Evening star., 1941-08-31

HYDE PARK, N. Y, Aug. 90
FolloWtng is an official transcript
OF President RooseUelts informal
remarks today to members OF the
Roosevelt Home Club:
Members of the Home Club: You
know, I don't know whether I like
being called a landlord. l say this,
though, that I have to be landlord
and if he has to be tenant, would
rather have Moses as tenant than
any man I ever have known. But
Just think of it-he has not cut
down the trees; he has not burned
up the house, and the fields are in
better condition than the day he
came, and, incidentally, what is very,
very important, from my point OF
view, all the time that Moses has
been here, he has never given me a
headache.
I am aWfully glad to see you all
again, and it occurs to me that
this is not so much the 18th ami
versary of the club. as it is the third
meeting of ours since this world
has been convulsed with all kinds
of dangers and they are not over
yet, and it is very possible that they
may be even more serious at this
moment than they were at the end
of August and the beginning of Sep
tember, 1893.
American Scene of Peace.
And yet, here we are in this scene
that is essentially a scene of peace,
living almost normal lives. A scene
that I suppose could be duplicated,
not the home-club part Of it, but
the fact of the gathering, the fact
of the general picture of the coun-
tryside, could probably be duplicated
in 10000 communities in the United
States. On a million farms, with
good roads going past them, just
like this somewhat overburdened
road out there.
In other words it is a natural,
normal American scene of peace,
and in community we are mighty
proud of, but always with the
thought that there are tens of thou
sands of other communities, that
the people living in them are equally
proud of, where in any Of the COM
Notwithstanding our own-if we
think back-what?-50 years. can
do that-some of you can, too-we
look back and think of the changes
that have occurred through peace
full processes in that half-century.
Think of the improvements, not
merely the physical improvements,
but the whole of the standard OF
life. the way it has improved in this
past so years. Go back and think
about this-right in this town 80
years ago.
50 Years Ago.
Coming over here I saw very
delightful little stone gatehouse for
the new library, with Mr.. John Nc
Shain, who is giving it to the library,
and we were looking at stone walls.
And it reminded mel told him OF
the fact-when I was a boy, we were
able to get plenty of people to re-
lay a stone wall for a dollar rod.
You elder people can remember
that. And a man working pretty
hard not 8 hours, but 10 hours
a day could lay one rod for 81 in
one day. And I remember Henry
Myers came doWn-a lot of you re-
member nim-came down and COM
planned to my father that for Ma
sons it had gotten to such pass
that he had to pay them 81 day.
Think of the conditions of the
roads in this county. I don't mean
that our efficient superintendent OF
highways is referred to, but I NEAR
so years ago. Well, there were cer-
tain periods of the year when ii
was almost worth your life to go out
driving behind pair Of horses
Think of the old lamps in the
houses. Think of all of the other
things which are dead and gone
nowadays.
Much to Be Thankful For.
Compare the life that everybody
lived so years ago with what it Is
today. Well, there were great
many physical objects. We are very
proud of them. Some of them are
quite new. Right up here to the
north is a new high school. W.
are all mighty proud of it. 4
little ways south new grade school
and in the village another grade
school.
There are still some people thai
think that the one room, one teach.
er. little individual schoolhoust
gives the best education in th'
world. Well, it did once, wher
there wasn't any ether kind, but
think all of us are happy in ths
fact that in our town today WI
have as good equipment for thu
education of our children as is pos.
sible to get anywhere in the United
States.
So we have a great deal to b.
thankful for, including the fac
that this is still a peaceful gather
ing-the third time in succession.
| I think all of us pray that mex
wear that-as Moses said-we ma,
have to move into the field h
get enough room-that we will stil
- AAf~ "a say, that