Saturday, April 11, 2015

Eleanor Roosevelt  and the power of Service.


It is easy to believe that rich children of important families are happier than other children, but Eleanor Roosevelt  learned early in life that this is not always true.

She was born in New York City about a hundred years ago. Her parents were both members of old , well-established families. Her uncle was Theodore Roosevelt, who one day would become President of the United States.

But there was little happiness in Eleanor’s young life. Her father Elliot Roosevelt suffered from alcoholism. As his drinking grew worse, family life became more and more unhappy. Finally, Eleanor’s mother and father separated. When Eleanor was eight years old, her mother died and Eleanor went to live with her grandmother. Two years later, two months before Eleanor’s tenth birthday, her father died.

Five years later Eleanor was sent to school in England. The headmistress of the school, Marie Souvestre , saw that Eleanor was a bright girl with hidden talents. She helped Eleanor learn that she had a quick mind and could be a good student. Eleanor also discovered she was looked up to as a leader by the other girls. 

Marie Souvetre and Eleonor became good friends. They went on vacations together and Eleanor learned she liked travel. She enjoyed meeting new people and learning new things.

When Eleanor returned home she brought with her a new belief in her abilities and the new interests she had discovered.
From childhood, Eleanor had known the suffering of other people. Now she wanted to do something to help.

She believed she would find happiness in being of service in a  very poor section of New York City. A settlement house provides social services to poor people. For example Eleonor taught dancing to the children who had no place else to go and gave them the chance to have fun.

She was shocked to see  the terrible conditions in which many people in big cities were forced to live.
When she was 24 years old, Eleanor Roosevelt was married to her distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Now she took on new responsibilities. She helped her husband as he worked his way through law school, cared for her mother-in-law, and began to raise a family. 

Soon Franklin Roosevelt began career in politics, and the family moved to Washington, D.C. when the Red Cross, helping wounded soldiers who had returned from overseas.

Then tragedy struck once again. Her husband fell ill with polio, a crippling disease common in those days; he lost the use of his legs. His mother wanted him to give up politics and live quietly at his family’s home in Hyde Park, New York. But Eleanor supported Franklin’s desire to go on with his career, encouraging him on his long struggle back to health and on his return to politics.

While Franklin was recovering his strength, Eleanor became more active in public affairs. She gave speeches, taught classes at school for girls, became involved in business, and was soon accepted as an important member of the Democratic Party.

In 1928 Franklin Roosevelt was elected governor of new York. Four years later he was selected President of the United States. The Roosevelts returned to Washington and made the White house their home until Franklin Roosevelt’s death in 1945.

At first Eleanor Roosevelt thought her position as First Lady would keep her from continuing her service to others. But she realized that she had been given a wonderful opportunity. Soon she was giving weekly press conferences, talking on the radio, and writing for the newspapers. Always, she urged citizens and public officials to do more to help those who needed help the most. It was not long before she became one of the most famous women in the world.

After  Franklin Roosevelt ‘s death, President Harry Truman asked Mrs. Roosevelt to serve as a delegate to the United Nations. She played a major role in writing the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
Eleanor Roosevelt worked for the benefit of humanity until her death. She showed how service to others is one of the best ways to have and give happiness.


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