The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-01-19

means of giving all the children
and youth Of our country, fair
chance for healthy personalities.
First Impression
My first impression as l enter
ed the armory was that the whole
operation was BIG! Indeed, the
Conference program contained a
printed map showing where the
various rooms were located in
which the meetings were to be
held, and how to get there; and it
was a day and half before I Saw
any of, the other 81 delegates
from North Carolina! But the
size of the Conference detracted
only slightly from its effective
ness, and in fact, the realization
that so many were devoting time
and energy to help improve the
welfare of the next generation of
adults was indicative of the opti-
mistic belief that in spite of the
events of this fateful year in
which we were meeting, the result
tant recommendation would have
chance of being put into prac-
tice-and actually, were more
needed. The general atmosphere
that afternoon, and all during the
conference, even after President
Truman's speech which was grave
in content, was one of optimism
and excitement. We were in high
gear most of the time.
AS we gathered in the huge
Conference hall of the armory
that first night and listened to a
high school glee club which pre-
coded the speeches, imagine
there were many who thought of
the two years of preparation that
was being climaxed now with
these busy five days ahead. They
must have thought, too, about the
thousands of people from all over
the country to whom no engraved
invitation had been sent but who
/ nonetheless had helped make the
Conference possible. l. certainly
did. thought especially about our
local meeting in Manteo last Aug
ust which was our part of that
preparation. And when I realized
that it resulted in the formation
of the Dare County Council for
Services to Children and Youth, I
knew that this Midcentury Con-
ference had meaning for US. AL
ready it had stimulated our desire
to work together for the children
of the county. I knew also,
that the report we had sent in
from our August meeting as to
what we were doing for children
and youth in Dare, had not been
lost or buried! For among the doc
uments and booklets that / cart
ed around those five days was one
report which a group of experts
had prepared and which told the
nationwide story of youth servi-
ces. Dare's report along with the
other counties of NC. went to
Washington as our state report
and had been considered in the
writing of the National report.
There were numerous other
booklets which had been sent
prior to the Conference which we
were supposed to digest before the
sessions began. One was a report
from youth itself; another told
what the National organizations
like the Red Cross, American Lee
gion, American Federation of La
bor,~ etc., were doing through
their youth programs, another,
how the federation, state and loo
al governments were serving
youth through social legislation
and agencies, and what they were
planning to do; and finally a very
interesting fact-fnding report,
prepared by an imposing list of
experts in every field of child well
fare. This report gave us up-to-
date information as to what
makes for a healthy personality
in children and what effects diff
ferent aspects of the environment
have on the growing child.
This, then, was the background
for the Conference. This work by
thouands of people all over the
USA and it's territories, includ-
ing Dare County folks, formed
the basis from which we "took
off" December 8, and around
which the program of the next
five days was built.
No one said we had to go to all
the meetings of the Conference.
l twas entirely up to each of US
how much we wanted to get out
If the program that was offered
But in looking over the list of
sessions, doubt if many felt they
would care to miss a single thing!
Brilliant Speakers
We were exposed to great dos
es of information and not little
inspiration during the evening