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

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NEW YORK—My recent visit to Iowa City was a good illustration of the care with which a university plans the schedule of its visiting lecturers. I was called for at 9:40 Wednesday morning. At 10 o'clock we started a radio interview, with a very charming lady, which lasted fifteen minutes.

Iowa State University has a remarkable fine arts department, whose enrollment of graduate students in its schools of music, sculpture, painting and drama is probably the highest of any university in the country. There I was intrigued to see some fascinating African carvings and, as a contrast, two very beautiful Sevres vases.

Following the radio interview, we had an hour's press conference with the regular and university press in attendance. The university paper is an Associated Press paper and has won many prizes. By the time we were through with the press it was 11:40. Many photographs had been taken, including those by a young and ardent photographer who had been given an assignment to follow me during my stay. He started in at breakfast on Wednesday and was on hand when I left on Thursday morning.

The Altrusa Club gave a luncheon in the university Union building, where I was asked to speak a few words. At two o'clock I left and returned to the hotel. At 3:40, Professor H. M. Burian, a delightful person whom Mrs. Dorothy Schramm had enlisted to establish a new chapter of AAUN, came to get me for an hour's meeting at a church hall where, by telephone, they had gathered together a considerable number of people who were anxious to know about the work of the American Association. Judging from the number of university students present, I think we should be able to get a chapter of our College Council organized there also.

I was back at the hotel by 5:30. I had time to bathe, nap and dine before 7:40, when I went to the university auditorium to address an audience of 1800 people. We spent two hours before the question period was at an end. Then Professor and Mrs. John C. Gerber held a delightful reception in their house, attended by many interesting people, and we left reluctantly at 11 P. M. Professor Earl E. Harper, who was our host throughout the entire time, came at nine o'clock to take us to our train on Thursday morning. Everyone was most kind and attentive, and I think you will agree with me that one's time is well planned.

The newspapers are carrying stories of Egypt's decision to restore its rule of the Gaza Strip. Once more it is apparent that when we deal with people who believe that assurances will be kept, we are successful in getting them to do what we wish. But when we deal with people whose moral values are different, we do not seem to have the strength to impose on them acceptance of the assurances that we have given. Israel seems therefore somewhat apprehensive. Dr. Ralph Bunche has evidently been able to arrange for cooperation between the UNEF forces and the Egyptian administrators. This should prevent the renewal of raids by Arab soldiers, but it must be very disturbing to the Israelis.

E.R.

(COPYRIGHT, 1957, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, March 18, 1957

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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Digital edition published 2008, 2017 by
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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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