EDUCATION 527 



them, how beautiful is the return of nature. I think, if we are going 

 to teach people, we have to be careful that we are not dogmatic, 

 that we are not czars, but that we try to grope toward that intangible 

 thing, that quicksilver thing, which lies somewhere in the human 

 heart. 



LAWRENCE HALPRIN. I say this with some diffidence, but I want to 

 follow up a little bit on what Mr. Tunnard said. I have written 

 it out. 



I note throughout the conference the continuing dichotomy 

 between the feeling that beauty must be equated with natural 

 beauty and that manmade events are inherently ugly. This comes 

 up in all the panels: trees versus masonry and green versus con- 

 crete. But some of the greatest efforts of the spirit of man, after 

 all, are cities, the fountains of Bernini, the sculptures of Michael- 

 angelo, and the Galleria in Milan. After all, everything that man 

 does is natural, because he is a part of nature. And is not our 

 charge that, in an increasingly urbanized society, that Lady Jack- 

 son referred to, we tackle the problem on this level of artistry, as 

 well as nature, on the level of sculpture as well as trees, and great 

 theater as well as flowers? 



Mr. BRANDWEIN. I think it would be my duty to say that, if we 

 have expressed this view, Mr. Halprin, we have not expressed our- 

 selves fully. We think man is natural and his artifacts are often as 

 beautiful as those of nature. We mean to say he should not dese- 

 crate what is already beautiful and he ought to develop standards of 

 beauty and beautify that which is not beautiful; we realize this is 

 a very difficult thing to attain, but we have made a beginning. 



MATTHEW BRENNAN. I want to suggest that we return to reality 

 for just a moment. We must accept the fact that after 30 or 35 years 

 of trying to educate adults in America, through various programs, we 

 have been unsuccessful. There is only one place where we can get to 

 all of the people in America, and that is in the elementary school. 

 Here the children are only ten years from becoming politicians, legis- 

 lators, roadbuilders, engineers, and so on. If we can make some of 

 these children understand man's place in the environment, in ten 

 years we will have the educated public that we strive for. I would 

 suggest that we enlist the aid of the most famous former teacher, 

 President Johnson, to suggest to all the teachers of America that they 

 really hold the key to this whole problem. Even in the enlightened 



