Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-23

Bv proclamation of President Hoover
Wednesday, May /, is set aside as Chilo
Health day. and on that date the public
is invited to give thought TO all the
problems of childhood. The fashlon OF
marking special days for worthy causes
is not new. 1t was proverb long pc
fore Shakespeare's time. Every dog
has his day." but it is Of modern in
PRODUCTION that even babies ana oloer
children should have equal attention.
Some most recent discoveries In
science. such as the recognition OF the
Importance of vitamins in diets, Wnetner
for children or grown-ups, have seemed
to give a newneSS to the idea OF develop
ing children through proper feeding.
hut yitamins have existed since eternity
began. and it is now declared that the
absence of certain vitamins in the 1000
eaten by clans and other forms OF
lower life. millennia ago. produced TICK
cts in the clans. etc, even oeIore
"clams" became humanized. Let parents
take warning and save their babies from
clam-rickets. 1t is for some such pur-
nose that President Hoover, who Tor
wears has been president OF the enid
Health Society, has now renewed ON
cial Government sanction to the para
mount importance of taking thought
of the sacred obligation upon the cur
rent generation to safeguard and de-
yelop the helpless oncoming race.
X 4
Almost simultaneous with the Presl-
dents proclamation OF Child Health
dav comes the amazing news that Sen
ator James Couzens of Michigan mas
taken the matter SO seriously and SO
noblv that he has given ten millions OF
dollars to commission III DeGrolt "
be devoted to scientific research ano
hospital service and other benefactlonS
for the upbuilding of child lie. Ano
the entire sum, principal as well as IN
terest, must be used within 20 years.
For many years Senator Couzens mas
been closely identified with child well
fare-child hospitals, too-and this Is
not his first million that he has de-
voted to the cause. Upon highest au-
thoritv. it is stated that he had already
given some 100000 for the same
purpose
It is not within the power Of many
to give $15,OO0,000 to childhood, but
somehow this act reminds one of Tur-
ner's famous retort to the lady who pro-
tested at the brilliancy OF his glorious
PAINTED sunsets, declaring that she could
not see such colors in nature: But
don't YOU wish you could, madame?"
y x 4 x
Senator Couzens protests that he is
not actuated by mere sentimentallty
toward babies. Unlike the statement
of old. he has no urge to kiss every
baby he meets, whether at election time
or anv other, but he recognizes the vast
importance of protecting childhood
which is SO helpless and so potent in
its effect upon the world of tomorrow
So he makes it possible to enable sclen-
lists to research and to establish hos
pitfalls and laboratories, to the end that
our children may be healthier, have
their general welfare and happiness
protected and their dietetics, personal
ity and behavior better understood. He
laws special stress upon personality ano
behavior, as mysteries requiring re-
search. and he believes that that is
fundamental, as evidenced by the fact
! that. in the present enormous increase
of crime, the offenders are so largely
aged between 16 and 81 years, whereas
during the six years that he was mayor
of Detroit, the criminals were over SO
years of age.
When asked to what influence he at
tributed the tendency of youth to crime
he replied promptly:
at is largely due to motor cars"
Yet it is we'll known that Senator
Couzens' many millions originated from
his former partnership with Henry
Ford.
Motor cars? Then why not abolish
motor cars? Are not children more
than motor cars? That is an imprac-
ticable suggestion; we must adapt our
selves to present conditions-not the
cries.
He explained that motor cars have
completely changed family life. In for
mer years the family stayed at home
there was nowhere else to go. Now 1t
is easy for the children, as well as par
ents. to drive many miles away from
home on Sundays or any day.
"It's rotten parent" asserts the
Senator, "who declares the child shall
not do such running about, but then
we must study the effect of the new
conditions and adapt our measures and
our thought to the present influences.
We must study recreation and play. We
must recognize the unsocial child and
learn what makes him shun his aSSo-
ciates in play or work. for the unsocial
child may develop most readily into the