WASHINGTON, Sunday—A perfectly delightful thing happened to me the other day, but I have been so pressed for space that I haven't told you many of the things which I should like to tell you. However, this I must tell you!

A young Viennese friend of mine, Charlotte Kraus, a singer, in collaboration with a friend of hers, Madame Rona, a Czechoslovakian sculptress, induced my son, Franklin, Jr., to sit for a head which will belong to me after Madame Rona's exhibition. I am perfectly delighted to have it. In a curious way, this head showed me certain things about my son which I had not noticed before. He looks older, and yet from the right profile the childish resemblance is still strong.

My youngest son, John, and his wife came home from their cruise on Thursday, having had a splendid time on the first holiday they have spent together in some time. I was glad to be able to turn over to them a healthy baby, who had acquired several teeth during their departure and had learned really to crawl.

John and Anne brought to my attention a child's book: "Timothy Taylor, Ambassador of Goodwill," by Helen Husted. I think that many adults, as well as children, will enjoy this story in verse of a little boy whose father made him feel that coming to the United States during the war, was really being an ambassador who made friends for his country in a period when friends were much needed.

Friday, in the midst of our snowstorm, I drove up to Howard University to see the exhibition of paintings by Negro artists of Chicago. It was like a fairy world outside, and the young students coming across the campus, battling with the wind and snow, were a gay group. Inside the paintings were almost entirely reminiscent of gay colors and summer scenes.

George Neal, who is represented by two paintings, lost much of his work in a fire two years before he died, but he was the inspiration of many other painters. He gathered them around him and taught them. They painted in spite of poverty, living in attics and practically starving while they worked.

One little ceramic by Edward T. Collier is the loveliest shade of green I have ever seen, and one or two of Joseph A. Kersey's sculptures are extremely interesting. I am always fond of watercolors and would have liked to walk away with some that were on exhibition.

Friday night I dined with members of the Federal Bar Association. While I felt they were very kind to invite me, I also felt very hesitant about inflicting any words on such an important group. I was very glad to have the opportunity, however, to hear two extremely interesting and able speeches from Mr. Robert Patterson, Assistant Secretary of War and Mr. Francis Biddle, the Solicitor General.