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

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NEW YORK. Wednesday—In times like these I wish it were possible to put off all my regular mail until I have a peaceful moment. But no peaceful moments occur and I find myself doing my mail in the middle of the night. However, somehow it all gets done.

I had the pleasure over the week-end of having a Greek gentleman Dr. John Georgakis, join me for luncheon. Dr. Georgakis is professor of criminal law at the Pantios School of Politics in Athens and is a participant in the foreign leader exchange program of the International Educational Exchange Service of the U. S. Department of State.

In spite of being rather young, he has held a great many important positions and I was happy when the State Department gave me this opportunity to see him.

The problems facing Greece are acute and I often wish that we in this country understood them better. There is a basic problem of the restoration of Greeks' land, for their hills have been denuded of trees for years. It has always seemed to me that something drastic should be done about forestry and agriculture there.

I was happy to hear the other day of an organization called Conservationists for Stevenson-Kefauver. Members of this group say they are independent citizens dedicated to sound policy for the conservation of America's resources.

They are operating on small contributions from independents, Republicans and Democrats who are seriously concerned over the tragic setbacks to conservation during the last three and a half years. Honorary chairman is Hugh H. Bennett, retired chief of the Soil Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture.

Chairman is Shirley W. Allen, who for many years was a professor of forestry at the University of Michigan. Vice-chairman is Rachel L. Carson, author of the best selling book, "The Sea Around Us," and "The Edge of the Sea."

These people evidently are not politicians but practical conservationists, and their concern gives me hope that, should the Democrats win in November, there will be nonpartisan backing for a real conservation effort. Having flown all over this country during the last few weeks, I am more conscious than ever of the need for such an effort.

I participated Saturday night in a Democratic dinner, carried on closed-circuit television throughout the country. I spoke from New York and it was rather late, giving me an opportunity to go first to a symphony concert which I did not want to miss.

I am constantly giving up the personal things I want to do, and now and then I find it rather pleasant to change this routine for a short time!

E.R.

(Copyright, 1956, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, October 25, 1956

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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MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

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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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