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

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HYDE PARK, Sunday—Before I write of more recent days, I must go back and tell you of my trip on Friday with Mr. and Mrs. Gray. As far as Chatham, New York, I know the general direction of the road, but from there on Mrs. Gray was supposed to know it. Old Chatham was what we were looking for, but we went to East Chatham instead and finally arrived at the house from the wrong direction and a half an hour late. Of course, I said it was Mrs. Gray's fault, but I had left home one hour later than I had agreed and had I not, we would have had a whole half hour to spare. On the way back, Mr. Gray directed us and, much as I hate to say so, I am afraid men, as a rule, are more reliable as to general direction.

Saturday was a full day for all of us. In the morning, delegates from a group of young Ukrainians, who hold a convention next week, presented me with a beautifully embroidered blouse. Even though they are all Americans, it is evident that they have not forgotten the skills they brought to this country and they still do the most beautiful needlework.

Mayor and Mrs. La Guardia brought five children to have lunch with us. They take the upbringing of their children really seriously and are trying to teach them things in their formative period which many children are not allowed to learn until they are much older. I never saw such well behaved children. They certainly enjoyed swimming in the pool and were well able to take care of themselves.

At 3:00 o'clock we all attended the Roosevelt Home Club meeting, which is held every year on Moses Smith's lawn. A number of the old trees in front of his house have gone in the last few years, but he still has one of the most beautiful maples I know around here shading his porch. The setting with the house gaily decorated is charming and Mr. and Mrs. Smith are good hosts. Arthur Smith, who is president of the club, always invites his father to make a speech as host and he does it with humor and kindliness.

He mentioned the fact that the number of people attending the party seems to grow every year. This year he did not suggest that the President give his home village a new post office. Thus he left it open for the President to remark that he hoped the town of Hyde Park rate a new post office before long—one is in process of building in Rhinebeck and another in Wappingers Falls.

We had a picnic at the cottage in the evening and some dancers who call themselves "The Cheats and Swings," from Woodstock, New York, came down to entertain the President with old-fashioned country dances. The gentlemen were interesting in their old-time costumes, and the ladies were graceful and attractive. One had her hair done in what was once an old style, but from what I hear will be the new style this winter. It was brushed straight up to the top of her head.

All the neighbors who came seemed to enjoy it and the party broke up a little before 10:00 o'clock.

E.R.

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


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Persons
  • La Guardia, Fiorello H. (Fiorello Henry), 1882-1947 [ index ]
         American politician; Mayor of New York City, 1934-1945
         [ LC | ISNI | VIAF | Wikidata | SNAC | FAST | US Nat. Archives | ANB ]
  • La Guardia, Marie M., 1896-1984 [ index ]
         American author; second spouse of New York City Mayor La Guardia
         [ LC | VIAF | SNAC | NYT ]
  • Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945 [ index ]
         American politician; 32nd President of the United States
         [ ERPP bio | LC | ISNI | VIAF | Wikidata | SNAC | FAST | US Nat. Archives | ANB ]
  • Smith, Arthur [ index ]
         Hyde Park, NY postmaster
  • Smith, Hattie Wager, 1876-1959 [ index ]
         American housewife
  • Smith, Moses W., -1959 [ index ]
         American tenant farmer; friend of FDR
         [ LC | VIAF | FAST ]
Organizations
Geographic
  • Hyde Park (Dutchess County, N.Y., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, August 29, 1938

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
[ ERPP bio | LC | VIAF | WorldCat | DPLA | Wikidata | SNAC ]

Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

  • Brick, Christopher (Editor)
    [ VIAF | ORCID ]
  • Regenhardt, Christy (Associate Editor)
    [ ISNI ]
  • Black, Allida M. (Editor)
    [ VIAF | ISNI ]
  • Binker, Mary Jo (Associate Editor)
    [ VIAF | ORCID ]
  • Alhambra, Christopher C. (Electronic Text Editor)
    [ VIAF | ORCID ]

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.

XML master last modified on May 2, 2022.

HTML version generated and published on May 3, 2022.

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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