If You Ask Me
by Eleanor Roosevelt

It is customary, and has been for many years, for people accepting positions in government to divest themselves of holdings in any enterprise that does business with the government. It is not a question of distrust; it is a question of influence that might stem from the mere fact that they have such holdings. Therefore, it is probably a wise decision that no one working in the government shall have a considerable interest in any company transacting business with the government.

It is quite evident that this is a matter of judgment. Naturally, the care of one's children comes first. The fact that other children call you, however, because they know you are at home is not very important. With the modern gadgets we have in our homes, almost every woman can do something outside her home, and I think this is good. As a rule, it gives a woman some interest that occupies her mind, and so her outlook is fresher and more abreast with her husband's. When he returns from activities outside his home, he should have someone with something besides the daily routine of housework and child care to talk about. One should not do more than one is able; but one should try, I think, to be a part of the community.

I never think of permanent retirement, because I believe one goes on as long as one can and only when health or disability makes this impossible, curtails one's activities. However, if I gave up some or all my activities, I should live, I hope, in exactly the same places I am now living.

On the whole, I find the young people today more thoughtful as a generation, and I think the reason is easy to discover. They live in a troubled world, and they hear all around them discussions of questions that are hard to resolve but that affect their future lives. If they are of college age, they are probably studying with professors who stimulate them to think of world conditions. This cannot help making them more thoughtful than were previous generations, who grew up in far less troubled times.

I think Mr. Dawson did what he probably felt best suited his abilities. He is a good Congressman, interested in his work, and he feels he is serving his constituents. Had he been Postmaster General, he might not have done as well, since this job requires some very definite qualifications—probably those of a business executive. I don't think it unwise to refuse an offer if it is something you do not feel you are as well qualified to do as the job you currently hold.

I have not been able to reach a clear-cut decision. It seems to me that in the Electoral College we get a balance of representation. However, I know a great many people who believe we should do away with the Electoral College, because it no longer serves the purpose for which it was intended.

I don't believe politics is a career you can prepare for. In our country, I think, it is much better to have an occupation you enjoy and are successful in. Then, if you have the urge to run for elective office or accept an appointive office, you can do so and feel free, because you can always return to your original occupation with pleasure and profit. In this way, no one can intimidate you by saying that if you do this or that, you will not be re-elected or reappointed. You will be free, without any consideration or expediency, to do what is right; and this makes for a better public servant. A good all-around general education, with some specialization in history and government and economics, is the best preparation. But this background would also be good preparation for many other careers.

All the doctors who examined my husband said he could run safely if he would observe certain rules for rest and relaxation. Of course, one never knows whether one can observe these rules at all times. However, if a man is deeply interested in the work he is doing, it is probably as injurious to his health to remove this interest as to have him continue, even if he cannot always follow doctor's orders. I would not feel I had sufficient knowledge to have an opinion on this particular question.