The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-03-13
COMMENT ON WORLD
EVENTS

National defense must include pres
ervation and improvement of labor
standards, betterment of social Sc
curity protection and maintenance of
civil liberty, organized labor has fre
quently pointed out since the defense
program was begun.
Labor has also emphasized that
national defense must include con-
tinued support of education and health
as essentials to democratic progress.
This point was stressed by Mrs.
Florence Kerr, Assistant Commission
er of the Work Projects Administra-
ton, in speaking to students of Iowa
State College recently.
Defense of America means more
than the training of armies and pro-
duction of ornaments, Mrs. Kerr told
the students. at is more imperative
than ever that we look to the educa-
ton and health of the American peo-
pie, for these are things" she de-
clared, that cannot be delayed or set
aside if we are to keep democracy
efficient and secure"
Too many young people, Mrs. Kerr
said, have been permitted to stagnate
in unwilling idleness. "This," she
added, "We cannot afford in times of
untroubled peace, and we can still less
afford it in this period of emergency
defense preparations. We need the
healthy energies of youth, the ambi-
tions Of youth, the intelligence and the
idealism of youth-and we need all
these at work"
She pointed out that while the de-
fense program is temporary in respect
to the mastering and training of
armies and the production of imple-
ments of war, yet in another respect
it is but a continuation and intensi-
ficaton of activities already in prog
ress. IN illustration of this, she cited
some of the work under her own pro-
gram of the Work Projects Admins
tration.
"Many of the WPA community ser
vices in education, health, research,
recreation, mapping and other lines
of activity are being carried on as di-
rect aids to the defense program, and
most OF our community services are
recognized as having defense values.
The feeding of undernourished child
ren in our school lunch program is
contribution to national defense. So is
our extensive work in first-aid train
ing. But these activities were begun
before our defense emergency existed,
and they will continue after our de-
fense emergency comes to an end.
These internal defenses of our nation
are necessary in normal peace times.
And they will not be abandoned when
our defense emergency is over"
K X
Mrs. Kerr spoke confidently of the
continuance of WPA activities, she
said, because Of her faith in the youth
Of the nation. They are the future
citizens who will have the say-so in
these matters in years to come. 1t will
be increasingly up to them to decide
on community policies and national
policies.
"lf these present efforts to broaden
the opportunities of life for youth
to provide more education, more
health protection, more training and
more jobs-if these efforts are aban-
doned or junked, it will be because
you yourselves are looking the other
way when it happens" she told them.
"If these efforts are continued and
broadened, it will be because you your
selves have put your shoulders to the
wheel and are resolved to go on MAX
ing our America better place for
all young people to live in."