FOREWORD
SURELY， death is destined to remain among the certain-
ties of life. The new hope for a better world in this time
of war and racial strife is small comfort to a mortal in
an uncertain world. To a child it is nothing.
Albert Camus said that \"Men cannot live without
meaning.\" We would say that of children， too. We go on
to say that \"meaning，\" the answer to \"emptiness，\" is
found beyond the fact of death. As we cannot protect
ourselves from death so we cannot protect children. The
traumatic experiences of life belong to both adulthood
and childhood. Tragedy is the gift to all
What is new in our day is the attention given to
understanding the emotional needs of children. We are
beginning to see children as human beings. Only an
individual psychologically ulainformed could say of a
child who had encountered ~ragedy and who had be-
come silent and passive， \"He is taking it very well. He
never cries.\"
There are occasions for tears， sometimes even in
public--even if we are mature adults.
Mental health， the mental health of us all， child and
adult， is not the denial of tragedy but the frank acknowl-
edgment of it. Better to say to child or adult， \"I could
cry， too，\" rather than， \"There， there， you mustn t cry.\"
Where can one turn in tragedy if no one under-
stands or will admit that there is tragedy? But if tragedy
can be admitted， we shall find our comfort in what we
can mean to each other， and even in the kind of world
that we can build， in the midst of tragedy. We reap
from the depth of our own understanding and the genu-
ineness of our own love. The child who is understood
and loved can himself give understanding and love now
and throughout life.
EARL A. GROLLMAN
1X
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