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