WASHINGTON, Monday—One youngster was badly disappointed last night. Several weeks ago Mr. Conrad Reid wrote saying that his daughter was learning to sing and that it would be a great boost to her ambition if she could occasionally sing for someone outside her family group. The letter was such a nice letter that the President and I decided we would like to hear the child. But a cold kept the President in bed last night, and so I heard her alone. She is a charming looking girl of eighteen with a sweet and as yet untrained voice. We had a pleasant time together and Mr. Reid left a poem for my husband which he afterwards enjoyed reading.

Of course, it would be impossible to do this in many cases, and Heaven knows when there will be a free half hour any evening for this type of recreation, but it is fun now and then to do something unexpected.

This morning I rather rapidly ran through my morning duties of seeing various people and visiting various invalids because, at 9:50, I was scheduled to leave the White House and visit some of the United States Employment Service offices in the District of Columbia. I am particularly interested in this because they have done what I am always advocating—having a model set up in the District of Columbia which should be copied in other states. They are making studies which should be made everywhere throughout the nation in order to help the unemployment situation.

I was also greatly interested in the Junior Placement Division, where a great deal of counsel is given. One feature of the work is that the youngsters they place return one night a week to discuss their job problems.

Last night I listened over the radio to the American Forum of the Air, with speeches first by Senator Nye and Senator Josh Lee. They were followed by a panel discussion by four other people with experience and knowledge of foreign affairs. I wonder sometimes how much these discussions do in really increasing the knowledge of the people as to the facts. It seemed to me in many cases things were said which had no real foundation in fact, and were purely representative of the individual's personal point of view and his impression of what was going on. Moral rearmament is a word which is appearing in my mail very constantly these days and I think of it often in connection with the great Pope who has just passed away. He made every effort to keep the peace of the world and his influence certainly was great on the side of moral rearmament. No one can doubt the need of this type of spiritual action, but it does not seem to stand all by itself with sufficient strength today.