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

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NEW YORK, Wednesday—With all the world news that there is to read, with things of real importance happening, things which may mean that the people of the United States have much to worry about in the near future, with only one country in the world giving the United Nations cause for congratulation, with that country and all the others asking us that we use our man and woman power to the best possible advantage and give ourselves to work really worthwhile; certain things seemed to me a little ludicrous yesterday.

When I am in New York City, except for official functions, I feel that I am an unofficial person leading a private life. As Mrs. Roosevelt, not as the President's wife, I was moving out of two houses which had been lived in for a number of years by the members of our family.

I moved to a very simple apartment, which I hope to occupy whenever we happen to be in New York City in the future. The moving men tell me that they are always busy, somebody moves every day in the year, so one would think that it would be something to which people would be fairly well accustomed.

With all the interest shown, however, no one found out that Mrs. Roosevelt's belongings were moved entirely by two private packers and movers. A Navy friend, who is being transferred from one station to another, sent in a trunk to be housed until he gets settled. Another friend loaned Mrs. Roosevelt a car, and all this was headline, front page news.

The luncheon held yesterday for the Russian War Relief was one of the most successful and inspiring gatherings I have attended in a long time. The Waldorf-Astoria ballroom was filled, and the women's division of the Russian War Relief must have felt that they had accomplished a remarkable piece of organization.

Groups of every kind attended. Miss Virginia Gildersleeve presided with skill and eloquence. As usual, Mr. Archibald MacLeish spoke effectively, and Madame Litvinoff with charm and simplicity. I never saw anyone do the difficult job of presenting the appeal for money as well as did Miss Margaret Webster. I hope the Russian War Relief will profit, and that we shall be able to ship our supplies without delay.

The rest of the day was spent almost entirely on personal things. In the evening we felt we had all worked long enough, so we went to see Paul Muni in "Yesterday's Magic." It is a Theatre Guild production and I was very glad to be able to see it at the present time, for I shall have very little opportunity for any theatre going during the next few weeks.

E.R.

(COPYRIGHT, 1942, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, April 16, 1942

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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