534 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



conservation as a specified subject area eligible for support, have, 

 thus, contributed to the downfall of the educational effort offering 

 the greatest hope for achieving national natural beauty through 

 education. 



This is the antithesis of the kind of conservation effort advocated 

 by panelists and delegates to this session of the conference. Imme- 

 diate steps should be taken to insure the eligibility of conservation 

 education institutes, workshops, and other training programs for 

 Federal support comparable to that available in specified areas under 

 National Science Foundation and U.S. Office of Education adminis- 

 tered programs. Although conservation apparently can be included 

 in programs under geography or certain natural science titles cur- 

 rently receiving support, it is in such programs largely incidental or 

 subservient to the central interest. Conservation should be recog- 

 nized as a subject matter area in these programs, and colleges and 

 universities throughout the land should be encouraged to develop 

 appropriate teacher training programs which give major attention to 

 this subject. 



CHARLES A. DETURK. Citizen interest is well and good; it is the 

 motivating source of better education in the field of beauty, ameni- 

 ties, or quality of designs. Until, however, the universities teach 

 humanities to education majors, engineering majors, and architects 

 and landscape architects, the job cannot be done. Indeed, there is 

 not time allowed for many of these young people to study literature, 

 history, psychology and other subjects which tend toward the "why" 

 of the project rather than the "how." Tragically, most professional 

 courses tend to forbid or deprive our eager students of the privileges 

 of Shakespeare or Plato or Beard or Gibbon in favor of "the new 

 math." As has been said of parks, education is also and more so 

 for people. 



Dr. Lois V. EDINGER. What is the role of education in conserva- 

 tion and preservation of natural beauty? Do we need a nation in 

 which everyone is an expert on conservation, landscape, architecture, 

 city planning, air pollution control, and so on? Not at all. 



What is needed is a nation in which every citizen appreciates his 

 heritage, respects property rights and understands that choices rarely 

 are between absolute good and absolute bad (even in conservation 

 and preservation of beauty), but between conflicting goods which 

 necessitate a value judgment on his part. Hence, education must 

 place primary and central emphasis upon developing an individual's 



