Evening star., 1950-11-18
Whole World Knows
Most About America
Through It's Children
Symbol Is Nearest Point
Of Neutrality Which Cor
Be Reached in Diplomacy
By Dorothy Thompson

By Dorothy Thompson
On December 3, a White House
conference on children is being helc
in Washington on the theme o1
building happy personalities. We
may well question how happy per-
sonalities can be produced in 9
world full of wars and rumors o1
wars and of clashing ideologies
which claim to be working for a
fuller life for mankind on the
other side Of universal strife anc
catastrophe.
Yet the worlds concern for chill
dren is perhaps the nearest point
of neutrality which we can reach
The child still remains universal
symbol of tenderness. love and
hope. Nearly 5000 persons have
I believe, been invited to Washing
ton, some 500 from other coun-
tries, and the event recalls the first
White House, conference. called by
President Theodore Roosevelt in
1909, which eventually resulted in
the foundation of the Federal
Children's Bureau, with which the
names of Julia Lathrop, Grace
Abbott and Katherine, Lenroot
have always been associated.
Stand for Better Lives.
That the United States stands
for better lives and opportunities
for the young. few nations, ever
inimical ones, can sincerely dis
pute. It is testified to by Amer
ican immigrants, most OF whom
sought these shores with the future
of their children in mind. 1t is
confirmed by the vast outpourlng
of funds from this country, Fed
eral and private. after two wars
and during natural catastrophes
where children have been involved
children of any race; children oil
ones most recent enemies.
7 have always wondered why
In trying to explain America to
other nations, we have not made a
closer approach through the child
for the whole world knows per-
haps more about America-ano
knows it more favorably-through
childhood Identification with
American children than in any
other way. The adventures of
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn have,
for example, been shared by chill
dren of every race. color and edu-
cation, and children everywhere
are familiar with the famous
American Indian tales, and the
children's classics, which America
has notably produced. :.
It seems to me. furthermore. that
while we publicize our great IN
dustrial production. our high
standard of living, the impressive
facts about the height of dams
the length of bridges, the number
of automobiles, etc., etc.. we our
selves overlook homelier things IN
which we are unique.
No country in the world has a
public library system comparable
to that of the United States, and
these libraries. both publicly and
privately endowed, exist in the
smallest hamlets as well as the
greatest cities. More than any
where else on earth the book card
especially for children-a
free passport to other worlds
from Greenland's icy mountains
to India's coral strand"
Search for knowledge.
In the children's rooms of New
York's 81 free public libraries
not to mention hundreds OF others
in schools, churches and settle
ments-one sees an aspect and
panorama of New York life more
Impressive, perhaps, and certainly
more moving, than the city's sky
scrapers and brilliant shops. Here
more than in the public schools,
one sees children operating under
their own steam, according to
their own search for beauty. ad-
venture and knowledge. And they
are all sorts of children, with
whom children from far away
would make immediate identif1ca-
tion-Negro children, Chinese
children, children whose faces re-
veal Slavonic or Latin origins, but
all Americans, caught when they
are happy in book magic-demo-
cratic, comfortable and free.
An acquaintance of mine who
has spent large part Of her life
time in the field Of books for
children-and in observing their
reactions to them-has masses OF
pictures from these libraries and
a notion for a film that, it seems
to me, would be a highly export
able product, and one which would
advertise one of the least contro-
versial and most winsome aspects
of our life.
More ideas for presenting Amer
lea to the world should originate
with interested (but unofdciaD
Americans. And the more a for
eigner can identify himself with
an American scene or institution
the more effective the approach
Every parent of the globe can
identify himself or herself with a
child.
(Released By the Bell Syndicate. Inc.)
"a al Up n