The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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SEATTLE, Thursday—Yesterday was another one of those days in which only the absolutely necessary time was given to work of any kind. I always find that when Anna and John and I do not meet for six months, there seems to be an endless flow of conversation that can fill up long hours of time. Visits are never long enough. But perhaps this is a good idea, it certainly is better than having them seem too long.

We had our luncheon out on the terrace with the children, who came home from school with just enough time to eat and rush back again. When they came home in the afternoon, they insisted that we all go out for a ride in the new boat. Curtis proved his efficiency as a sailor by helping to cast off and tie up and by doing much of the steering. I could not help thinking how pleased and interested his grandfather would be to find him developing this ability with boats.

Curtis even told me much about the shoreline and weather conditions. I am sure that charts will soon be as engrossing to him as they are to my husband. Even Johnnie, at a year and half, has learned to stand up in the cockpit quite steadily, so that he has almost a sailor's roll in his walk.

On our return, Curtis showed me the gardens. This new home is certainly a grand place for the children because the land about it gives them an opportunity to grow vegetables and flowers and to play games of various kinds quite safe from the passing traffic. In the evening, they showed me the movies of Johnnie's first attempts at walking. There is no doubt about it, every family should have a movie camera to record passing events and stages of development. These films provide entertainment and an interesting record for the future.

I find considerable interest in the West on the part of various groups of women, who are already forming organizations on a purely voluntary basis to serve in home defense.

I think those groups will also increase the knowledge of community conditions and help to coordinate all the service agencies to meet community needs. The number of women cooperating in work for the community will be so much increased that more and better work can be done in many ways. Tacoma, Washington, has a plan under the local government which includes both men and women. Perhaps, someday the National Government will have time to think of using the total man and woman power of the nation on a much wider scale than can be covered by any military organization.

I am interested to find that here on the Coast, as well as in the East, there is considerable interest in the radio concerts given by young NYA orchestras. Mr. James Petrillo and the American Federation of Music are cooperating with NYA in these radio concerts. I think there is a general realization on the part of the public that valuable work is being done in giving young artists an opportunity to be heard. If they once become established as professional musicians, they will, of course, add strength to the Federation.

I am spending the morning today catching up with the never-ending flow of mail. This afternoon we are going down to a reception for Democratic officials, candidates and party workers.

E.R.

(COPYRIGHT, 1940, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, October 18, 1940

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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Digital edition published 2008, 2017 by
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project

Available under licence from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

Published with permission from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

TEI-P5 edition published on April 28, 2017.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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