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

all of the time, not Just when he is at
home or in the school room, we must
think In terms of playmateS, radios.
moving pictures, gangs, books and maya
zines, both good and bad. and all that
the child sees in environment, as part
Of his training process, We have a
foul nest to clean out in our vulgar
degraded marginal magazines, and need
to bring drama and comedy back TO
again serve In the uplift instead Of the
degradations of our civilization.
We need to keep little hands busy, we
need the discipline of accepted regular
tasks. we need to permit our youth to
receive q reward for their own efforts,
but can We not 30 organize that these
little hands can be kept out of the day
to day operations of our industries?
BY q study Of vocational aptitudes
and interests from infancy on we should
the school child by appropriate oppor-
tunities rather than to dull the edge of
youth with the has beens" Of the past.
We adults are full of outworn ideas and
too inclined to think we are equal to
the experts in the fields of education.
The superiority of the foreign worker
to the American in many branches OF
industry, among both men and women,
lies In the fact that they have been
trained from their early years in
manual skills. Vocational training be-
ginning only year or two in advance
Of youths entry into his life'S job Is
like trying to develop q virtuoso with q
correspondence course in music.
Two Agencies ct Work.
America fas become great in its So
cial organization because of two CO.
ordinated operations. One Is that OF
the volunteer agency and the other Is
that OF the Government agency. In the
field Of child care, for decades a whole
series Of volunteer agencies, such as
the churches and welfare organizations
Of all sorts, have been operating. When
these volunteer agencies have tested out
certain procedures and shown the desir-
ability Of giving them a wide spread
they have in the course Of decades and
generations been adopted by the Gov
eminent itself, so that We now have
public schools and teachers, hospitals
and health ofdcerS and a growing num-
Der OF Government services directly fol
the children.
| It seems to me that our greateSt.dan-
ger in trying to carry out the results
Of this conference would be to have
too scattered q program or to centralize
1t too much. It's safety will lie in itG
trial in the small units of the counties
and the States. We must GO back to the
local unit for effective education OF
health or welfare work. We want G
minimum Of national legislation in this
field No one should get the idea that
Uncle Sam Is going to rock the baby
to sleep There Is, though, much that
can be done through wise legislation in
the securing Of Information, in the
keeping of this information up-to-date
and in sending 1t out to all parts of
the country as it Is digested and under
stood. We can, too, provide examples
and give stimulation in the early Pc
RODS of local organization. 1t seems
to me that this conference offers q
challenge to each of US, no matter
where he may live or what he may be
doing, to see that in his community our
findings are understood and acted upon.
think there will come from it an in
creased range of activities for the
schools and in public health. think,
too, that the forces of law will soon
learn to use the expert in a dozen fields
in attempting TO solve the problem of
the child that has preached some stat
utory provision. count 1t q major sin
Of our country that We permit imma-
ture boys and girls to be contaminated
in the Sordid pool Of our confined GRIM
inale.
The proceedings Of the conference
will be published in a series of publ
cations. In order to present in a SIM
ple concise form the outstanding rec
concentrations Of the conference in the
form of statement of the rights OF
the American child, at the final session
Of the conference this morning an in
PRODUCTION of the report to follow was
unanimously adopted. May I ask for
your earnest consideration of every
item of this important and historical
announcement:
Introduction to the Report.
Every American child has the right to
the following services in its develop
ment and protection.
The conference Is mindful OF the
special emphasis needed upon these
services in child health and protection
in Porto Rico, the Philippines and our
other insular possessions.
/. Every child is entitled TO be
understood, and all dealing with him
should be based on the fullest under
standing Of the child.
2. Every prospective mother should
have suitable information, medical
supervision during the prenatal period.
competent care ut confinement. Every
mother should have post-natal medical
supervision for herself and child.
8. Every child should received Pc
riodical health examinations before and
during the school period, including
adolescence, by the family physician