Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-23

pressions every hour. 1t is not easy
to develop sound habits and sound at
titudes in the presence Of many diverse
influences and varied associates. mag
Inc, too, that the modern parent with
his or her ideas regarding vitamins, cod
liver oil and conduct, Is at times an
undesirable associate in the view of
many of our children. Children, like
the sick, respond to what they under
stand. More time In explanation often
leads to less in correction for disobed-
ience My sympathy, too, goes out to the
children whom we have classified as
the handicapped-those who in some
way are different from their fellows and
yet hope to win out in the game OF life.
1t has been shown that these can be
q great social asset to us and that there
is much that can be done to make them
more effective and happier.
Supreme Gift to Humans.
We cannot stop for moment to
argue with those who would dodge the
responsibility of care for established
human life. 1t is the supreme gift to
us humans, and we must preserve 1t at
all times. The wretched frame OF q
little body may have in it the brain
and spirit of Caesar, q Cicero, q Keats,
q Washington, SteinmetZ, q Shelley,
Stevenson or q Roosevelt. It is not
for US TO foretell the potentialities Of o
baby.
My sympathy goes out even more to
those little children whose normal mo-
tivation unguided has brought them
into the domain of the court. II there
Is any field In which the word preven-
ton should outweigh any other one, 1t
IL In this field, even though this pre-
vention goes back to the very basic
structure Of our physical civilization.
We can i'll afford to save expense along
this line.
This then covers in rapid fashion
some of the different grooves into which
the major problems of the conference
fell. Restated they are, the problem OF
how to steady our children against the
high-power impact of new forces which
have developed in our modern civiliZa-
ton.
OF how to protect them physically
| and mentally to the utmost OF our abili-
ties and with the widest possible appli-
cation Of scientific knowledge.
To extend and strengthen those com.
munity forces which stand to the, child
in the place Of many Of the earlier re-
sponsibilities Of home and parents.
To evaluate our school curricula in
the light of rapid changes in our So
cial scheme, expanding their functions
at those points where the modern home
Ia no longer equipped to train children.
At the other end of the line to flnd
ways and means to strengthen the
hands Of parents through education, as
rapidly as possible eQuipping them with
new knowledge concerning children as
1t develops.
Free Time and Free Space.
To discover the machinery by which
the benefits of preventive medicine and
sanitation, of community social and Gull
tural agencies, can be extended TO all
children-in the country as well as the
city-which too often now are enjoyed
by the privileged few.
And In the midst of our growing
eagerness to help lift our children to
higher levels, to guard them against our
own overZealouS programing-to leave
to them sufficiently wide margins OF
free time and free space for the great
and joyous adventure Of growing up as
personalities operating under their own
motive power.
with this all that is now open before
US, we have the challenge Of the future:
We find 1t not only here in the United
States, but also in Porto Rico, where
the conditions for children are de-
plorable, and also in the Philippines.
What are we going to do to take
advantage of the great opportunities
offered by the findings Of this confer
ence? I realize that this Is a zone in
which the art as we'll as the science of
government must be considered. We
have the information, we have large
program. How shall 1t be put into
effect? In the first place, 1t seems TO
me that we must force the problem
back to the spot where the child Is.
This primarily means, and should mean,
the home. Our function should be TO
help parents, not replace them The
accessories which our civilization has
brought for the care, protection and
development of the child, should be
accessories to the home and not sup
plant It, The success of our civilization
has come through the relationship of
the home to children and consequently
to citizenship. In other words, there
must be q decentralization into the
local field of the great mass of the
problems which we have been studying.
There must likewise be decentralization
of the information which we have
gathered so that it will reach every
mother and father, school board, health
officer and legislator in the country.
Hits Vulgar Magazines.
The great need for us to deal with in
this conference is that of getting the
gist Of our discussions back into action
In the lives of children in this country
black and white, yellow and red, rich
and poor, and all that lies between.
Since q child is growing or developing