JANUARY 10, 1944
WASHINGTON, Sunday—I reached Washington again on Friday morning, entertained a distinguished group of educators at lunch, caught up partially on my mail, and entertained part of the White House office staff at tea. I kept several appointments during the afternoon. One was with Dr. Isaiah Bowman, and I found it particularly interesting and pleasant. It is a joy to talk to someone who really clarifies your thinking because he, himself, is so clear. Whether you agree with him or not, you know why his thinking led him to certain conclusions.
Mrs. Grenville Emmet and Mrs. June Hamilton Rhodes arrived in the afternoon, also my niece, Miss Amy Roosevelt, with a friend from Swarthmore, and Lieutenant and Mrs. James Lanigan. Lieutenant Lanigan is just back from months spent aboard ship in the South Atlantic. This is the first chance I have had to meet his wife since they were married a short time before he left. He has a few days' leave and then will go to school in Miami for a while.
When one realizes how many young people are going through this experience, one wonders at the flexibility and the power of adjustment shown by youth today. I was brought up on the theory that the first few months of married life were always difficult, and much depended on how two people learned to live and work together in those first weeks. But now there is no time for a quiet adjustment, and I think it is remarkable to see how many young people are carrying on with courage and cheerfulness under such trying circumstances.
From Great Britain, I have just received the first volume of the second series of war pictures painted by British artists.
This one is done of women with an introduction by Laura Knight. The actual paintings must be most interesting, as they show the women at work in the war effort. It certainly is a remarkable and varied record.
My husband and I were deeply distressed yesterday to hear of Mrs. Herbert Hoover's death. I have had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Hoover a number of times in connection with the work of the Girl Scouts, and one cannot live in this house without gaining some knowledge of one's predecessors. Mrs. Hoover must have been a wonderful woman, and I am sure that her loss will be felt not only by her own family, but by a wide circle of friends and co-workers.