, we went to the theatre to see The Wookey, by Mr. Frederick Hazlitt Brennan. It is amusing, dramatic, well acted and very moving.

To those of us who know the people of the East End in London, it brought all that has happened in the past few months vividly before our eyes. Mr. Wookey did not agree with his government. It was his right to criticize and to advise, and even to write to the Prime Minister. In spite of all his disagreement, however, when his people were really in danger, and his country was under attack, Mr. Wookey could put up with any amount of discomfort and go forth cheerfully to almost certain death on the docks. That is why some of us believe that Great Britain must come out victoriously in this war.

I love the scene where Mr. Wookey airs his views to a high ranking officer. A lump was in my throat when his home was destroyed and his wife was killed. Other people are brave, other people suffer in just the same way, but not even here do we have that sense of complete independence of expression and assurance that makes the British feel that they know how to run the affairs of the nation far better than those who are in charge. That is a British trait. It must be exasperating to elected and administrative officials, but, at bottom, it may be a great strength.

My young people put me on the night train, and this morning I arrived at the Labor Department a little before nine. I attended a comparatively small meeting of adults and young people, who represented the interests of youth and discussed participation in the civilian defense program.

I wonder how many of my readers are familiar with a bill which is now in Congress, H.R. 5510, that requires private employment offices to pay an annual registration fee and to file with the Secretary of Labor, information about their ownership, operations and income. Because of the defense effort, this bill is important to employees and employers at this time. Some private agencies have indulged in reprehensible practices. This bill will protect the good agencies and make it difficult for the others to feather their nests at the expense of employer and employee.

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October 25, 1941

Washington, Friday –
Yesterday was spent very largely on one subject, because from 9:00 to 12:30, we sat in Room B in the Labor Auditorium and talked about participation of young people in civilian defense. The conference adjourned to the White House for lunch, and we were back at the Labor Department Building at 2:00. We actually finished at 4:00, which was the time we had scheduled to bring the conference to a close. I think this speaks well for the young people and their ability to keep their program moving on time.

At the meeting, there was a feeling expressed that, through our defense work, certain goals should be set which we should all strive to attain in the next few years. It was agreed they should not be for youth alone, but must be goals for every age and group. The entire overall picture must be covered, though there may be certain interests on which youth will want to place special emphasis.

Mr. Eugene Meyer came in to tea with me yesterday to tell me how deeply impressed he was with the work of the women in England. He considers that their labor is not only contributing valuable service, but is creating unity throughout the British nation. There is no doubt that women have a tremendous role to play and I am looking forward to the meeting which Miss Eloise Davison will hold on November 8 in Washington, when the role of women in civilian defense will be canvassed from many points of view.

I have been reading some accounts of the removal of the Jewish people from Germany to Poland and Russia. Somehow, being suddenly told that within an hour you must leave your home never to return, is very difficult for us here to visualize. It is a leave-taking which savors somewhat of death.

In all partings with people whom we love, there is in a minor way, that sense of temporary loss which presages the horrible finality of separation which comes over one at the time of death. These mass removals, where people are treated like animals and not like human beings, are so horrible to contemplate, that one can only hope that at a certain point feelings become numb and suffering ceases to be acute.

At Madison Square Garden, in New York City, on October 27, there will be a mass meeting to raise funds for the alleviation of suffering in Russia, not only through the Red Cross services to military units, but on a wider basis for the civilian population. The Russian people are fighting heroically for their homes, and we must admire their courage and do what we can to lessen their sufferings.

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October 27, 1941

Washington, Sunday –
On Friday, my plane was an hour late in arriving. As I sat reading, waiting for it to be called at the airport, a voice suddenly said:

Hello Auntie Eleanor.

…and my nephew, Mr. Douglas Robinson, stood beside me. He had just arrived to keep an appointment, which may cause him to come to Washington to work.

Needless to say, I was half an hour late for every appointment in New York City, but the group which was waiting to present me with the seeds, which I was to start on their way to Queen Elizabeth in England, was very kind and understanding. The ceremonies were short and I reached home in plenty of time for my late afternoon appointments. In the evening, I attended the dinner given by the American Labor Education Service, Inc.

The cause which they serve is of particular importance at the present time, for if labor is not well-educated in questions of history and economics, our problems in these critical years will be more serious than ever. Dr. Max Lerner gave a most interesting speech. He has the gift of starting his listeners on new lines of thought, which I think is one of the most inspiring things that a speaker can do.

Yesterday I did manage to do a little Christmas shopping, but from 11:00 on, I devoted myself to a series of meetings. First, the New York Women’s Trade Union League held its annual fall conference in the Hunter College High School auditorium. The head of the Textile Union made an extremely interesting speech there. It had a grasp of the problems of the future and a determination to face and to plan for them, which gave me a great sense of satisfaction.

Then I lunched with the Summer Play Schools Association. They were celebrating their 25th year of service to the children of New York City. Out of her intimate knowledge of the work which has been done, Mrs. Herbert Lehman spoke charmingly. Then Dr. William Neilson gave a really wonderful address, pointing out to us that we can never build a better world until we rid ourselves of fears which drive even the conquerors today.

I was a little late at the Foreign Policy Association Forum, but they had such a galaxy of speakers that I think it mattered very little where civilian defense came in for discussion. I walked home with Mrs. von Hesse, who had come to meet me there, and who told me that her book is selling very well, which was good news.

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October 28, 1941

Washington, Monday –
On Saturday night, in New York City, I went again to see The Wookey, and took a young friend I thought would be particularly absorbed by the play. I found the second performance better than the first.

Yesterday morning was such a beautiful day in New York City, that I walked around the reservoir in Central Park before taking the plane for Washington. I was at the White House in time to have a visit from Dr. Ruby Daniel from Texas, and Mr. Dombrowski of the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee. Later the President brought the guests who had lunched with him on the Potomac, among them Lord and Lady Halifax, and Major Attlee.

Jimmy and Rommie came to supper with us last night and we had a very pleasant party, after which the movie One Foot In Heaven was shown. I was not able to see it however, because the mail had accumulated to such an extent that I spent the evening working on that. I came back to say goodbye to my guests when the movie was finished.

Jimmy and Rommie have acquired a large red setter. He is one of Miss Laura Delano’s dogs, so he is related to all the red setters various other members of the family have had. Because he had been brought up in a kennel, this one was very frightened, but he has gradually become accustomed to family life and Jimmy often brings him with him when he comes here.

Last night, Jimmy tied him to a leg of the table in the dining room and had difficulty in inducing him to lie down. I had visions of him taking the table with him if he decided to move. During the movie he meandered out of the hall and into an adjoining room where he came upon a bust of the President. Busts apparently still fill him with suspicion and he set up an excited barking, which made more noise than the movie.

After the lights went up and I came out, a bust of Franklin Jr., on top of the bookcase, suddenly attracted the dog’s attention and again he howled. It made me feel that his objection was to me, until Jimmy explained that it was really his peculiar feeling about busts!

We are having a busy day today. Early to the Office of Civilian Defense, then a press conference at the White House, then back to the office for an hour, then a brief lunch with the Cabinet ladies, whom I have not had a chance to bring together before this autumn. At 2:00, lasting through the rest of the day, there is a meeting of the National Advisory Committee of the National Youth Administration, which I shall have to leave for a brief time to visit the Girl Scout Little House at 4:30, and then to see Mr. Ellis Gimbel at the White House.

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October 29, 1941

Washington, Tuesday –
Yesterday afternoon the rain came down and made the ceremony at the Girl Scout “Little House” a trifle damp for everyone. We went out to the garden and watched the girls cooking under real difficulty, but the plate of food they handed me was very good. I took a taste of each thing and then passed my plate along to Father Moore, who had left the NYA Advisory Committee meeting with me to see the girls at work.

We visited all the different branches of work, saw the first aid class in action, girls knitting, making pottery, cooking and, finally, returned to the living room, where a group of colored Girl Scouts were singing charmingly. After listening to one or two songs, and admiring their chart for health and morale, Mrs. C. Leslie Glenn, representing the National Girl Scouts, presented Father Moore with the Girl Scout Medal.

They have given the medal this year to four men who have been of great assistance to the organization, and one of their officers has been designated to present it. In this case, since Father Moore was here yesterday, Mrs. Glenn, who had been chosen to present him with this medal, pinned it on his clerical coat.

He was really touched and came back with me to the White House, wearing it proudly. Even though I gave him my plate of food, because he had worked through his luncheon hour and had had no food, I found that he was quite ready to have a cup of tea with us on our return. By the time we came back to the NYA National Advisory Committee meeting, they were nearly finished with their afternoon session and adjourned until the evening.

We had a very pleasant small group of people gathered together for dinner. They were shown a ten minute film of the taking of a poll, which was interesting in showing the variety of people who are sampled in trying to arrive at an accurate estimate of public opinion.

Then, with the President, I went over to the Navy Day dinner to hear him deliver his speech. A little while back, he had shown me both of the documents which he mentioned in it. I must say that the map was truly impressive, the boundaries so efficiently laid out and the names of the countries all changed to German.

The Duchess of Windsor is coming this morning to our Civilian Defense Office and returning to the White House with me before I leave for Chicago, where I have to keep an engagement for a regular lecture.

Thursday night, I shall be in New York City to speak for the Progressive Education Association. The theme of their meeting is truly significant these days, for “Faith In Our Free Schools” is certainly part of faith in all our freedoms.

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October 30, 1941

St. Cloud, Minn., Wednesday –
It wasn’t until I was on the plane yesterday, that I realized in giving a preview in my column of what I was going to do, that I had made a mistake. I am not speaking on Thursday night for the Public Education Association. Their meeting comes November 10, and tomorrow, Thursday night, if the weather is kind and I reach New York on time, I shall speak for the American Council on Education.

I am seeing the first snowflakes fall as I sit in a delightful enclosed porch in Mrs. Whitney’s home in St. Cloud, Minn., this morning. It is a charming spot, where one can envision hours spent looking out on stormy weather and rejoicing over a book and a happy feeling that one is in such comfortable surroundings.

The Duchess of Windsor seemed interested yesterday in our defense setup. As we drove to the White House, she told me that she had been looking for suggestions in the various child care programs while she had visited in the United States. These will be helpful in the work she is carrying on for children in the Bahamas. The Duke of Windsor came to meet her at the White House, and we sat down together for a short chat before I had to leave for the plane.

In Chicago, on the way to the hotel from the airport, I stopped to see the Service Men’s Information and Recreation Center. The first information bureau, setup by the Consumer’s Division, is in the same building on the street level. An excellent place, I thought, to acquire knowledge on how, where and what to buy. I hope each one of these bureaus will set up nutrition and buying courses which can be taken by civilian defense volunteers.

The Men’s Service Center is in an old building with plenty of space. It seems to be filled with soldiers on every night of the week, but it overflows, they tell me, on Saturday nights.

On reaching the Hotel Stevens, we found Anna and John awaiting us. We had an hour together before they took their train for the West. This was an unexpected joy, and really stands out because it was so unexpected.

I saw various other people at the hotel. After the lecture in the evening, at which some charming Mexican dancers entertained us, and the Elmhurst College Glee Club sang “The Ballad of America,” we made the train which brought us here this morning.

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October 31, 1941

New York, Thursday –
Yesterday, we stayed in St. Cloud, Minn., with Mrs. Albert G. Whitney. It was a very memorable experience, for it is not often that one finds an older woman who has kept the ability to manage her own life and to do the things she enjoys doing. She still makes a pleasant homelike center, to which her children and grandchildren come with great joy.

Miss Thompson and I were very grateful for her hospitality. We spent an hour or more in the morning at work, after which I had the pleasure of seeing four young people. They came with a boy who was with the International Student Institute at Campobello last summer, and is still at the University of Minnesota.

At 2:00, I started out, in spite of occasional snowflakes interspersed with rain, and visited eight public schools. From the primary grades up to the high school, they lined the streets outside their various schools to greet me.

At each one that I stopped at, I marvelled at their patience. They waited in the cold and damp and still seemed pleased to see me! Finally, at about 3:00, we reached the Veterans’ Hospital, for mental cases, one of the largest I have seen.

Some of the patients were gathered in the recreation room and sang and played for me. How much music can mean to these men, and how they enjoy listening to the violins, piano and the men’s chorus!

I spoke to them briefly and went into one of the wards to see some of the men who could not be out. One is happy to think that these men have care and pleasant surroundings, and yet it tugs at one’s heart to see old and young men, some of them seeming entirely normal, others seeming already to have left the world around them, so far as their minds are concerned. One hopes that many may be restored to health.

I was back at Mrs. Whitney’s house a little while after four. We had a cup of tea, then a little more work, and a rest before dinner. After my talk and the questions which followed, we drove all the way into Minneapolis. This meant getting to the Hotel Nicolett at about 11:30, and being up this morning to catch a 5:00 plane for Chicago. I confess that I was more worried that the plane would not fly, than I was about a few hours of sleep. Once on the plane, I went off to sleep again until we reached Chicago, only waking up to talk to a newspaper woman from Milwaukee. Breakfast in the Chicago airport restaurant, and then a comfortable trip to New York City.

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