NEW YORK—We came to New York last night in time to have supper with my daughter and her family. This morning I felt like an early bird when I managed to get from way down town to Eightieth Street in time for opening exercises at the Todhunter School. To my amusement, Dr. Hendrik Van Loon's disparaging words on the songs our youngsters know brought about a competition and our youngsters found that out of nine songs in his book which were played, they knew six which I thought was not a bad record. They now have his song book and he will be responsible for the songs they know in the future!

From there I went to get a hat which could stand a whole day's driving in an open automobile without falling to pieces. I had with me another hat which I had put through this ordeal and which needed some repairs. As I was making my choice the saleslady said to me: "One of the girls in the sewing room wants me to tell you that she wishes your husband good luck on election day."

I was the only customer for it was still early in the morning. A minute later the girl appeared and before I knew it I had five or six of the office force around me and we were discussion the Social Security Act!

I progressed from there to a very large department store and the man who was selling me a chest of drawers remarked that they were able to have the price as low as it was because they had been able to buy in such tremendous quantities. "Business is so good this year", he said, as we walked along, "there isn't going to be any change anywhere either, and business will go on being good."

From there I took a subway trip and my secretary looked gloomily at me before I started and said: "This isn't the time for you to go in the subway, you'll be recognized and be delayed." "No", said I, "I'll move too fast for that", and disappeared down the steps. All went smoothly, one gentleman gave me his seat but he looked as though he would have given it to any woman who was standing and I didn't lose a minute on my journey.

I have moments when I think that all men who go into public life should be batchelors, but then again I realize that it adds greatly to our amusement for them to have families. Without them what would some of our poor writers do? After all it does no one any harm, everyone takes it all with good humor and the reading public adds a grain of salt to all that appears in print knowing that in this country any one may write anything they please without being taken to task. Such things don't happen in some of the older nations of the world, so freedom is ours!