Evening star., 1960-04-03

4lS NAME lJS6u was HOJ
House Conference on Children
and Youth.
Now it is all over. the words
have been recorded and the
delegates have left. And what,
besides words, does it amount
to?
Certainly the process was as
unwieldy as democracy itself.
President Eisenhower invited
more than 1000 delegates from
throughout the Nation and 73
foreign countries.
Subjects Ranged Widely
In sessions scattered all over
the city they discussed and
voted on subjects ranging from
breast feeding to bicycle riding,
from the minimum wage to
migrant workers.
They voted on such things
as early marriages, accidents,
the gifted child, the military,
sports, divorce, television, plays,
books and concerts, automation,
water supplies, working moth
ers, illegitimacy, the income tax,
unemployment compensation.
religious education. separation
Of church and state, peace and
obscene literature.
1t would be easy to say the
conference added up to nothing
more than words-lofty words,
sober words, silly words. But
that would not be the whole
story, although it is a part.
Inspiration Is Hope
The hope Of the delegates is
that their wordS-coming as
they do from the leading ex-
perts on the problems of youth
will inspire specific legislation
IN the respective city and State
governments and in the Con-
gress.
One of the follow-up jobs is
to be handled by a joint group
called the National Committee
for Children and Youth. 1t will
plan the structure and program
OF the 1870 conference.
Take the long view and you
come up with something like
this: The delegates are in favor
Of social legislation far in ad-
vance Of what the Congress and
the administration are willing
to enact; they picture an Amer
lea in the midst of great social
change and unrest, blighted by
discrimination and heSitant
about facing it's responsibilities
at home.
They see, in Franklin Roose-
velt's phrase, a third of the
Nation still ill-housed, ill-fed.
lll-clothed. And they want
something done about it.
1900 Recomme ndations
Through the more than 500
recommendations on which the
conference voted there runs
the theme of the necessity for
greater Federal action.
In education, in housing. in
Job opportunities and the race
problem. the delegates called
for action-now.
Saying this. you are still
faced with the central uues-
tion: What good did the con-
ference do?
But let one of the delegates
answer that. He is a Puerto
Rican youth from New York
City and he is speaking about
the conference in a hotel room
at night after the end of a long
day of meetings
Il will tell you this" he
said. Il came here interested
IN my particular subject-mi-
nority groups. I think I'd have
say that I probably wasn't as
tolerant or understanding as I
am now.
Conference Made Change
IF you tell me you don't
want your sister to marry a
Negro, I'll listen to you and I
think I'll try to respect your
opinion. Before the conference,
I don't think I felt that way.
What good is it going to do?
Well, again. I've got to be
honest. I really can't say. I
think it's helped me, and, I
hope. others. We all hope, I
guess. that when we go back
home we'll be able to take what
was done here and bring about
the changes that are necessary.
Whether that will happen
or not. well, we'll have to wait
and See."
That is one view, and it
would be- fair to say a pre-
vailing one.
There is another side, per-
haps best expressed by DR.. Will
liam G. Carr. executive secre-
tary Of the National Education
Association.
DR.. Carr, in a speech before