The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-09-21
BY MARY MARGARET MBRIDE
Times Special Writer

MA Service Stan writer.
BY MARY MARGARET MBRIDE
Times Special Writer
HYDE PARK, N. Y, Sept. 81.
IL - With her eighty-hrst
birthday upon her. Mrs. James
Roosevelt. mother Of the Presi-
dent. reflected aloud that. after
30, birthdays really should not
count.
L tried to get them To stop
talking about it." she told me,
lowering her voice and glancing
about as if half-expecting one of
the numerous grandchildren and
reat-grandchildren arrived with
President Roosevelt and Mrs.
Roosevelt for the festivities. to
pop into the enormous oak-pan-
eled library where she was pour
ing tea for US.
They went right on. though,
and so I suppose I shall have to
be 81 after alli"-this, with great
cheerfulness.
AS matter of fact. Mrs.
Roosevelt. at 81. in the pink of
health. and as interested as ever
in events. people and her daily ac-
tivities. is a happy woman. She
saws so herself and part Of the
reason, she insists, is her philoSo-
ply
NV mother used to say that
the things we worry about never
happen" she continued That
saving has become part Of my
philosophy. 50 that now when I
am tempted to worry remember
THE great event OF the eighty
a first birthday celebration is
the publication of Mrs. Roosevelts
life story. Gracious Lady" writ
ten by Rita S. Halle Kleeman.
magazine writer. author and long
time friend Of Mrs. Roosevelt.
1T is a beautiful story Of
time that can never come again
and of a great lady" I ventured,
as we-Mrs. Roosevelt. Mrs Klee-
man and nlyself-sat about the
tea table.
1T is beautiful because of the
way Rita has done it." promptly
declared Mrs. Roosevelt. smiling
at Mrs. Kleeman. My life wasn't
exciting at all. but she has made
it sound thrilling"
Then Mrs. Roosevelt, more or
less unconsciouSly. revealed how
the man who. as Chief Executive
of his nation, constantly must face
a barraoe of criticism, actually re-
ceived little of it in his boyhood
home life - but nevertheless was
made 10 learn the lesson of unSelf-
ish giving and taking" which
often is denied IN an onlv child.
Who had most to do with
bringing up your SON I asked
Mrs. Roosevelt. you or his
father?"
We'll. I believe We shared the
responsibility. she answered.
Fra father was always
afraid. because he was an only
child. that we would nag him too
much. So we always tried hard
not to do that.
"DEOPLE talk of the difficulties
Il of bringing up an only child,
but we never seemed to have
many with Franklin He was al
ways sweet and good. And luck
lily. ours was a large clan, so he
had plenty of cousins to keep him
from being selfish and to teach
him that he couldn't have every
thing his own way"
Mrs. Roosevelt told, too.
touching story of the time when
Franklin was 3 and. on Easter
morning. sailing home from Eu-
rope. the family was in a storm at
sea. Mrs. Roosevelt calmly said
to her husband: we seem to be
going down" And he replied:
1T does look like it,"
They could hear the water
rushing over their heads and al
most Immediately it began to
come into their cabin.
Mrs. Roosevelt said quietly:
Il never get frightened and I
was not then. But when the
water was high enough to touch
the bottom of fur coat that was
hanging by my berth. I took it
and wrapped it around the baby,
saying to my husband: Poor lit
tie boy. if he must 60 down, he
is going down warm"
The book Gracious Lady" is
the realization of 10-year dream
of Mrs Kleeman. conceived at
the first meeting of the two. They
laughed together over the memory
of that.
Mrs. Kleeman. coming home
from Europe. was annoyed at hav-
ing to take a later boat than she
had intended. Mrs. Roosevelt. on
the other hand was determined
to take that particular boat and
reariv missed it. In fact. it left
Cherbourg without her. but she
chartered a tug. pursued the yes
sci successfully and Mrs. Kleeman
admiringly watched as she climbed,
nimbly up the side by means of
the rope ladder. Mrs. Roosevelt
was then TO
Mrs. Kleeman sat at the same
table as Mrs. Roosevelt during the
voyage and listened enchanted to
the tales the white haired. brown
eyed granGe dame told so we'll.
4 FTER that. she often men,
L n toned TO Mrs. Roosevelt her
hope that some time she might be
permitted 10 do the biography. but
Mrs. Roosevelt never would agree.
Never. that is. until one day at
the White House a year and