Tap into AllPolitics' archive of TIME articles from the days before the internet. And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom unless the writing be erased.
Children can be angels or devils, depending on the kind of nurturing they receive from others.
They can grow into responsible and contributing members of society, or they can become its dependents, predators and outcasts. The whole society has a stake in their destiny and a duty to help them grow up strong and confident. I never cease to be amazed at how little it takes to turn one into the other. In a land as richly blessed as ours, it is indeed tragic to reflect that for want of a little guidance and encouragement, a child may drop out of school, turn to drugs or crime, or create new life before he or she is mature enough to assume the responsibilities of parenthood. Yet as many as 15 million American youngsters are at risk of falling prey to these or other social scourges of our time.