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

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PATCHOGUE, N.Y., Tuesday—Have you read "Youth Tell Their Story?" It is a report by Howard M. Bell and may be bought for $1.50 from the American Council on Education, Washington, D. C. It is one of those rare documents about youth, in which youth has actually furnished the information. In this case we adults are being educated.

It is a careful survey of one state, the State of Maryland, because within its borders there is sufficient variety to typify conditions in a great number of states. Thirteen-thousand-five-hundred young people between the ages of 16 and 24 were interviewed personally. The facts disclosed are enough to make every adult ponder a bit about the state of the nation. The implications for the future are of the greatest concern.

The majority of young people seem to expect more and more of government, but it is not apparent that they realize the implications of this attitude. In a democracy this must mean greater responsibility assumed by every individual citizen, otherwise we open the way to undue control by one man or a small group of men.

The wind blew some of our mosquitoes away yesterday and we were able to walk in these entrancing woods. They have not been burned over, which unfortunately has been the case in much of Long Island. They are dark and mysterious at dusk and when the sun is filtering through they make you think of Robin Hood. Butterfly weed grows in profusion and is one of the most striking wild orange flowers I have ever seen. I wish I could import some of it to our shady spots at home. These woods shelter much game and tracks in the sand keep one on the lookout for wildlife.

I had my first experience in clam digging in this bay yesterday. In the past I have walked, comparatively dry, looking for holes in the sand and digging out my clam whenever I discovered him. Yesterday afternoon, however, we went out into the bay. The wind had blown up some little waves and we could see no bottom, but the anchor was thrown over and I was told we would get out and rake clams. I was a bit dubious, but the water was only up to our chests.

It was fortunate our supper did not depend on me, for I raked up just one clam. The other ladies did not do much better, but we had one good fisherman with us, so we had an ample supply of Little Neck clams for supper. We landed at Fire Island with every intention of building a fire on the ocean side and broiling our steak while we watched the waves roll in. However, the wind blew too hard, so we found a sheltered spot in which to cook and eat. When we came home, the moon and stars were out and the little phosphorescent bugs in our wake lit up the water. A great peace settled over us all. There is nothing like the great outdoors to wipe away the cares of the soul.

E.R.

(Copyright, 1938, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Geographic
  • Patchogue (N.Y., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, August 3, 1938

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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