If You Ask Me
by Eleanor Roosevelt

I have no idea whether my husband looked "bedraggled" or not, but if he did I am quite sure it wasn't because he refused to buy new shirts. As a matter of fact, he never bought such routine things for himself. He would have bought first editions of books with joy, but not shirts! If he really looked bedraggled, it was my fault. I can't have gone over his clothes carefully enough with his valet before he left.

I never have thought of classifying my friends either by race, religion or even color, so I have not the faintest idea whether they are Jew or Gentile in the majority. I have only a few very close and intimate friends, and these are of different nationalities and religions.

I think I am still in the Social Register and I think some of my family are too, though I have not looked for a long time.

Yes, I think he voted for Theodore Roosevelt when he ran on the Bull Moose ticket.

I have never thought in my whole life that I was abused. It seems to me that one must accept criticism, and being in the public eye leads to that. It does not mean that one must feel abused.

I have always been very fond of "Lead, Kindly Light." I can't really tell you my reason except that I think it has meaning and I have liked it for a good many years.

Of course it is right to talk about your grandfather. Remembering people whom we have loved and who have died is an important part of our lives, and it will make your grandmother happy.

Your mother, when she says your grandmother is happy, probably means that your grandmother has learned that happiness comes from within. It is not always the outside world which makes us happy or unhappy. We can be content if we have learned to be at peace with ourselves and accept life and the will of God.

We all felt that my husband was very far from strong at the beginning of the fourth term, but the doctors had assured us that fundamentally he was in good health and could continue his work as long as he followed certain rules. None of us felt apprehensive about his being able to stand the strain of the trip to Yalta.

I am amused by your discussion because many years ago I took a course in housework of all kinds. Skill depends on practice, however, for it is only with practice that one becomes good at anything. If I ever have to do my housework, I am sure I will manage. I should be sorry for any of my family or friends who might have to put up with my cooking for the first weeks, but I am sure I would manage in the end to keep alive anyone I fed. At the present time I am too busy to do any housework, but sometimes I think it might be fun.

No. It doesn't offend me at all. It is just a change in custom. Because of my age most people find it difficult to call me anything but "Mrs. Roosevelt," and sometimes I must say I am a little grieved at the formality that seems to surround me. I have become accustomed to hearing many people called by their first names and I do it myself frequently.

Yes, I write to my Congressman and to various members of both Houses occasionally on matters of popular interest in which I am interested and feel informed enough to know what I am talking about. I have written most recently on the Indian question and the subject of national conservation.