Evening star., 1945-01-28
Eric Johnston Warns
Junior Group Against
Psychology Of Fear

ETC "A. johnston, president OF IIle
United States Chamber of Com
merce, warned against a psychology
of fear in the years after the war
in an address last night before about
500 members and guests of the Dis
trict Junior Board of Commerce in
the Presidential Room at the Hotel
Statler.
Mr.. Johnston was introduced by
Mearns Gates, national president of
the Junior Chamber of Commerce,
who also spoke on the aims of his
organization, with particular en-
phasis on aid to returning service
men and in which he outlined the
following points: Community as
similation of the veterans, personnel
training in industry, program of
service to those disabled, the de-
velopment of new Skills and the
creation of jobs.
11th Anniversary of Unit.
The dinner marked the 18th an
niversary of the founding of the
local group. Winfield Weitzel pre-
sided. Also present at the speak
ers table were Roy Bandy, vice
president of the United States
Chamber of Commerce; Lloyd B.
Wilson, president of the Chesa-
peake and Potomac Telephone Co.;
Howard S. Leroy, president of the
District of Columbia Rotary Club;
H. J. Drummer, president of the
American Automobile Association,
and Benjamin NJ McKelway, as
sociate editor of The Star.
E. Barrett Prettyman. president
of the Washington Board of Trade;
Representative Randolph, chairman
of the House District Committee;
Archie M. Boothe, assistant general
manager of the United States
Chamber of Commerce; John G.
Scharf, president of the Washing
ton Kiwanis Club; John j. Car
mody, president of the District Bar
Association; Eugene Meyer, editor
and publisher of the Washington
Post; Sidney F. Taliaferro, presi-
dent of the District of Columbia
Bankers Association and vice presi-
dent of the Riggs National Bank;
District Commissioner John Russell
Young and Jack Morton, president
of the District Junior Group.
Mr.. Johnston cited tendency on
the part of older persons to reject
new ideas and their inclination to
conservatism, but he warned his
listeners against accepting new ideas
simply because they are new, with
out first weighing them for moral
and ethical values.
Calls for Confident Youth.
He pointed to the uncertainty of
the future and said the younger
members of the community should
be encouraged to take chances and
to retain confidence in this country.
America and defeat were not
made to rhyme" he said.
Speaking of world trade, he re-
minded his audience that at least
two of our Allies in this war do not
believe in our concept of democracy
and free enterprise. At this point
in the prosecution of the last war
We knew what we were heading for,
he declared, and had a fairly clear
idea of what was to follow the
close of hostilities.
He then enumerated a number
of, things which were exclusively on
the import list until "the catas-
trophic spectacle of the present
World War awakened our produc-
tive ingenuity"
He compared our undeveloped
natural resources in sparsely set
tied parts of the country with the
resources of heavily populated Eu-
rope and India and added that
while we have no further geo.
graphic frontiers we have many
economic frontiers yet to be broken
down and tanned