The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-10

0AOGRSAVVAAAH VA @AASsSAASS ~ generally taken her to it's bC
 This is no mean accomplish ment. Ones own neighbors are ones harshest critics, and prob- ably only one other recent First Lady-Mrs. Coolidge-has achieved the same degree of respect and popularity as Mrs. Roosevelt.
 Both ladies, incidentally, are alike in one important quality complete simplicity and sincerity. Pomp and ceremony have nG place in their makeup.
 This does not mean that Mrs. Roosevelt ls not without her Cri- tIcs. She has them, some m0st vocleerous. And it is . wcn- der that she does not have more.
 Two Entities
 For Mrs. Roosevelt hes attempt- cd to be two separate entities.
 She has wanted to be, first, Q perfectly free individual, able to come and go, to motor alone where the whiin might take her to spend nights in tourist camps, to be one of the everyday people of these United States.
 And at the same time she has wanted to act as a helpmate to her husband, as official hostess, in gathering information for him, and in being, perhaps more than any other presidents wife, an important cog in the adn1inistra- ton.
 It has been very difficult for Mrs. Roosevelt to realize that she in "the queen," and the queen cannot step down from her ofi- cial role.
 Among the crowned heads of Europe 1t is different. King Ed- ward, when Phirce of Wales, could go to his Canadian ranch, step down to the status of Lord Renfrew, and become Q private citizen. The press and the public accepted him as such.
 But what Mrs. Roosevelt says as an individual cannot be divorced from what she says as the wife of the President. In this country it can't be done. Case Worker
 Despite this embarrassment, there is no doubt that Mrs. Roose- velt's restless energy is Q definite asset to her husband. She is Q sort of rowing case worker, probing into anything which arouses her interest--cr more often, her sym pathy-and reporting to him in detail.
 Usually her interest is excited on behalf of the underdog. She has been the great champion of the Negroes, Puerto Hicars, south- ern tenant farmers and subSis- tence homesteaders.
 Sometimes her energy has caused crossed-wires and con. fusion, as in the case of the home. stead at Reidsville, W. Va., where Mrs. Roosevelt ordered type of portable house, whereas Q per- lnanent structure capable of with- standing West Virginia winters was necessary.
 scmtimeS, also, she has caused some political embarrassment to her husband, as in the case of the Negroes. Mrs. Roosevelt worked energetically behind the scenes for the Anti-Lynching Bill, inviting Negro leaders to the White House to plan strategy while 1t was url- der discussion.
 News of this was published fin the South, together with faxed photographs showing her getting into Q car with Q negro. Un. dOubtedIy Mrs. Roosevelt would not hesitate to get into . car with Q negro if the occasion arose, and her husband has ROl- lowed . consistent policy of giv- ing his wife no advice regarding her activities. But undoubtedly this particular incident has hurt him in some parts of the south. Intellectual C0rnpaniOnShiI
 To the outsider, iE is hard to understand when the president and his wife have time to see each other. But 8 very beautiful intel lectual coinpanionship has devcl- oped between them.
 The president frequently repeats details to others what "the Missus" tells him, end if Mrs. Roosevelt promises to- tell her husband any, thing, she does 1t, invariably that day.
 Among the outsiders she refers to him always as "Iny husband" !" uses the name Franklin" only among close friends. And she is quite able to discuss the cl1arac- teristics of the president just as effectively as # he were not her husband. One point she makes is that @Tranklin never can recog- nise disloyalty among his alleged friends; he always attributes 1t to mistaken judgment"
 Mrs. Roosevelt Is quite frank about disliking the routine of of- ficial entertainment, and says that is she had to stey in the White House all the time she would "go crazy"
 Last year she informed the pres- ident' that she had to have an apartment in New York, since their homo on ebth Street was being used. by their eldest son, James Roosevelt.
 The president demurFeA, pelnt- ing out that he had been in New York only once since fin. auguratl0a day, and adding;