The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-12-13


travels, the Roosevelts have main
tanned q closely-knit home life.
What goes on within the family
circle is described in this, the
sixth Of series Of articles about
THE RISING ROOSEVELTs.
BY PAUL HARRISON
1T seems to me that children now
adays don't think up 50 many original
pranks as they used to. Why, re-
member when Franklin had every
one on the place mystified for days
when he used to hide on the laundry
roof and throw things at people
and the times he'd dress up like q
ghost and fit around the servants
quarters and the day he"
Mrs. James Roosevelt, snowy-haired
and II, stopped In something like
confusion. No situation can seriously
nonplus that dowager -aristocrat. But
she did think it best to stop telling
tales about the next president of the
United States.
LAS for the grandchildren" she
continued, II think they're very fine.
Not extraordinary, you understand,
but very fine indeed. And intelligent
like their parents.
II always said that the reason the
governor Mas especially we'll edu-
Gated was because he was brought up
at home, with good tutors, and trav-
eled great deal. I have spent much
Of my life abroad, and my son trav-
eled with me frequently. Mrs. Frank
lin Roosevelt was educated In Europe,
too, you know, and they're allowing
their children to travel a great deal.
when Anna and James were 16
and IA I took them abroad myself for
three months. We packed lot of
travel into that time, and saw just
about everything we could, even tour
ing the World War battlefields. We
were glad to get home, though. The
grandchildren seem to love Hyde Park
as much as I do"
+ \ y
"A SIMPLE TIME
It was morning. and Mrs. James
Roosevelt had been looking at some
old photograph albums in her little
sitting room off the main hall of the
big house. Graciously and without
apology she had received the reporter
while she was wearing a little lace
cap and negligee. After while she
would dress for the afternoon when
Lady Aston and some friends were
driving up from New York. Just
now, however, she wanted to talk
about the Rising Roosevelts.
I'VE have rather simple time of
it when we're all together here. There
Is no set hour for breakfast; but most
Of the family get down about nine,
except little Franklin, who is sleepy
head. Imagine my calling him lit
tie Franklin when the boy must be
6 feet 4 now! After breakfast, John
and Franklin go to the stables. John
especially, for he's the fondest OF
horses of anyone I ever saw.
Everyone comes in for lunch, and
afterward they do anything they like
The boys are allowed to use the cars
on the place, and they often go up ia
Barrytown to visit Lyman Delano's
children, Warren, Fred and Bobby
Then they burst in at tea time at S
and eat so many sandwiches and
pieces Of cake we're always afraid
they'll spoil their dinners.
Dinner is at 7:30. No, guess we
haven't any favorite dishes, unless It's
the governors scrambled eggs, and he
manages to forego them In the eve
ming. Everyone here has been brought
up on the old-fashioned idea Of eat
ing everything that's put before him"
Y y Y
THEIR HOME HOUR
Directly after dinner is the favorite
home hour for the Roosevelts. When
the children were younger their
mother read aloud to them regularly:
first fairy stories, then Kipling, Haw-
thorne, Walter Scott. Mrs. Roosevelt
has low and resonant voice with
an arresting dramatic quality. The
children were very fond Of poetry, but
much better than reading it was to
hear it from her lips.
Often they talked-in thoughtful
spirited conversation adroitly directed
by the parents. Their daughter and
sons seldom guessed that they were
being schooled in intelligent social
discourse. But they were. Mrs.
Roosevelt believed families all too Of
ten confine their small-talk and con-
ferences to wholly material things.
None Of the youngsters played any
musical instrument, though their
grandmother recalls that "little
Franklin" showed great deal of tai
ent before he successfully rebelled
against his piano lessons. All OF
them sang, however, and they con-
gregated around pianos at every op-
portunity. Today, Curtis Dali, An
mas husband, plays for them when
ever he visits the Hyde Park house.
ENJOY GAMES
A Roosevelt evening usually resolves
Itself into a game Of some sort. The
president-elect, as many newspaper
men know who have travelled in his
special trains, is an opponent to be
dreaded In any card game, and es-
pecially at the ancient pastime of
peeping at hole-cards and filling in
side straights.
But the family plays hearts or
rummy. Bridge Is out of the ques-
ton, since. six or seven persons are
usually to be included in an evenings
entertainment. AS the players drift
off to bed the governor always has
his intellectual nightcap-a game OF
solitaire or crossword puzzle. He
has invented variation Of solitaire
which he calls Miss Milligan."
French used to be q household Ian
guage at Hyde Park. The governor
speaks French and German fluently,
and has working knowledge Of
Italian and Spanish. Mrs. Roosevelt
who, as girl, attended q French
school outside London, has the best
pronunciation Of all. And the chill
dren have chartered 1t from the time
each had his first governess.
Parties, as such, rarely have been
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