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

      

HYDE PARK, Tuesday—I had to go down to New York City last Friday afternoon on business, and so I remained over Saturday to accomplish a number of errands and see several friends who have been anxious to talk certain things over.

I came back to the country Sunday, and it certainly is always a joy to return. Everyone used to tell me that I would never grow accustomed to a quiet existence. But as a young girl I spent a great part of the year in the country, leading a quieter life than anybody today would dream of. It has consequently never been difficult for me to slip back into finding my own company and my own private occupations very pleasant and entertaining. I cannot say, of course, that as yet I have had any time which wasn't filled with activity. It has not been the same kind of activity as during the past years, for I can now stop at any point and say: "I have reached the limit of my capacity for work this day." Yet my schedule still compels me to take up my work the next day where I left off.

* * *

While I was away, a very tragic thing happened. I had engaged a young man a week ago, and thought him sufficiently tried out to let him drive me to the train. He was supposed to do the daily errands afterward and drive back to the cottage. But early the next morning Miss Thompson called me in New York to tell me that he had failed to appear. She got in touch with the sheriff, and later it was discovered that the man had stolen the car and been in an accident with a number of young people. Four of them were killed, and he and another young man were in the hospital, seriously injured.

It was tragic and a great disappointment to me. I had determined to use the U. S. Employment Service because they are the agency through which our returned servicemen are supposed to get jobs. After our local agency sent me this young man, I called up to ask if they had investigated his references. I was told that they were not supposed to do that, but would comply in this case.

* * *

It seems to me that a government agency should be given sufficient appropriations to do its job on a basis which really services both the employee and the employer. To send out people without any investigation is rather dangerous. In this instance, we found that the man had not given his right name or address, two very easy things to check. I am telling this story today only because I think that people interested in the service which the U. S. Employment Service can render should protest to Congress about a situation that prevents this service from being of any real value to the public. Because of that, it can also be of no value to the men who will be looking for jobs in the future.

E. R.

(COPYRIGHT 1945 BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)


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  • Hyde Park (Dutchess County, N.Y., United States) [ index ]
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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, May 23, 1945

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

  • Brick, Christopher (Editor)
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  • Regenhardt, Christy (Associate Editor)
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  • Black, Allida M. (Editor)
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  • Binker, Mary Jo (Associate Editor)
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  • Alhambra, Christopher C. (Electronic Text Editor)
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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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