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

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HYDE PARK, Friday—From noontime on, yesterday proved to be a fairly busy day. Our Norwegian guests arrived in time for lunch. My three young nieces from Michigan also arrived and my cousins, Mr. and Mrs. W. Forbes Morgan, Jr., drove down from their farm near Chatham, N. Y., to see us.

Two people were a trifle late, Franklin Jr., with a young man who was anxious to have a talk with us. They drove up from New York City and arrived in time to swallow a little food before we all left for the county fair at Rhinebeck. Seven children and twelve grown-ups were in the party.

Most of the time we watched the horse show. A wonderful horse from Florida did tricks which pleased all the children. One of the little Princesses drew the winning number for a hamper on which chances had been sold to raise money for the Red Cross.

Then we drove through the tent to see the grange exhibitions. When we stopped before some other exhibits, a plea was brought back to me from the youngsters, who wanted to stay and enjoy some of the thrills of the county fair amusement area. I gave my permission for my nieces and the Crown Princess, and Countess Ostgaard agreed that their children could stay also. The children returned to the big house just in time for their supper, very much thrilled with the merry-go-round and the balloons and the popcorn, which I think was something the Norwegian children had not indulged in before.

Our Norwegian guests retired to bed wearied by so many out-of-door activities, and the rest of us listened to the candidate for Vice President, Mr. Wallace, speaking on the radio from Des Moines, Iowa. I do not know how many there were in his audience, but it sounded like a most appreciative crowd. I think Mr. Wallace must have been happy to have his neighbors greet him so warmly.

The day had been so full that I faced a desk that had not been touched when I finally went upstairs at eleven-fifteen. I was rather surprised suddenly to look at the clock and find that it was three a.m. when I was through working.

I breakfasted this morning at 8:30 and rode with Mr. Harry Hooker. At 11:00, Mrs. Dorothy Canfield Fisher arrived with some of the members of the jury of award for the Children's Crusade for Children and a group of foreign and American children, accompanied by the heads of relief organizations who were to receive the checks.

Because it was drizzling, we all gathered in the big library and each American child handed a foreign child a check for the work which will be done, either in their own country or for their nationals who are refugees in other countries. Every penny donated by the American schoolchildren was given for the work to be done for these European children, for a special fund was provided for the overhead expenses of the committee.

E.R.

(COPYRIGHT, 1940, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Geographic
  • Hyde Park (Dutchess County, N.Y., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, August 31, 1940

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

  • Brick, Christopher (Editor)
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Digital edition published 2008, 2017 by
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Available under licence from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

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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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