The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
FEBRUARY 26, 1945
[Original version of the column. Text in red are tagged with <sic> (needs correction); text in purple are tagged with <orig> (needs regularization); and text in blue are tagged names of persons or organizations. View emended version]
WASHINGTON, Sunday—I took two friends on Friday evening to see Frank Faye in " Harvey ," and I must say I enjoyed seeing it a second time just as much as I did the first. It is an evening of delightful escape from the problems of the moment. Without Mr. Faye and Miss Hull it would probably not be as delightful, but with them the play is a joy for which I think we can all be grateful.
I had a number of guests for tea Friday afternoon. Yesterday morning I went to the leadership school which the Maritime union has started, and then to the National Democratic Club for their forum luncheon and broadcast. Very late in the afternoon we took the train back to Washington.
* * *
There is a little book called "Your Key to Youth Problems," by Harold M. Sherman, which I think many people will find valuable reading. It is full of common sense, and if we stopped to think, we would realize much that he tells us for ourselves. The very beginning of the book is something which many of us should keep constantly in mind, not only with our children, but as regards many of our contacts in life. Instead of taking refuge in the belief that other people are at fault, as we so often do, we might find the reasons for our difficulties very often in ourselves. It is always easier to straighten yourself out than to straighten anyone else out.
* * *
I want to mention here two fine women who have died and whose passing is going to leave sorrow in the hearts of many, coupled with a determination to continue the work which they began. On Friday the papers carried the news that Dr. Josephine Baker had gone, and I remembered at once what her life had meant to the children of New York City. I remember the first time I saw her in a clinic—how interested and gentle she was. The work which she started has gone ahead at surprising speed. It must be an encouragement to any young woman to look at the record of these women who accomplished so much by simply giving themselves wholeheartedly to the phase of work which they felt qualified to do. We, in New York City, can be grateful for the life of Dr. Josephine Baker.
The other woman, Miss Henrietta Szold, was the founder and honorary president of Hadassah. She died in Palestine on February 13. Many people in this country loved and admired her, and through her leadership in these past few years 12,000 Jewish children have been rescued in Europe and given an asylum in Palestine.
Both of these women made great contributions to the children of their time, and therefore their names will live long into the future.
E. R.
(COPYRIGHT 1945 BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)
Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced
Persons
- Baker, S. Josephine (Sara Josephine), 1873-1945 [ index ]
American physician; public health advocate
[ LC | VIAF | Wikidata ] - Fay, Frank, 1891-1961 [ index ]
American comedian and actor
[ VIAF | Wikidata ] - Hull, Josephine, 1877-1957 [ index ]
American actress
[ LC | VIAF | Wikidata | SNAC ] - Sherman, Harold M. (Harold Morrow), 1898-1987 [ index ]
American writer
[ LC | VIAF | Wikidata | SNAC ] - Szold, Henrietta, 1860-1945 [ index ]
Jewish American witer and activist
[ LC | VIAF | Wikidata | SNAC ]
Organizations
- Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America [ index ]
[ LC ] - National Democratic Club [ index ]
[ LC ] - National Maritime Union of America [ index ]
[ LC | VIAF | Wikidata | SNAC | FAST ]
Geographic
- [ index ] Washington (D.C., United States)
About this document
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, February 26, 1945
Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007
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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