Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-08-29
5. Br0wn of Our To,cn'

Mrs. Brown of Our Town-who
may or may not be strictly home
body-often feels futile in a day
and age when so many momentous
problems cloud the horizon.
BY just being Mrs. Brown, how
ever, she has an important role to
play in virtually every issue in
volving public opinion.
So holds Mrs. Bess Rosa, chair
man of the Social Hygiene Commit
tee of the National Congress of
Parents and Teachers, who was here
last week to attend a working con-
ference on social protection ar
ranged by the Social Protection Di-
vision of the Federal Security
Agency. The group which met was
the newly appointed Executive Com
mittee of the FSA's National Wom-
ems Advisory Committee on Social
Protection.
Mrs. Rosa is from Greensboro,
N. c., where she teaches family re-
lationship and child development at
the Woman's College of the Univer-
sity of North Carolina.
She naturally is interested in the
contribution Mrs. Brown can make
to the social protection of young
people-both at the present time,
when there is so much concern over
such problems as juvenile delin-
quency, and in the postwar period
when she fears that our social code
will experience an even greater
strain.
The scope of Mrs. Browns inf1u-
ence isn't restricted, however, to
few fields, Mrs. Rosa contends.
Make Public Opinion.
after ALL" she explained, "she,
make public opinion.
And public opinion is made in
so many ways-over the back fence
as well as through an organization,
for instance. I think few of us
realize how much even a smart
alecky remark-made purely in a
facetious way-may have its in
fuence."
Mrs. Rosa offered rationing as an
example ITO see your friends
good friends-borrowing gasoline
tickets to take vacation and
frankly laughing about it does
something to you," she remarked.
Perhaps it puts you on the spot, she
suggested. You don't know whether
to protest it or not But the chances
are it weakens your determination
- +1 1affer irif
of the law.
Even in the realm of her own
home Mrs. Brown is apt to mini
mize the Importance of her influ-
ence, Mrs. Rosa believes.
Il doubt, for instance, if she real
lies fully that the way her child
visualizes family life depends on
what the youngster experiences in
his or her own home" she COM
mented.
Mrs. Brown may think to her
self: Well, my husband and don't
get along, but one of these days my
child is going to have a happy
home But that" Mrs. Rosa added,
"is not the way it usually turns
out"
Working Can Fit In.
The parent teacher chairman
doesn't take the stand that it's
necessary for mother to remain at
home to be a good home maker.
Especially now when there is such
q; demand for women workers, she
pointed out, mothers are bothered
by a question like this: VIII I do a
better job at home making II I
bring home $50 a week or if I re-
main at home in spite Of the fact
that we could use more income to
good advantage"
II don't condemn the mother who
works" Mrs. Rosa declared. las a
matter of fact" she remarked with
smile, I'm in no position to do
so, for I've worked myself since my
husbands death, when my young
est child was Is months old.
But I think that if a woman
works she must make sure that her
home program is safe and sound for
the children while she's away. If