The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-02-06
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BY :, 2. ,........
EIeunor Roosevelt
RURAL PEOPLE
AND RATIONING

RURAL PEOPLE
AND RATIONING
Recently attended a dinner given
by DR.. Louise Stanley of the bureau
of home economics in the depart
ment of agriculture for the MEM
bers Of the conference on extension
services. This conference is a year
ly event and people come to it from
many states. This year some Of
them came from Wyoming and
many midwestern states.
Miss McGeachy of the British en-
bassy spoke on some of the prob
lens confronting rural women in
England. / asked her to tell about
her plan for rationing clothes, since
I was sure that these were the peo-
pie who would really be able to APP
preciate the ingenuity which turns
candlewick bedspreads into fashion
able evening coats.
OF course, their objective in ra-
tioning clothes was to put more
workers into defense industries and
fewer into producing consumer
goods, and to preserve certain ma
terials for vital war needs.
We may find ourselves doing the
same thing. Miss McGeachy's re-
mark, that it was only hardship
on people who had no margin of
supplies in their homes, reminded
me of something said by an Eng
lishwoman, who came to see me a
few days ago. Extra coupons, she
said, were given to people who were
bombed out or lost all their posses
sions in a fire.
However, even with extra coupons
they could not hope to supply them
selves with an adequate amount of
clothing. One pair of shoes, two
dresses, three pairs of stockings,
and one set of underclothes is all
the usual coupon will buy for about
a year. Men are worse off, because
their clothes are sold according to
weight and weigh more than wom-
ems.
I always feel that rural people
are better prepared to meet these
adjustments than urban people, be-
cause in cities it is easier to buy
and very little thought is given to
making up new materials or making
over old garments at home, prac-
tice which still prevails in many
country families.
LATIN-AMERICAN FAIR
In New York city one evening, I
went to very charming dinner,
given before the opening of Macy's
Latin-American fair. Even during
the dinner, the stage was set, for we
were delightfully."- entertained with
music and dancing, performed by
artists from our neighboring repub-
lies.
At the fair, / could not help but
be impressed by the architecture of
the buildings and the charming ar
| rangements of flowers and merchan-
disc. There will be music and dane
ing and food served during this ex-
| hibition. You can buy groceries,
| fruits, and handwork as they come
from these neighbors of ours. Their
designs and skills are also adapted
| to modern needs. Some of the leath-
er work and rugs, and much of the
glass and pottery, make you want
| to furnish house at once.
After I left the fair, I stopped for
minute at a weekly dance given
by Miss Anne Morgan's committee
at the Henry Hudson hotel. Here, a
crowd of boys in uniform, belonging
to both services, were having good
time with some very charming
girls.
On my arrival, they released some
balloons from the balconies and
was told the boys and girls caught
these. In two of them, lucky num-
bers were found, which entitled a
boy and girl to prize. I presented
these prizes, but the boy who found
the lucky number for the girls prize,
| had lost his girl, so we had to send
him scurrying, box in hand, to find
her in the crowd.
CIVILIAN DEFENSE ACTIVITY
/ reached my Office next morning
at nine o'clock and was sorry to
bid good-by to Miss Eloise Dawson,
who has been assistant director of
| civilian defense, in charge of group
activities, under Mayor LaGuardia.
The New York Herald Tribune lent
her for a part-time job, which took
up all her time. She feels she must
return to her job in New York city.
Miss Dawson hopes to be able to
help civilian defense, however, by
working in New York city on some
special assignments for the mayor.
That morning was spent largely
with Dean James Lands at OCD,
though saw two or three members
of the staff. The entire afternoon
was taken up with appointments of
various kinds. Mayor Cain of Ia
coma, WASH, lunched with me and
/ was happy to see him again. !
remembered how much impressed
was by the way in which he was
taking hold Of his job in the hectic
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