The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-10-25

Mrs. Roosevelt
Sees Dark Side
of War Picture
BY Helen Esssry


crlbed a visit TO a West Coast hos
pitsl Her acceptance OF the SUI
fering OF manned fighting mer
seemed TO me both heartless and
shocking.
Today, could not write another
such criticism OF Mrs. Roosevelt
1t isn't that | have changed my
own attitude toward war, its stu.
pidity and tragedy. Or that !
wish to say: Mrs. Roosevelt is the
sort OF First Lady the country
needs for another four years"
II Is that Mrs. Roosevelt has
changed There is a new Eleanor
Roosevelt. a war-sick, heart-sick
Eleanor Roosevelt.
You yourself may have discover.
ed this new Eleanor Roosevelt In
her own newspaper columns. YOU
may hay. listened 10 her on the
air. Iou may have seen her some
where ir train or on a lecture
platform.
glimpseG hsr HAen she held her
srst press conference after her
return from the South Pacific.
recognized her completely when
.ae talked 10 the Red Cross con.
eressional ladies' in the Coolidge
auditorium OF the Library Of Con
sress.
This IeN Eleanor Roosevelt talk
ed OF the war, not in terms OF
generals and guns. She talked in
terms of suffering. frightened boys.
heroes and victims OF our struggle
against the enemy.
Three weeks ago when | men,
toned that fist press conference
glimpse of the new Eleanor Roose.
welt TO several friends, | said,
Mrs. Roosevelt has come back sub
dued and deeply thoughtful. That
old exuberance is gone"
Don't be sentimental" | was
told. She j. just tired A 10000
mile trip is a chore even for her.
She'll be her old confident self
again before you can say Fourth
Term
She isn't her old confident self
again. Humility has taken the
place OF intrepidity The zest for
life that sometimes turned into
rashness and got into the joke
books is gone. The once dauntless
Mrs. Roosevelt is bowed down with
the reality OF what he saw on that
long journey.
The simple, terrible picture she
gave her Coo dye auditorium au-
dience OF courageous young Ameri-
cans, homesick and i'll in hospitals
on far-away islands, And her
stories OF the exhausted Shell
shocked" was the term in the last
war for those stricken in nerves
and mind.
OF one OF the exhausted she
repeated an incident that made
her listeners i'll with horror and
helplessness. A Red Cross girl
worker was sent to help a boy. hud-
died with bent head, in a camp far
from civilization The boy was
sick in mind and heart He had
not spoken for days. The Red
Cross worker hoped she could dis
cover what particular misery was
making him dumb.
You mustn't feel so badly" she
said It's time 10 be happy Soon
you'll be going home
That's it," cried the sits
home His voice was thick with
despair. Il can't go home"
You can't 90 home, Why. home
is the best place in the world"
Don't you see said the boy
I'm not At to go home.'
Not TT to go home. You've
been one Of the bravest men out
here"
II cant 20 home tell you
For FIVE months I've done nothing
but kill. I'm not good enough for
home He covered his face with
his hands. "For five months I've
done nothing but kill"
please, please don't feel that
way. You have had TO kill. Every
body knows you have had to kill:
It was your job. You had to do
it to get that awful war over.
The people at home will under
stand what you have been through
They'll be so glad to have pou
back. They'll not ask what you
did"
Then you don't think they'll find
a change in me-" The sound OF
a little hope was in the boys voice.
Certainly they won't think
you've changed. They'll see
strong, brave man coming back.
Besides they themselves may have
changed a little. Perhaps you'll
go home to different world from
the one you left. II will be world
that will appreciate what you have
done
We have got to do something
about that world" said Mrs. Roose-
welt, solemnly concluding her talk.
I'VE have got to see that the world
these men come back to is worth
the sacrifice they lave made"
] haven't quoted Mrs. Roosevelt
exactly. ] couldn't take notes as
she talked. | was too disturbed.
Her words were better. more real