The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-05-02
M!!Mt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Rural Electrification

Rural ElectrificatiOn
have been doing so many things
the last few days, that keep re-
membering happenings which for
got to tell you.
One recent afternoon, In Washing
ton, there was q meeting OF the
workers in the rural electrification
program from all over the country.
had the pleasure of being with them
for few minutes and I mention it
here because, from the beginning,
this program has seemed to me to
be of such general Importance to
the rural people of our nation.
Every time electricity is taken to
some remote spot, it brings new
opportunity to the farmer to tighten
his labors. 1t allows him to accom-
plish more and, therefore, increases
his buying power.
To the woman of the house it
brings relief from back-breaking
toll, better standard in home life,
more time to spend with the chill
dren, and less WEAKNESS at the end
of the day. The men and women
working in this program are funda-
mentally changing our life for the
better.
COVERING GROUND
It seems as though I were cover
ing a good deal of ground these
days. One day I had the pleasure
Of meeting for a few minutes Mr..
Darrell Brown, the young artist who
won a prize offered by Mr.. Isaac
Liberman, president of Arnold Con-
stable company, for painting por-
trait of me in the dress / wore on
Inauguration night. I thought had
never seen him and, since I am not
particularly interested in portraits
myself, I think / must have seemed
a rather unsatisfactory subject.
This, however, is portrait of the
dress. was interested to learn that
I had met Mr.. Brown some years
ago in Iowa, and was glad to be
able to show him the Lincoln por-
trait in the State dining room, which
he liked as much as we do.
We had a number of friends with
us for lunch in the afternoon. I re-
ceived Sonora Najera, wife of the
Mexican ambassador, and Sonora
Avila Camacho, whose husband is
brother of the president of Mexico.
After that, I received the high school
senior class from Staatsburgh, N. Y.
which is the village next to Hyde
Park. They have been very fortu-
nate in having such good weather
and l am sure enjoyed their trip.
The crowds in Washington are
great. II do not remember seeing
so much traffic. I am particularly
glad that the cherry blossoms are
out, so that no one who came hoping
to see them will 60 away disap-
pointed.
The White House has been filled
to capacity with sight-seers during
the visiting hours, and I am sure
this is so with all the public build
ings. Our own young people went
out to Mt. Vernon one day and could
not even get inside the house.
SPRINGTIME
Starting for a speaking engage
ment in Charlotte, N. c., we arrived
in Greensboro, N. c., on time. A
plane sent over by the Charlotte
News Publishing company, which
was sponsoring my lecture, was
waiting on the field. The College
for Women at Greensboro had sent
a few representatives to greet me
with a box of flowers, and the local
radio man was also there with a
microphone so I could say a few
words of greeting before starting on
the other plane for Charlotte.
All this was done very rapidly,
and then we climbed into the small
er plane with a delightful young pi-
lot and reporter from the News,
who acted as one of our hostesses
during the day. We were soon look
ing down on the fields and woods
of North Carolina.
It seemed more like summer than
spring. The flowers were all out
and the dogwood was in full bloom.
Somehow or other, this little" trip
to southern California and then to
North Carolina, seems to have
robbed me of that first feeling Of
spring creeping over the landscape.
There was no sign of spring the
last time I was in Hyde Park and
suddenly, when was back in Wash
ington, everything was out-magno-
las, forsythias, daffodils; every
thing seemed in full bloom over
night Perhaps, when / get back to
Hyde Park in early May, shall get
that first sense of life awakening
again in the trees, fields and
marshes.
AS we came through Virginia in
the morning, one hillside seemed to
me particularly beautiful. The
leaves on the trees were pale green
and soft reddish brown. In be-
tween, some kind of white blossom
glistened and the purple of the Judas