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

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Portland, Me., Sunday—I forgot to tell you that on Friday afternoon our whole group of the International Students' Service went over to Penguin Island, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Bernhardt. After a wonderful swim in their pool, we had coffee and doughnuts, which disappeared with astounding rapidity. The party was so successful that all the way home the young people were expressing their appreciation of the hospitality shown them.

On Friday night, it seemed to me that we would never get everyone to bed. Like all young people, they left their packing to be done at the last minute. On this last evening they had prepared an entertainment with graduation certificates, specially written by the entertainment committeefor each student. By the time the applause, the songs and the cheers were over, and the packing and the last minute conversations had begun, it was well after 11:00 p. m.

However, somehow or other, everyone made breakfast at 6:30 yesterday morning. Saturday was a sad day of leave-taking, but it had its funny moments as well. Dr. and Mrs. Eagleton went off with their car loaded with young people, whom they very kindly offered to take back with them.

The two Seattle, Wash., boys, with their car, took two others with them and started for Washington, D. C., and a sightseeing trip on the way. My mother-in-law's car, loaded to its full capacity, took others to the train, and the boat took still more across to Eastport, where they caught a day bus.

The laughter over the bags that couldn't be fitted in, the mock serious horseplay, that is always a part of those tense moments when young people are really moved but do not want to show it, finally ended. We suddenly found ourselves in a very quiet house, with only eight young people left. They were grand workers and helped us put the house to rights and to pick up the things which had been forgotten.

Then we had lunch and a leisurely talk before two of them departed with another friend, who was motoring down through the White Mountains and offered to take them along. Six others went over to Eastport by boat to take the evening bus to Boston, Massachusetts.

Finally, three of us were left alone, feeling like very small peas in a very large pod, but suddenly conscious of a peace and quiet never part of one's existence when one is in the midst of a crowd. We had supper with my mother-in-law and spent a quiet evening. This morning, bright and early, we started on our drive home.

E.R.

(COPYRIGHT, 1941, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Geographic
  • Portland (Me., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, August 4, 1941

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.

XML master last modified on: June 9, 2017.

HTML version generated and published on: May 3, 2022.

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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