Evening star., 1933-03-05
NEW FIRST LADY
TO LIVE SIMPLY
Mrs. Roosevelt Says House.
keeping Will Occupy Early
Days in White House.

(copyright. 1893. by the Associated Press)
In the big. high-ceilinged sitting
room in the southwest corner of the
White House that Is to be her home
1or the next four years, Eleanor Roose-
velt stood yesterday afternoon, gazing
soberly out the window as she drew of
her gloves
1t was very, very solemn" she said,
slowly, "and little terrifying"
She glanced about the room, which
looked huge and cold and impersonal,
stripped es 1t had been in the morning
OF the belongings Of its previous occu-
pant, already on her way to private
life and freedom at her home in Cali
fornia
THE crowds were 50 tremendous" /"
Mrs. Roosevelt added, softly, land you
felt that they would do anything-if
do
Il felt that particularly. because,
when Franklin got to that part Of his
speech In which he said 1t might be-
come necessary for him to assume
powers ordinarily granted to a Presi-
dent in war time. he received his big
gest demonstration.
Mrs Roosevelt moved over to one of
the vide windows and stared thought
fully out across the White House
grounds at the Virginia hills, softly out
lined against gray afternoon sky.
Facing Critical Times.
mo one" she said, "at all close to
people in public life today can fail to
realize that We are all Of us facing ex-
tremely critical times.
mo woman entering the White
House, II she accepts the fact that 1t
belongs to the people and therefore
must be representative Of whatever con-
ditions the people are facing. can light
heartedly take up her residence here
"One has feeling Of going it blindly,
and none OF us knows where we're going
to Ind.
THE important thing, it seems to
me, Is our attitude toward whatever
may happen. 1t must be willingness to
accept and share with others what
ever may come and to meet the future
courageously, with a cheerful spirit.
I'VE women have to go about our
daily task Of ome-making, no matter
what may happen, and we needn't feel
that ours is an unimportant one, for
our courage and our willingness to sac
rif1ce may well be the springboard
from which recovery may come"
The woman Of many interests who
became today by virtue of her husbands
position the Nations First Lady" will
be herself chiefly occupied the next few
weeks, she said today, with housekeep-
ing.
Must Cut Down Expenses.
There will be. of course, all the set
tling to do" she said.
And there will be necessary some
figuring to cut down expenses at least
IS per cent in accordance with my hus-
bands policy.
II am going to try out few things
which I think may be interesting. I
want to try out here some Of these new
foods that Flora Rose and the others
are developing at Cornell University"
In the department of home economics
at Cornell number of foods are being
devised that may meet the dietary
needs Of families with depleted incomes.
Another thing I want to do because
I think it will be interesting" Mrs.
Roosevelt added, ''is to develop a num-
ber Of entirely American menus that
can be served at the White House.
1T seems to me that it would be
highly appropriate to serve purely
I want to work out some meals that
consist entirely of American food, pre-
pared in the American manner. from
American products. I think it will be
an interesting thing to try"
The new mistress Of the stately White
House mansion which IS the social CEN
ter of the Nations Capital and which
has always represented in the minds OF
the people the final word In scrupulouS
observance Of formalities reafirmed to-
day her previously expressed determl-
nation to simplify as much as possible
its social affairs.
No Occasion for Display.
Neither Franklin nor I would want
to do anything that would detract from
said. But believe things can be made
a good deal simpler without that.
TT should be done, think, to save
the time and the strength Of man as
busy as President must be. And now,
of all times, there Is no occasion for
display.
Some people probably won't like
some Of the things I'm going to do.
shall, for instance, greet my guests my
self when they arrive and see them to
the door when they leave. Naturally,
don't expect my husband to do this
He is going to be too busy. He should
be spared as much as possible. But
there's no reason why I shouldn't.
MY feeling about the White House is
that 1t belongs to the people. Their
taxes support it. It is really theirs
And as far as possible they should be
v,,oda %a fool uo1roy,o horo Thov
shouldn't have the feeling that they are
shut out.
II realize, of course, that there are
limitations. There are times when one
can't receive visitors. There are times
when family has got to have privacy
After all, we're living here, you see.
Don't Want to Be Shut tin"
But the lower floors, away from our
living quarters, will be open to the pub
Lie even more, If can manage it, than
they have been in the past. And want
the visitors to be given every courtesy
Sometimes, when visitors are being
shown through, may be passing by
and, If can, shall stop and talk with
them and show them about, as used
to do in the executive mansion in Al
bany. hate the idea that I might ever
lose touch with people. don't want to
be a 'shut-in.'"
To take the place Of some Of the
activities she has dropped, Mrs. Roose-
welt IS planning to take on other in
szrests.
I'm going to do lot Of reading, "
she said. I'm recent months I've been
so busy that sometimes wonder If I
still know how to read. shall have
my writing, too-not so much as
previously. but still some. And my
correspondence, in which I am deeply
interested, even though somewhat be-
hind at present.
Il shall do some riding nearly every
morning in Rock Creek Park, hope.
And hope to 60 frequently to New
York. Anna and her husband and
the children will still be there, you
know, and I want to keep in touch with
my friends. too"
Her second son, Elliott, Mrs Roose-
welt said today, is planning to move
away from New York and try his hand
at ranching or some other kind Of out