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

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NEW YORK—On Friday night of last week I had the pleasure of attending the concert given by the Vienna Choir Boys at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I enjoyed it all very much but I was particularly entertained by the "Tales from Old Vienna," an operetta by Johann Strauss. When young boys play the parts of girls they cannot free themselves from a certain awkwardness which is very appealing, and I enjoyed these youngsters very much, indeed.

Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday I spent at Hyde Park. New Year's Eve was a very quiet time with a very small group of us gathered together. I think that is a good way to welcome the new year, with peace and quiet reflection both on the past and on the future.

I cannot say that I have made any hard-and-fast resolutions, but I have certainly wished many things for my family and friends and for myself. Chief among them is that all of us may seek the guidance that comes through faith and prayer and that we may grow in love and understanding even of those who hate us.

I was glad to hear over the radio that New York State Senator Thomas C. Desmond of Newburgh was putting in some very comprehensive bills to help the aged—particularly a bill to encourage the employment of older people.

My attention was called the other day to the plight of a retired schoolteacher—a man who spent 51 years as a grade and high-school principal in one of our Middle Western states. His salary was always small but now, at 76 years of age, he is retired on $64 a month. His wife writes that it is barely possible to exist, even though they try hard to pick up odd jobs now and then. That does not seem to be a fair way to end your life after a long period of faithful service to the children of our country.

We want our children to have the best in education and we want able people to guide them in their school years. How can we expect people of ability to face this kind of hardship throughout their lives and in their retirement?

We in New York State cannot legislate for the other states in the Union but we can lead the way, and I hope with all my heart that Senator Desmond will be successful in his endeavors to improve conditions here.

My two small cousins, Barbara and Forbes Morgan, left Hyde Park very reluctantly on Monday, particularly Forbes. He loves the horses and I think he would gladly spend his entire time grooming and feeding them and even cleaning out their stalls!

E.R.

(Copyright, 1956, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Persons
  • Desmond, Thomas C. (Thomas Charles), 1887-1972 [ index ]
         American politician
         [ LC | VIAF | Wikidata ]
  • Morgan, Barbara Livingston, 1941-2010 [ index ]
         Daughter of ER cousin William Forbes Morgan, III
  • Morgan, Forbes, 1945- [ index ]
         Son of ER cousin William Forbes Morgan, III
Geographic
  • New York (N.Y., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, January 5, 1956

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)
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  • Regenhardt, Christy (Associate Editor)
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  • Black, Allida M. (Editor)
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  • Binker, Mary Jo (Associate Editor)
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  • Alhambra, Christopher C. (Electronic Text Editor)
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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.

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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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