Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-09

SECRETARY RAY
children. We've contracted our living
space-from prairies and plains and
plantations and farms to city lots with
bandbox houses, and squeezed from
bandbox houses to ptllbox apartments.
Children need space. what's happen.
ing to them in this -cramping?
Homemade entertainment, the spell
ing bee and the church social, candy
pulls and charades, hay rides and all
the things most Of US grew up with
homely, unsophisticated, II you will, but
calling something out Of ourselves-in-
itiative, give and take-have given way
motor, yes, and the radio-the same as
our one-time homemade clothes now
are mostly store bought. And that's
doing something to children. Isn't It
time, asked the President, that some
body finds out the why and what and
the how Of these things that concern
us so deeply-more deeply even than we
know?
The frst call to lay the ground work
Of the conference was to a experts,
who gathered In washington In July,
1SEN-GAUGIt0 1A1tSEG 6tS0 IA Viz " oAAhAAABs
protection, education, physical and
mental care and study Of. children.
Paths Of Procedure Charted.
They charted paths Of procedure. But
the original group was not enough. The
job was too big-others were called IN
until l,20O were at work. 200 actual
committee members, working all over
this country like q hive Of bees, gather
Ing the honey Of knCwledge-eofne Of
them In scientific laboratories, some In
school rooms, some In the human labo-
ratories Of the home. They have knocked
on front and back doors, In cities, small
towns, far Of In rural districts. asked
questions, questions that mothers felt
no one else in the world could possibly
be interested In. But, some one else
was. Right here in washington. How
much milk the 3 or year old drinks,
does he feed himself, has he been exc
amined by the doctor, how often - he
spanked? All Of these questions and
the answers pleced together are making
I'D q picture Of American childhood--a
physical picture, q mental and social.
and We hope, In some measure Q spirit
ual picture.
It was one Of the wisest Of philoso-
pliers who said, Know thyseh." We
Things have happened too fast to make
that possible. The White House con-
ference IL going TO make self-knowledge,
knowledge Of ourselves, our national life
IS reflected In our children, more nearly
possible than 1t has eyer been before.
This conference Is one OF the most
stirring things that has ever happened
IN this country. The conference begins
wednesday, November 10. and iasts
through Saturday, November a.. II win
not be an open conference--that Is, Il d
BY invitaticn--since II is for final dis
cussion Of the year OF work Of the exc
But It viii be, In sense, the peoples
conference In that there win be ma
ttona1 hook-up for the ,President's
speech on the opening night Of the con-
ference, and when the conference q
over shall have the pleasure Of giving
out again through the radio Q summary
OF what has happened in the sessions.
Now let me tell you o little about
how this conference has gone to work:
There was n the first place the PLAN
ming committee. just laying the
big job In itself-you know how hard
It Is 70 understand one child or make
him stand stiil long enough to ind out
something about him. Imagine trying
to get a line on forty-f1ve million!
There's their health, how they grow,
what influences their health and their
growth. So one eection-section l.
was given over TO the medical service.
with three committees composed Of
medical men and women and other
scientists divided into innumernble SUBJ
committees and sub-subconnmittees.
There was their health protection
- Akw, haMs
they are protected against communal
cable disease, how the sanitation Of
their communities Is looked after, how
the milk they drink u produced and
controlled. That formed section IL
wide Range o. Subjects Covered.
There was education and training in the
home, in the school and through various
outside agencies. This takes In very
wide range OF subjects and touches chill
dren Of all ages. It studies the kind
Of home the child lives In and what ID
to that home, how his home
life Is affected by industry, what home
activities are passing over into the
community, what recreation facilities
are provided for him. what kind OF
what needs the youth Or
CARNATIONS al In his life. Section III
was devoted to these subjects under
the general heading Of education and
And Section w TO the big subject OF
the handicapped-the physically, men
tally and socially MISUNDERSTANDING
ing the dependent, and neglected and
the delinquent, not only how TO main
tain and protect the handicapped. but
o study Of the causes Of handicaps.
When say that the committees COM
HassR masHfaoAm FVaAAn
up Of twelve hundred members. that
means members Of ofIacial committees.
Besides that there have been unnum-
bered committees not registered, with
literally hundreds Of thousands Of work
ers scattered all over this country. 1t
has been, It Is, In every sense OF the
word, o peoples conference, and the
findings Of the experts win return TO
the people Of the Nation. win niter
out al over this country. we hope, IN
the next few years until little by little
deaths, Of needless accidents, Of men.
tai misfits, unnecessary poverty, OF the
square pegs that industry has 70 try
20 flt into round holes, will little by
little begin to diminish and disappear.
Parents will begin 10 understand their
children better, be better trained for
their Jobs because the scientific knowi.
edge and fruits Of experiments which
have been locked up In laboratories and
nie indexes viii be made widely
available.
Practically all that we know about
children from all the angles that We
can assemble IL win be brought together
and put through sieve In this bic
conference. It win be sifted, sorted. and
given back 10 those WIN have the prac-
teal everyday dealing with children,
mothers, fathers, teachers. doctors
nurses, dentists. play leaders. scout cap
tains, camp eCunseiiogs--AM up and
down tia line.
But how much eood the sifting does,
yearseto make Alze results oz fhia eQl1-
ference tell IN the betterment % chil-