HYDE PARK, Monday —The newspapers seem full of reports of accidents resulting from the last few days of storms. But today, with us at least, the sun in shining. Our nearest farmer neighbor looked woe-begone when I saw him yesterday, but today I saw them turning over part of the harvest, which had been cut in the fields and which I imagined was entirely lost. Now it looks as if some part of it can be salvaged. Just a few hours of sun can do a great deal.

For two hours this morning Mrs. Ellen Woodward and I sat outside in the sun and talked over a number of things, rejoicing that the rain had stopped at last. She was tempting me to go down to see a WPA exhibition in Ogilvie Park, near Wheeling, W. Va. She told me of an amusing incident, overheard at this exhibit.

Two ladies were asked to look at it and announced firmly that they disapproved of the whole program. They consented, however, to walk around. When they came out, one was heard to murmur: "I didn't know WPA did things like this."

I know pretty well everything that WPA and NYA (Editor's note—National Youth Administration) do too, but if it is possible I would like to see an exhibit like this, which tries to bring together in a small space samples of the various programs carried out in different parts of the country. These exhibits are especially valuable because they give an opportunity for people to get private orders, which they can fill in their own time and which may mean eventually that they can get off relief entirely. After all, it seems to me that is one of the main objects of work relief—helping people back to positions where they do not need relief.

Flying across the Atlantic is becoming quite commonplace these days. Corrigan does it "by mistake" and, whether by mistake or not, you can't help being stirred by the young man's courage and his ability to put through a stunt of this kind. Now, the English pick-a-back seaplane, Mercury, arrived safely with its cargo of mail and papers. I think, before we know it, we will fly across the ocean as easily as we fly over land. Perhaps we will station a few rescue ships at different points, so that in case of accident they may be employed as we use emergency flying fields on land.

I had two other visitors this morning. A Miss Marguerite G. Wilson, who apparently knows much about cotton and must have been shocked at my ignorance, and Miss Elizabeth Shields-Collins, international secretary of the World Youth Congress. Miss Shields-Collins outlined for me some very interesting plans for their meeting in this country. The European group will arrive on the 13th and 14th of August and, after spending the 15th in New York City, will have their first meeting at Vassar on the 16th.

I am looking forward with a great deal of interest to hearing what these young people have to say and to see what the future leaders of the world look like.