If You Ask Me
by Eleanor Roosevelt

You are young: thirty years old, with three children, seems very young to me now!

I think being able to give a soft answer is something which comes to us with age. We mellow as we grow older; from experience we learn why other people are the way they are, and we know how often we have fallen short of what we wanted to be or to do ourselves. If we really could look upon ourselves, nationally, with sufficient humility so that we realized we had faults and tried to get on with other people and to see their point of view as well as our own, we might eliminate wars.

As to Christianity, I think anyone who really thinks about the life of Christ must of necessity be influenced by it. It has always seemed to me that if we ever succeeded in living up to the standards which He set for us, we would eliminate much of the conflict in the world. We would certainly get on better in our communities.

I am particularly interested in the part of your question which deals with your children. You will keep your hands off their lives if you feel as you do about it. As they grow older you will respect them as personalities and realize that they must have a chance to grow, and the only way to give them that chance is to let them experiment for themselves with life. If you have ever had other people try to guide your life, you must know how unsatisfactory it is both for them and for you, and that may be a help.

I only know about all my ancestors as far back as their arrival in this country, but I do know in certain cases where they came from and where they lived before coming here.

I haven't as yet discovered during that period any colored blood, but, of course, if any of us go back far enough, I suppose we can find that we all stem from the same beginnings. I have no feeling that the colored race is inferior to the white race. Given the same opportunities over several generations, they have produced artists, scientists, educators and many valuable citizens. I would certainly have no objection if a child of mine chose a friend among the peoples of any race, regardless of color or creed.

I would teach the story of Adam and Eve as an allegory. It is difficult to accept the entire Old Testament in any other way. The story of Adam and Eve does not in any way affect my belief in the beauty and divine inspiration of Christ's life.

It would be very difficult to differentiate between those who make a sacrifice to send their children to college and those who send them when their incomes are adequate to do so. If this could be proved, a request might be made to the Treasury Department for a ruling, because it does seem to me to be an expense which could very well be considered deductible.

I think that is an individual preference the girls will have to work out for themselves.

It is indeed sad that you have had to meet with racial discrimination of the kind which you describe. I think the only thing to do is to bear people's insults with dignity, and in time, I am sure, they will begin to realize that these foolish prejudices about other races have got to be lived down, if the war is to be won and there is to be a lasting peace afterward.

I had several articles published in magazines, and wrote and published three books: It's Up to the Women; Hunting Big Game in the Eighties; and When You Grow Up to Vote.

Of course we should treat humanely the peoples of the enemy countries. It will probably be necessary to restore order, but they should be given, rapidly, the opportunity to increase their material well-being and to begin again to build up a contented and free existence.

I haven't any idea. It seems to me that girls wearing dresses could go without stockings as well as they could wearing slacks. That would save both stockings and rubber garters just the same. Very few young girls wear girdles under a dress. I think this is a question of what is appropriate at all times, and not a question to which one can give a blanket answer.

It is very rare that any boy in the Army does not have at least fruit, cereal or eggs with breakfast. If they take just bread and butter and coffee, it must be from preference. I have heard nothing about such a light breakfast from any of the boys with whom I have come in contact.

I think one should always pay one's debts before one does anything else. I do not think it is necessary to refurnish one's house except with absolutely necessary items at the present time: and once one is free of debt it might be possible to set aside a certain sum to be spent on War Savings Bonds each week.

As far as I know, there is nothing in the Constitution which would prevent a Catholic from being elected to the presidency of the United States. However, a Catholic President has never been elected. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is an Episcopalian, not a Catholic.

As I understand it is necessary to manufacture alcohol for various commercial purposes. Aside from that, I imagine the manufactures of any kind of drinks will be regulated just as soon as other people are.

I think the best thing for them to do is to prepare themselves physically to be ready, when the army needs them, to enter in as good physical condition as possible. Undoubtedly they will eventually be allowed to fight for their country.

I think it is complete nonsense. If men go around, however, talking like that they will create a psychology which will bring about the very thing they wish to prevent.

I have no objection whatsoever to cats, but I do not think they make quite as companionable pets as dogs. We have a cat in the country, but cats have always seemed to me to have rather reserved dispositions; as Kipling said: "To walk by their lone."