THE GENERAL SESSION 19 



He knows they are concerned about the kind of country they are 

 building for themselves and their children. 



He knows they are ready to support sound, economical, and imagi- 

 native programs to bring about this kind of America. 



In his natural beauty message, the President summed up the chal- 

 lenge: 



The beauty of our land is a natural resource. Its preservation is 

 linked to the inner prosperity of the human spirit. 



The tradition of our past is equal to today's threat to that beauty. 

 Our land will be attractive tomorrow only if we organize for action 

 and rebuild and reclaim the beauty we inherited. Our stewardship 

 will be judged by the foresight with which we carry out these pro- 

 grams. We must rescue our cities and countryside from blight with 

 the same purpose and vigor with which, in other areas, we moved to 

 save the forests and the soil. 



I suggest that this conference accept this commitment as its theme. 



We propose this sweeping premise not only because of the Presi- 

 dent's vision but because the people in the cities and towns across our 

 land have made it clear that they want a better environment. Now 

 as never before they are ready to work for it. 



In a different sense, beauty is its own justification. As Emerson 

 said "If eyes were made for seeing, beauty is its own excuse for 

 being." 



Most of us would agree. Certainly the President does. His per- 

 sonal concern for natural beauty is real and effective. 



Thus, with his leadership and statement of purpose, we have a clear 

 national goal. 



Our task is to produce specific ideas and come up with solutions 

 that will lead us toward these goals. 



That is why the panel topics we will be considering are not abstrac- 

 tions or exercises in theory. They are hard, real issues. In selecting 

 these issues, three major areas of concern evolved the city, the 

 countryside, and the highways. Under each theme there is a series 

 of panels on specific problems. 



We found that the things that needed the most attention were 

 those close to people physically as well as emotionally. In seeking 

 to translate people's yearning for natural beauty into practical pro- 

 grams, the primary challenge is the environment where most people 

 live and work our cities and the suburbs and countryside around 

 them. 



