NEW YORK—After attending the tea to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the New York Women's City Club Wednesday night, I spoke at a meeting in Brooklyn and then took a night train to Syracuse.

Thursday turned out to be a beautiful, crisp, cold day and most of the countryside was still under considerable amount of snow.

My daughter, her husband and son, Johnny, who is 17, met me at the train before 8 o'clock and we drove Johnny out to school so I could see what a nice place it is. Then we went back to my daughter's apartment for breakfast.

After that, we drove out into the country south of Syracuse—beautiful rolling country—to look at the 200 acres of farmland and the old farmhouse which my daughter and her husband bought. The farm has great possibilities, I think. They are fortunate to have several woodlots, as well as nice rolling country, and a good deal of land on the road which someday might lend itself to a development.

The previous owners of the property, who are moving out, were more than kind and let us go over the whole house and offered us a nice hot cup of coffee and cookies, which we all enjoyed.

On my return to the apartment in Syracuse, my working day really began. I was taken to the university where there was a press interview and a recording.

Later, I spoke to the boys being trained for the Air Force and the Army and those who are studying Russian. It was a packed audience of attentive young people and I enjoyed the questions they asked, which showed their interest and desire to understand the world.

After a luncheon at the university, my daughter and I returned to her home where we had several hours quietly together before some delightful Syracuse friends of she and her husband came for a buffet supper. At 10:20 p.m. I was on the plane for New York and arrived at Idlewild airport a little after midnight.

Friday saw me at the office in the morning. My son, Franklin Jr., came to breakfast, which is always a pleasure.

On the trip to Syracuse I read a tribute paid to Myron C. Taylor on his retirement as a director and member of the Finance Committee of the U.S. Steel Corp. It is an extraordinary record of a business career, always lived with integrity and high purpose and as a real humanitarian. Mr. Taylor is 82 years old and this record must make him and his friends extremely proud.

I also had a chance to glance through a little book published by the Oxford University Press called "In Praise of Oxford," by Lord Horder, and I feel sure that anyone who has an affection for that university would enjoy having this small book.