Evening star., 1939-04-26

The tert OF President RooSepelt!
today to the White Hons.
Conference on Children in a De.
nocracy tollo1DS:
1t is, perhaps, because I hap
pened to be born with what may
be called a relative mind" and
because have sought to culti-
vate that kind of thinking for
nearly half a century that 1
think of this conference in the
first instance in terms of the past.
Child Welfare-to use a much
misused term-did not enter into
the public conscience of any ma
ton until about one hundred
years ago. And We know from
reading Dickens and the litera-
ture of his period that the we'll
being of children in those early
days was principally considered
from the viewpoint of schooling
and of crime prevention and the
ending of physical cruelty-all
lnterwoven with the sentiment
tality of the good, the ultra good,
Victorians.
AS time went on some interest
came to be taken in every nation,
but still the activities of those
who sought the bettering of the
younger generation of the mo-
ment viewed the problem before
them as a problem somewhat
apart from the relationship of
the younger generation to the
broader public veal.
Even at the time of the first
children's conference to assemble
IN the White House under the
leadership of President Theodore
Roosevelt in 1909, the conditions
that surrounded child life were
discussed more in terms of child
hfe than in terms of the national
community.
New and Changed Era
Marked by Fourth Conference.
This was true to a very great
extent in the two succeeding
White House conferences, and it
occurs to me that this, the fourth
conference, marks new and
somewhat changed era.
It is still our task to bring tn
bear upon the major problems
OF child life all the wisdom and
understanding that can be dis
titled from compilations of facts.
from the intuitions of common
sense, and from professional skill.
This conference. like the others.
is composed of men and women
having a broad range of ex-
perlence and interest in matters
pertaining to the welfare of chill
dren. 1t is our purpose to review
the obJectives and methods af-
tecting the safety, well-being and
happiness of the younger genera
ton and their preparation for
the responsibilities of citizenship,
But we have gone, one step
further. Definitely we are here
with principal objective of con-
slderlng the relationship between
successful democracy and the
children who form an integral
part of that democracy. We no
longer set them apart from
democracy as if they were a
segregated group. They are as one
with democracy because they are
dependent upon a democracy and
democracy is dependent on them.
Our work will not be concluded
at the end of the day-it will
only have begun. During the
greater part of the coming year
the members of this conference,
representing every State in the
Union and many fields of en-
deavor, will be at work. We shall
be testing our institutions. and
our own convictions and attitudes
of mind as they affect our actions
as parents and as citizens, in
terms of their significance to the
childhood of our Nation.
Mems Liberty Lies
Within Themselves.
In an address on Pan-American
Day, two weeks ago, I said, Men
are not prisoners of fate, but only
prisoners of their own minds.
They have within themselves the
power to become free at any
moment" On April IS, in ad-
dressing the heads of two great
states, stated that refused to
believe that the world is, of
necessity, a prisoner of destiny.
"On the contrary" I said, lit is
clear that the leaders of great
nations have it in their power to
liberate their people from the
disaster that impends. It is
equally clear that in their own
minds and in their own hearts
the peoples themselves desire
that their fears be ended"
In providing for the health and
education of children. for the
formation of their minds and
characters in ways which are in
harmony with the institutions of
a free society, democracy is train
ing its future leaders. The safety
of democracy therefore depends
upon the widespread diffusion of
opportunities for developing
those qualities of mind and char
acter which are essential to lead
ership in our modern age. Fur
ther, democracy is concerned not
only with preparation for lead
ership, but also with preparation
for the discharge of the duties
OF citizenship in the determina-
ton OF general policies and the
selection of those persons who are
to be intrusted with special
duties. Beyond this. democracy
must inculcate In Its children