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

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WASHINGTON, Tuesday—On Sunday night we saw the short infantile paralysis film done by Miss Greer Garson, and I think it was one of the most striking pictures I have ever seen. So few people realize how slowly improvement comes to victims of infantile paralysis, and yet how much can be done if you have the courage and the patience to put through consistent treatment.

After that, we saw a very interesting British film on the life of William Penn. Historically, this gives a very good picture of William Penn as a man, the background of the Quakers, and the founding of our own state of Pennsylvania. I should think it would be of value in our schools and of great interest to the public.

At lunch yesterday I had the pleasure of entertaining a number of ladies whose husbands serve on the Supreme Court, in Congress, or in the military services.

In the evening, Mrs. Frederick Stuart Green, who is here from her home in Virginia for a two-day visit, went with me to see a performance of J. B. Priestley's "Laburnum Grove," which was given by Post 147 (U.S.A.) Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League. I think the men were all in the Canadian service, and professional actors. The women were amateurs, but members of the auxiliary. The whole performance was excellent and we all enjoyed it very much.

We are now in the midst of a campaign for the collection and conservation of waste paper. As every household can do something for the drive, I feel it should be constantly in our minds. The War Production Board has stated that we will need 8,000,000 tons of waste paper in 1944. Mr. Edwin S. Friendly has stated:

“The American people must contribute 35 percent more waste paper this year than they did last year if the requirements of our military forces and our essential civilian demands are to be met.”

No paper should be burned. We should follow the directions given and have every bit ready for regular collections. Mrs. Hugo Cedergren told me that in prison camps in Germany, materials are so short that the children have to use the wrappings from the Red Cross food parcels as their only construction materials for toys or games they make for themselves.

Among other things, the girls made a complete doll house from the cardboard, wrapping paper and string which came around the parcels. I imagine it has taken a long time for people to reach the point of constant thought about salvage which this represents. Nevertheless, we must and can think a great deal more about it than we have in the past, because lack of manpower makes the shortage of pulp wood greater than ever before and we must rely on salvage paper to take its place. 1500 pounds of waste paper corresponds to one cord of wood.

E. R.

(COPYRIGHT 1944 BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, February 2, 1944

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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