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

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Monday—My Texas children came over for us Sunday and we went back to Fort Worth with them in the afternoon. We arrived at their home in time to see both Chandler and Baby Elliott. Babies change so quickly that I saw quite a difference in him in the short time we had been gone.

He has begun to crawl and when we put him on the floor he made straight for Peter, the Great Dane dog lying comfortably on the floor watching him approach. Peter opened his mouth wide and yawned and when the baby touched his nose he closed his eyes to make sure they wouldn't be poked out, but he never moved a muscle.

Later Chandler sat astride of Peter and he was just as quiet. I praised him loudly but a little too soon. Just before we sat down to supper Peter discovered a plate of salad and, much to Ruth's and Elliott's dismay, ate most of it. He certainly was in disgrace, but I noticed that when the time came for us to leave he was called and told he was forgiven. Great Danes have very sensitive feelings and cannot be allowed to remain in disgrace too long.

Many kind things were planned for our reception in Little Rock. In fact, the reception was to begin before we got off the train. Unfortunately word did not reach us last night so we were not ready to make any public appearance until the train was nearing the station. I felt very apologetic, for I always think that people should let one arrive without putting themselves out when a train gets in early in the morning. It seems an imposition on anyone's welcoming spirit to be called upon to meet guests at 8:15 a.m.

MAYor and Mrs. Overman met us however, with Mrs. Frank Vaughan, Mrs. Miller and several other ladies. The Governor and Mrs. Bailey came to call a little before 11:00 and at 1:45 Mrs. Bailey and Mrs. Overman took me out. We first visited the Dunbar Negro High School, where they sang very beautifully for us. From there we went to the Crippled Children's Hospital which takes crippled and sick children from all over the State.

Next we visited the Veteran's Hospital which is on a high hill quite a way from the city. The view is lovely and the hospital looks as though it might afford as pleasant a home as possible for these poor men who are all mental cases. After a word to the few who gathered in the library, my message being carried by radio to the patients in other wards, we proceeded to one of the NYA projects.

A group of Negro boys are being taught how to make furniture, wood panelling and window frames. The work is being used in a State institution. They do not expect to turn out expert cabinet makers, but they feel they will be better able to improve their own homes and do simple cabinet and carpentry work.

There are several of these projects in the State already and they hope to have many more. They are working closely with what educational facilities can be provided along vocational lines and I think they will attain satisfactory results.

E.R.


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Geographic
  • Little Rock (Ark., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, March 23, 1937

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
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 draft version of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. My Day column draft dated March 22, 1937, FDR Library, Hyde Park, NY
TMsd, 22 March 1937, AERP, FDRL