A NEW PROJECT The First International Congress of Mental Hygiene MCMXXIV PRIVATELY PRINTED 7VEIT YORK A NEW PROJECT The First International Congress of Mental Hygiene specimen pages of a larger document to be issued later by CLIFFORD WHITTINGHAM BEERS Author of A MIND THAT FOUND ITSELF and, Founder of the mental HYGIENE MOVEMENT MCMXXIV PRIVATELY PRINTED NEW YORK Contributors of Opinions (Listed in the order of their paging} FOREIGN OPINIONS Page Sir Maurice Craig - - - 6 Dr. C. Hubert Bond - - 6 The Hon. Lady Darwin - 7 The Countess of Chichester 7 Dr. E. Farquhar Buzzard 7 Dr. A. Helen Boyle - - 8 Dr. J. B. Lord - - - - 8 Dr. George M. Robertson 9 Miss Evelyn Fox - - - 9 Page Dr. Edwin Goodall - - 9 Dr. James M. Birley - - 10 Dr. G. C. Ferrari - - - 11 Dr. J. Vervaeck - - - 13 Dr. Gustavo Riedel - - 13 Dr. Hans Evensen - - 13 Dr. C. M. Hincks - - 14 Dr. Colin K. Russel - - 15 Dr. Shuzo Kure - - - 15 AMERICAN OPINIONS Page Dr. William H. Welch - 16 Dr. Charles W. Eliot - - 16 Dr. H. S. Cumming - - 17 Dr. Ernest M. Stires - - 17 Dr. Livingston Farrand - 18 Dr. William L. Russell - 18 Dr. Thomas W. Salmon - 19 Dr. Anson P. Stokes - - 20 Dr. W. H. P. Faunce - - 20 Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur - 21 Dr. Frankwood E. Williams 21 Dr. C. Macfie Campbell - 21 Miss Julia C. Lathrop - 22 Mr. Angelo Patri - - - 22 Dr. Frank Billings - - 23 Dr. M. W. Ireland - - 23 Dr. Russell H. Chittenden 24 Dr. W. H. Wilmer - - 24 Mr. F. B. Kirkbride - - 25 Dr. Henry van Dyke - - 25 Page Dr. F. C. Shattuck - - 25 Hon. Gifford Pinchot - - 26 Dr. Mazyek P. Ravenel - 26 Dr. M. C. Winternitz - 27 Mr. Nelson Cunliff - - 27 Dr. M. J. Rosenau - - 28 Prof. Carl C. Brigham - 28 Dr. S. McC. Lindsay - - 28 Dr. Charles H. Frazier - 28 Mr. Howell Wright - - 29 Dr. M. A. Bliss - - - 29 Mr. Robert A. Woods - 30 Dr. Linsly R. Williams - 30 Dr. William F. Snow - - 30 Dr. Bernard Sachs - - 31 Dr. Arthur H. Ruggles - 31 Dr. Charles L. Dana - - 32 Dr. C. Floyd Haviland - 32 Dr. Carlos F. MacDonald 33 Dr. Stephen P. Duggan - 33 Page Mr. Frank J. Osborne - 34 Dr. William A. White - 34 Dr. M. S. Gregory - - 35 Dr. Charles S. Little - - 35 Dr. Philip P. Jacobs - - 35 Dr. Charles B. Davenport 36 Dr. Arnold Gesell - - 36 Mr. Arthur Kellogg - - 36 Mrs. Helen H. Jenkins - 37 Dr. R. H. Paynter, Jr. - 37 Dr. Frederick Peterson - 38 Dr. Herman M. Adler - 38 Mr. J. D. Allen - - - 39 Dr. Ira S. Wile - - - - 39 Dr. D. J. McCarthy - - 40 Dr. F. W. Parsons - - 40 Mr. H. Addington Bruce 40 Dr. George M. Kline - - 41 Dr. Smith Ely Jelliffe - 41 Miss Maud E. Miner - - 41 Dr. Ross McC. Chapman 42 Mrs. George P. Coolidge - 42 Dr. Edward N. Brush - 42 Dr. Sanger Brown - - 43 Dr. John D. McCarthy - 43 Dr. H. W. Mitchell - - 44 Hon. Marcus M. Marks - 44 Mr. Everett G. Hill - - 45 Miss Edna M. Carr - - 45 Mrs. Eleanor C. Slagle - 45 Miss Harriet Bailey - - 46 Mr. Leroy E. Bowman - 46 Dr. Stewart Paton - - 46 Dr. George W. Crile - - 47 Dr. Charles P. Emerson - 47 Dr. Walter E. Fernald - 47 Dr. Lewellys F. Barker - 47 Dr. V. V. Anderson - - 48 Page Mr. Henry James - - - 48 Dr. J. Ramsay Hunt - - 49 Mr. J. Prentice Murphy - 49 Dr. Augusta Scott - - 49 Miss Edith M. Furbush - 49 Dr. William C. Garvin - 50 Dr. I. G. Harris - - - 50 Dr. Thomas H. Haines - 50 Dr. Bernard Glueck - - 51 Dr. Donald B. Armstrong 51 Mr. George R. Bedinger - 51 Dr. Samuel W. Hamilton 52 Dr. George S. Amsden - 52 Dr. William C. Sandy - 53 Dr. Bailey B. Burritt - 53 Dr. Marion E. Kenworthy 53 Miss Esther F. Greene - 54 Mrs. Helen M. Ireland - 54 Mrs. Alfred V. de Forest- 54 Dr. Andrew F. Currier - 54 Mr. Lawson Purdy - - 55 Dr. H. A. Steckel - - - 55 Dr. O. G. Wiedman - - 56 Dr. C.-E. A. Winslow - 56 Dr. Roscoe Pound - - 56 Mr. William J. Hoggson - 56 Dr. Haven Emerson - - 57 Mr. Lyman Beecher Stowe 57 Mr. R. M. Hutchins - - 57 Mr. J. S. Kennedy - - 58 Miss Marguerite A. Wales 58 Dr. A. P. Chronquest - 58 Dr. Lenna L. Meanes - 58 Dr. James R. Angell - - 59 Dr. Walter B. James - - 59 Articles quoted from the "Mental Hygiene Bul- letin" ------ 60 FOREWORD The opinions presented in this document have, for the most part, been contributed by members of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, or by guests who attended the Fourteenth Annual Meeting, held on November 8th, 1923, when the undersigned outlined the general plans for holding in this country, probably in 1925, the First International Congress of Mental Hygiene. This con- sensus therefore represents the opinion of people who, in most instances, have followed the development of mental hygiene work in this country for several years past. A wider expression of opinion, however, is desired since the securing of financial support for a new project depends, in part, upon the amount of moral support given in the beginning by people of vision and public spirit. It is hoped that you may contribute an opinion, reflecting your interest in the projected International Congress of Mental Hygiene. Clifford W. Beers. Office of the Secretary, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, 370 Seventh Avenue, New York City. Status of the International Movement The Organizing Committee, which is to arrange for the International Congress and later for the founding of an Interna- tional Committee to co-ordinate the work of National Committees, Leagues and Councils, already includes representatives from twenty-one countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czecho-Slovakia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Resolution in favor of holding an International Congress of Mental Hygiene, unanimously adopted at the 14th Annual Meeting of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, held at New York on November 8th, 1923 WHEREAS: The Executive Committee of The National Com- mittee for Mental Hygiene has recommended that the members of the organization at its Annual Meeting shall be asked to express approval of the plan for holding the First International Congress of Mental Hygiene in this country as soon as adequate funds for the purpose can be secured by the Organizing Committee of The International Committee for Mental Hygiene, now in process of organization; and WHEREAS : The account of the growth of the international movement and the keen interest now being shown in it by leading physicians and laymen in more than twenty countries, as shown by Mr. Beers in his address today, indicates that an International Congress is not only desirable, but vitally needed in the interests of the mental hygiene movement throughout the wrorld, be it, therefore, RESOLVED: That this National Committee for Mental Hygiene approves heartily the holding of this Congress and the development of plans leading thereto, and pledges the complete co-operation of this organization in the furtherance of such Congress and plans. 5 Sir Maurice Craig, C.B.E., M.D., F.R.C.P., Physician for and Lecturer in Psychological Medicine, Guy's Hospital, London, England "I am glad to hear that you are able to report a very definite move towards an International Congress. I am certain that nothing but good can come of such a conference. From the medical standpoint and also from that of the lay public, you could not have selected a more fortunate time to hold such a meeting. Much of the knowledge that was collected during the war has now been sifted, and the way is prepared for a very real advance in mental hygiene. "Thirty years of work in psychological medicine have proved to me that by prophylactic measures we can hope greatly to lessen the incidence of mental disorder. I feel that if only we used to the full our present knowledge, a very large number of persons could be saved from breaking down. "The proposed Congress would be very helpful in allowing men interested in the subject to meet and discuss measures which would result in a common line of action in their respective countries, while the papers that such a Congress would be able to issue would be of no small value in setting forth the various ways in which the mental hygiene problem should be handled. "I gladly accept the honor you offer me of becoming a mem- ber of the Organizing Committee of The International Committee for Mental Hygiene which is to arrange for the Congress." Dr. C. Hubert Bond, C.B.E., D.Sc., F.R.C.P., Commissioner of the Board of Control, London, England "I greatly appreciate my appointment as a member of the Organizing Committee of The International Committee for Mental Hygiene, and gladly accept. I am strongly in favor of holding the proposed Congress and, if practicable, in 1925. You ask my views as to probable results: Firstly, any movement which by successful organization can get together a really Inter- national Congress is enhanced in status; secondly, such a Congress generates a momentum which accelerates progress; thirdly, the actual inspection by visitors of measures, arrangements and co-or- dination, all in being and in operation-in lieu of merely reading 6 about them-materially helps to eliminate prejudice, and acts as a powerful stimulus to their adoption; and, fourthly and per- haps of still more importance, meeting each other in the flesh instead of on paper, with the renewal of friendships and the making of new acquaintances, creates mutual understanding and unity of purpose which few, if any, difficulties can withstand." The Honorable Lady Darwin, Cambridge, England "I thank you for your letter of October 6th, inviting me to become a member of the Organizing Committee of The Interna- tional Committee for Mental Hygiene. I feel it is a great honor to be included in the list of the members in Great Britain, and I have much pleasure in accepting the invitation. "I hope, if the International Congress can be arranged, that it may be the means of greatly spreading the work you are doing in the field of mental health." The Right Honorable the Countess of Chichester, Stanmer Park, Sussex, England "I gladly accept your invitation to become a member of the Organizing Committee for the First International Congress of Mental Hygiene. I fear that I shall not be of much service to you, but I shall be very interested to hear about it. "Are you doing anything just now on the topic of Industrial Psychology? I want some simple information, as I have to speak to a young lay audience at a school, and think you may have something helpful. Do not trouble to answer unless you can advise, as you must be very busy. "I am so glad that your visit to England has left happy memories. I hope it may be repeated." Dr. E. Farquhar Buzzard, F.R.C.P., Lecturer on Acute Infections and Toxic Conditions of the Nervous System, Royal College of Physicians, London, England "I accept with great pleasure the invitation extended to m to be a member of the Organizing Committee of The Internationa 7 Committee for Mental Hygiene, and I have no hesitation in saying that I believe this international movement will be of the greatest service to all the countries concerned. "The interest in mental hygiene is steadily growing in Great Britain, but it is still young and needs the helping hand of those who are working on similar lines in Canada and the United States." Dr. A. Helen Boyle, Founder of the Lady Chichester Hospital, Hove, England "The International Congress should be of world-wide value, and I think that one cannot overestimate the power that may be generated to aid mental hygiene when the forces in its favor in all the countries are combined." Dr. J. B. Lord, C.B.E., M.B., C.M., Honorary Secretary of The National Council for Mental Hygiene; Medical Superintendent, Horton Mental Hospital, Epsom Downs, England "A movement which is already alive in more than ten countries and spread over four continents can undoubtedly claim to be international, as well as national. The world-wide or international ideal is the highest. It means that the mental hygiene movement is one for the good of mankind without distinction of clime or race, or whether born to live amidst the hustle and contention in great cities, on the plains or mountains, or on ships in the great waterways. Mental hygiene is international in that it is a necessity to all men. Its presence or absence is the determining factor in each man's destiny. About no subject should men of all nations more readily gather together in congress-which means council, fellowship, co-operation-than for the advance- ment of mental hygiene. "Mental hygiene is primarily a matter for the hearth and home. Successfully planted there, it spreads to communities and nations and dominates the psychology of multitudes. The reign of peace throughout the world depends upon the cultivation of mental hygiene. Like individuals, nations have adjustments to make. "A healthy national mentality does not look for war; for are 8 not all wars reactions to buried conflicts? The bringing of these conflicts to the surface, the digestion and disposal of them, is the art of making peace. Thus the spectacle of the coming together of the nations of the earth in close communion on mental hygiene will mark an epoch in the world's history. May it be a fruitful one for the happiness of mankind." Dr. George M. Robertson, M.D., F.R.C.P., Professor of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh ; Medical Superintendent of the Royal Edinburgh Asylum "I have received your letter of October 4th, and shall be pleased to accept the honor of membership in the Organizing Committee of The International Committee for Mental Hygiene. I have to thank you for sending me copies of the 'Mental Hygiene Bulletin,' which gives very useful information as to the details of the movement. "With kind regards and with pleasant recollections of our meetings in London." Miss Evelyn Fox, Hon. Secretary, Central Association for Mental Welfare, London, England "I have great pleasure in accepting the invitation of your Committee to serve on the Organizing Committee of The Inter- national Committee for Mental Hygiene, and am deeply sensible of the honor they have done me by asking me to join them. "I very much hope that I may be able to attend the Inter- national Congress in 1925, and shall be glad to do anything in my power to further its aims." Dr. Edwin Goodall, C.B.E., M.D., F.R.C.P., Medical Super- intendent, Cardiff City Mental Hospital; President of the Medico-Psychological Association of Great Britain and Ireland "I shall be pleased to be a member of the Organizing Com- mittee of The International Committee for Mental Hygiene. "The question of prophylaxis of mental defect and disorder 9 has far too long been neglected. In my opinion, an International Congress, such as is contemplated, will serve a very useful pur- pose in focusing attention on the problems of prevention-atten- tion which now is bestowed mainly upon the care and treatment of developed mental defect and disorder. In connection with prophylaxis goes the matter of prevention of relapse of disorder which has taken place. "Next in importance to the matter of inculcation of enlight- ened views as to the breeding of healthy offspring, comes that of the upbringing and education of the child when bred. This is dealt with more particularly in the Mental Hygiene Bulletin of March, 1923 (Vol. I, No. 3), which you are good enough to send me. Such a Mental Hygiene or Child Guidance Clinic as is therein described, for serving Public Schools, Juvenile Courts, and the general community, of a given district, and for carrying on psychiatric study for the early detection of what is there described as mental mal-adjustment, in my opinion is a most desirable institution. Also most desirable-as is pointed out in the Bulletin-is the training of teachers and of social workers in the elements of psychology and psychiatry. "It was a great pleasure to meet you. I hope you will allow me to congratulate you upon the good work you are doing which I am sure must keep you fully occupied." Dr. James M. Birley, C.B.E., Honorary Secretary, National Council for Mental Hygiene, London, England "I believe an International Congress will give an enormous impetus to the whole movement. Not only will the movement be brought in this way before a much larger public, but the inter- change of opinion between men of different countries, which is only possible by arranging a meeting of this kind, will I am sure be an enormous help to the cause which we all have so keenly at heart." France The interest of The French League for Mental Hygiene and of its chief officials was shown at the meeting held at Paris on May 28th, 1923, when delegates from Belgium, Canada, Den- mark, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain 10 and the United States, conferred with Mr. Beers and adopted a plan for co-operating actively in the organizing of the projected International Congress and in furthering the plan for an Inter- national Committee. Dr. G. C. Ferrari, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Bologna, and Editor of Rivista de Psicologia "I have delayed some time in writing you because I wished to send you the complete list of the members of the Italian Com- mittee to represent Italy at the International Congress of Mental Hygiene. "I wish first to tell you that the idea of the Congress, which was published in my 'Review of Psychology,' in an article by me entitled 'A Great Work of Social Prophylaxis,' was received most favorably in Italy so that I have no doubt that various men of science and standing in Italy will reply enthusiastically to your call by going to America. I think that will greatly augment the spread of the great idea which you have had the merit to develop during the last few years. Further, the assembling of many people animated by the same ideas assists greatly in defining, completing and developing more and more these ideas and making them effective and active. "There are in Europe, and in nearly all the big cities, institu- tions engaged one way or another in combating the evil which you are fighting, but as these institutions have no coherence in their several activities, they gain a minimum of benefit. We keep them, however, as we have no better. If it will be possible to demonstrate in the United States to an assemblage of men the usefulness and necessity of the movement for mental hygiene, as you have organized it, the movement itself will get the greatest benefit. "Therefore, organize this Congress in a way to make it com- plete; that is, attempt to give the members the best possible opportunity to see that which is related to the causes and effects of the movement for mental hygiene in America, and you will have assured a great success for your idea, your country and for that which is of even greater importance, the better future of humanity. 11 "The scientists whom I have invited to make up the Com- mittee to represent Italy at the International Congress have nearly all responded with an enthusiasm that promises much. I have no doubt that Mr. Mussolini, our Premier, would accept the Honorary Presidency of the Italian Committee and perhaps even of The Italian National League for Mental Hygiene, and I feel confident of even something more if you yourself will come to Italy." A second letter from Dr. G. C. Ferrari reads as follows "To the official letter which accompanies this, I add a few words to ask if you have received my letter which I sent you ten or fifteen days after my return here last June, and to ask also if you have received the 'Review of Psychology' with the propaganda article on the International Congress, and what it is necessary to do in connection with it. "I have delayed in sending the names of the Italian members of the Organizing Committee, because I was hoping to publish with them the name of Mussolini as Honorary President, but up to the present, it has been impossible to get an audience with him; first, because Bologna is somewhat distant from Rome and travel is expensive, and, secondly, because each time that I have had an opportunity to go to Rome, Mussolini was either away or on the point of leaving. He is very active. "I am going to prepare for you a complete list of the Italian Committee with all their titles. There are twenty members and they include Senator Leonardo Bianchi of Naples, with myself as Secretary General. "As regards The Italian National League for Mental Hygiene, which is about to be organized, it will have its headquarters at Rome (Via Condotti 33) at the Institute Presidenza et de Assis- tenza Sociale, directed by Professor Ettore Levi, who has been in correspondence with you. "I trust you will succeed in collecting all the money necessary for the Congress and we await you at Naples and at Rome. You can certainly be received by Mussolini and probably by the King of Italy also. My wife and I will go to meet you and Mrs. Beers.'' 12 Dr. J. Vervaeck, President, The Belgian National League for Mental Hygiene, Brussels "I wish to urge that an International Congress of Mental Hygiene be organized as soon as possible. It is indispensable that all countries should come to an agreement as to the aims of mental hygiene and prophylaxis, and as to the best means to be employed for attaining them. Experience in the practice of propaganda for mental hygiene in several countries would be of assistance in other countries where the work is in process of organization." Dr. Gustavo Riedel, President of The Brazilian National League for Mental Hygiene; Director of the Govern- ment Hospital for the Insane, and Director of the Institute for the Prevention of Nervous and Mental Diseases, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil "I have received your very kind letter enclosing the minutes of the meeting that was called to organize The International Committee for Mental Hygiene, and to study the arrangements for the proposed International Congress. I thank you heartily for including my name in that Committee. You who are the devoted pioneer of the mental hygiene movement may count on my endeavors, to the end that my country may co-operate effici- ently in the program laid down. You already know about the organization of the Brazilian National League, the headquarters of which should shortly be moved to a suitable site, probably to one of the buildings of the International Exposition." Dr. Hans Evensen, Director, Gaustad Hospital for Mental Diseases, near Christiania, Norway "I believe that an International Congress will be of con- siderable value to the work taken up by different national leagues. There will always be some variety in the standards of mental care, legislation and economic power of each country. The great lines along which the work has to be done, however, are the same all the world over, and within the common domain the most 13 successful methods and means have to be discussed and settled. We may all learn from each other by exchanging knowledge. As the standard of mental hygiene work in the American States is very high, I feel sure that the representatives of foreign nations present at the Congress will be very glad to grasp the opportunity of making acquaintance with important American institutions, inspection being of much more use for future work than many written papers describing them. "Some problems are only to be solved by co-operation, especially the scientific investigations into the causes of mental disease. I cannot help thinking that sooner or later the craving will be urgent for an international institute for etiological studies on mental diseases, where experienced specialists in richly equipped laboratories can collaborate under mutual control on these most difficult problems, and I know of no country that has better conditions for realizing this idea at some not very distant day than the American States." Dr. C. M. Hincks, Secretary, The Canadian National Com- mittee for Mental Hygiene, Toronto, Canada "As Secretary of The Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene, I wish to express our hearty approval of the holding of an International Congress of Mental Hygiene in 1925. It is our belief that much will be gained by gathering together the leading psychiatrists of the world, and those who are interested in various aspects of mental hygiene, to discuss problems of vital interest. The time has come when we should sum up the valuable lessons that have been learned during recent years, and make these findings available for the mental hygiene movement all over the world. "The holding of an International Congress in 1925 would not only assist those who are engaged in the practical work of mental hygiene, but it would inevitably stimulate a great interest in our humanitarian movement. We would benefit in Canada in many ways, and should be glad to have the opportunity, after the Washington Conference is concluded, of inviting to this country distinguished psychiatrists to address specially arranged meetings. 14 "We are glad to learn that the United States National Com- mittee for Mental Hygiene has approved of the project, and that favorable comment has been received from the representatives of over twenty countries. With such widespread support, the Congress is bound to be a great success." Dr. Colin K. Russel, Chairman, Executive Committee of The Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene "I shall feel highly honoured to be a member of the Organiz- ing Committee of The International Committee for Mental Hygiene. It is a great work you are undertaking. I remember very well being present at its first meeting in New York. You certainly have made wonderful progress since then. If the work of such an organization can be carried to a successful fruition, it may be as great a factor, or even greater, than the League of Nations in bringing war to an end. The psychology of the individual is being looked after, mental hygiene in the community is bearing fruit, but international psychology and mental hygiene is a wonderful conception for the future." Dr. Shuzo Kure, Professor of Psychiatry, Medical Depart- ment, Tokyo Imperial University "I am very glad to accept the honor to become a member of the Organizing Committee of The International Congress of Mental Hygiene, representing Japan. I am confident that the coming Congress will be held very successfully through your ardent endeavors." 15 AMERICAN OPINIONS Dr. William H. Welch, Director, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Balti- more ; President of The National Com- mittee for Mental Hygiene "The project for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene should make an especially strong appeal from the fact that this will be the first such Congress relating to this subject. The organized movement for the preservation of mental health and the prevention of mental disorders is so recent and has acquired such great significance in its possibilities of good that the time has come to give to this movement the inspiration, stimulus and direction along the wisest lines which may confidently be expected from such an international conference as that proposed. The field to be covered by such a Congress, moreover, is one of the greatest importance for human welfare in the present condition of inter- national affairs." Dr. Charles W. Eliot, President Emeritus, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts "Your letter of December 12th received this morning has crossed a note from me to you of the same date in which I expressed doubt about the feasibility of an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. The documents I have received from you this morning satisfy me that an influential International Congress can be held in 1925. "May I suggest that the Committee urge the trustees or managers of Funds and Foundations held for educational and philanthropic purposes that they contribute liberally toward the cost of the proposed International Congress, which will neces- sarily be heavy since many very desirable delegates must travel far to the meetings. "I believe that the same needs which The National Com- mittee for Mental Hygiene has tried to meet in America exist in other countries also, and that no other country has done as much to meet these demands as the United States. At an Inter- 16 national Congress of Mental Hygiene the pioneer work done by the National Committee in this country can be so brought home to the delegates from other countries as to strongly encourage similar efforts in other nations. The actual experience of the American Committee will supply safe guidance elsewhere. Ab International Congress is the best means of giving this help and encouragement, because the personal contact of men of different nationalities who are strongly interested in mental hygiene is much more informing and stimulating than letters or printed matter, and more productive towards effective organization in many lands. "It is much to be wished that the Organizing Committee of The International Committee for Mental Hygiene be provided with money enough to conduct the International Congress liberally, and therefore to give it the widest possible effect. "I will serve on the Organizing Committee for the Inter- national Congress of Mental Hygiene to be held in the United States in 1925." Dr. H. S. Cumming, Surgeon General, Bureau of Public Health Service, Washington, D. C. "I was much interested, at the recent meeting, in the outline of the plans which you presented. I am sure that the proposed International Congress, if properly directed, will result in a great deal of good to the cause of mental hygiene. As far as my official duties will permit, and as far as the limited personnel of this Service will permit, you may be assured of the co-operation of myself personally, and of the Public Health Service, in furthering these plans." Rev. Ernest M. Stires, D.D., Rector of Saint Thomas's Church, New York City "Please accept my thanks for your letter and for giving me an opportunity to express my appreciation of your illuminating and stimulating address. You need offer no apologies for its length. It was important, and constructive, and as I thought it over afterwards it seemed to me that no part of it could have been spared. 17 "Every good physician feels that when he has made an important discovery it is his duty to give it to the world freely and as promptly as possible. It becomes, therefore, the duty of the National Committee to develop its work along international lines as quickly and as generously as may be possible. In such an effort I hope and pray that you may have the prompt co-opera- tion of the great Foundations in our country, which have shown themselves hospitable to enterprises certain to bring great blessing to humanity." Dr. Livingston Farrand, President, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. "I have heard with very great interest of your plan for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. "We have had experience enough in other fields of preventive medicine to know that a successfully conducted Congress is about the best stimulus to public interest yet devised. For that reason alone I would regard the effort as thoroughly worth while. "I believe, however, that from a more fundamental point of view, namely of comparing and clarifying ideas and methods, the time has now arrived when such an international conference is necessary in the mental hygiene field. I trust, therefore, that you will be able to obtain the funds necessary to insure its success and that it can be carried through without undue delay." Dr. William L. Russell, Medical Director, Bloomingdale Hospital, White Plains, N. Y.; for several years Chairman of the Executive Committee, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene "In reply to your request for an expression of opinion regard- ing the proposed International Congress of Mental Hygiene, I beg to say that the project has my warmest approval. There is so much interest in and desire for mental hygiene work throughout the civilized world that it seems to me nothing could be more helpful than the proposed Congress, where an opportunity would be furnished to make articulate and turn into practical accom- plishment this wide-spread interest. In no other country has work in mental hygiene progressed so far as in this. It would be 18 particularly advantageous, therefore, to hold the Congress here so that foreign members could profit by the stimulation and information obtainable by contact with the organization and with the practical accomplishments, which they could observe. The Congress will, of course, be made up of a carefully selected group of persons specially informed and interested in the subject. The result of bringing such a group together could not fail to raise the level of mental hygiene knowledge and activity through- out the world, and should promote mutual understanding and good feeling. The published proceedings could also be of great value as a source of information and guidance. "The effect on mental hygiene in this country should be most favorable. The Congress could be, to a considerable extent, a national conference, as the largest group would be from the different parts of this country. The opportunity for bringing before the public the nature and purpose of mental hygiene should, also, result in a great increase in intelligence concerning the subject, and increasing support and activity in its practical application. I most sincerely hope that the Congress will be held, on a large scale if possible, but whether large or small, I am convinced of its desirability." Dr. Thomas W. Salmon, Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University; President, The American Psychiatric Association; from 1912 to 1922, Medical Di- rector of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene "I believe it would be difficult to conceive of a plan more likely to increase interest in the whole problem of mental health than the proposed International Congress of Mental Hygiene, and I earnestly hope it will be held, and prove a great success. The very fact that interest has been developed in a number of different countries is one that should be capitalized for the benefit of the campaign for the protection of mental health. A Congress in this country will not only contribute to the further development of this interest, but will be a great stimulus to all of those who are engaged in any phase of mental hygiene work, and will provide an opportunity for the formulation of some of our new problems 19 and estimation of the progress that has been made in attacking some old ones." Dr. Anson Phelps Stokes, Secretary of the Phelps Stokes Fund; Formerly Secretary of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut "I believe that equally as important results as those which have come from International Congresses in medicine, public health and other subjects, would follow an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. The result of American experience would thereby be made more effectively available to the public in this country than in any other way, and we would learn much from delegates from all parts of the world who would attend the pro- jected Congress." Dr. W. H. P. Faunce, President of Brown University, Providence, R.I. "I believe that an International Congress of Mental Hygiene would accomplish much for the mental, social and physical health of the world, which has been so dislocated and shattered in the last ten years. We in the college world are just waking up to the importance of the subject. We began years ago our system of physical training for all students admitted to college, and soon found this was not enough. Then we passed on to medical inspection and oversight, and soon found this was not sufficient. Now we are coming to realize that the reason why students fall down in health and in character, why they disappoint the expectations of home and college, is often to be found in those inner conflicts and repressions and disturbances which are so characteristic of adolescence. Thousands of students need not more instruction, not more discipline, not more threatenings or coaxings, but more insight into these mental states, those attitudes toward life, out of which come health or disease, success or failure. "In any such Congress as you propose, I hope there will be large place for consideration of the educational aspects of mental hygiene.'' 20 Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, President, Leland Stanford Jr. University, California "It seems to me that the time is particularly appropriate for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene to be held in this country. I congratulate you upon having brought forward this idea, and trust that you will be able to see that it is carried through on as complete and representative a basis as possible." Dr. Frankwood E. Williams, Medical Director, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, New York City "Problems in mental hygiene, or human behavior-whether they concern our loves and hates, our likes and dislikes, our pre- judices or our enthusiasms, our services or unwillingness to serve, or whether they concern matters of larger social failure in the form of delinquency, dependency, inadequacy, or nervous and mental disease or defect-are not peculiar to any one country. They are common to the life of man everywhere. Men and women, of many professions, in clinic and laboratory throughout the world, are engaged in studying these problems. Their success or failure is a matter of importance. "Much new knowledge of a fundamental sort and much experi- ence in social procedure has been gained. We need to pool this knowledge; to equalize its distribution, that time and energy may not be expended in repetition of research or repetition of error in social planning; to reach if possible a consensus of opinion on certain fundamental matters; to learn where knowledge is yet too incomplete to make possible such agreement; to search out the next steps in the approach to a clearer understanding of the forces which go to make up 'human nature' and to deter- mine human relationships. An International Congress would contribute much to these ends." Dr. C. Macfie Campbell, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard University; Director, Boston Psychopathic Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts "I feel somewhat at sea when asked to discuss international proposals. I have, however, talked recently with some French 21 workers, some Belgian workers, and some British workers. I believe that the same needs that exist in America and that have been tackled by The National Committee for Mental Hygiene exist also in other countries, where much less is being done to meet them. "In other countries, earnest workers may hesitate as to the most judicious steps to be taken in initiating practical work. The only sound basis for a decision can be the results of actual experi- ence, and in this field, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene of America is the organization which can offer the greatest help. It will make a notable contribution to the social organizations of other countries if it puts the results of its experience at their disposal, and thus furnishes a guide to them in this complicated field. I do not think there is a more certain method of giving this help and encouragement than by means of an International Congress. I am, therefore, of the opinion that The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, by means of an International Congress of Mental Hygiene, has a great opportunity for contributing to foreign countries an impulse and direction such as it has given to this country, the full value of which has probably not yet been realized." Miss Julia C. Lathrop, Rockford, Illinois "I congratulate you on the progress which you have already made in the organization of an international movement. The world seems to be willing to meet for conversation at present. That willingness should be encouraged, especially when the sub- ject of a movement as interesting and important as mental hygiene can be made the reason for calling together people of public spirit and human interest from various countries. Best wishes for your success." Mr. Angelo Patri, New York City "I have your letter and report saying that there is to be a great conference on the subject of mental hygiene. It's a great thought, and a wonderful one beside. "It does not seem so long ago that minds were something 22 to whisper about, and minds that were sick were minds to be shunned as though plagued by the devil. Now you come bearing mercy and healing. Surely it is a great stride forward in the life and growth of the people of the world when they meet to consider the health of the mind. Healthy minds are reflectors of all that is good in mankind, and those who teach health to them are furthering the day when righteousness will reign over a world at peace with itself and the Creator. My best wishes are for you." Dr. Frank Billings, Dean, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois "I have read the document prepared by you setting forth the status of the movement for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene, and am impressed with the apparent unanimity of opinion of the many qualified individuals quoted. "In the Middle West, the general public is woefully apathetic, and apparently not interested in mental hygiene. As you probably know, there has been an effort made by small groups of medical and lay people to interest the public in the subject. Among other things, financial means have been insufficient, in spite of well- formulated financial programs that have been attempted. In Illinois we have made some progress, but we are still lacking in the moral support which the community should give in this important work. "If the International Congress of Mental Hygiene takes place, and if it is held in the United States, I hope that the occasion will be used to emphasize to the general public the need of an interest in mental hygiene and particularly in the cause of mental deficiency, with the object of instituting measures of prevention; also that municipalities, counties and states will provide more efficient care and treatment of the mentally deficient and insane." Dr. M. W. Ireland, Surgeon General, United States Army, Washington, D. C. "For the purpose of exchanging ideas and formulating plans, a gathering together of various scientific men who have made a special study of and who have actively engaged in the work of 23 mental hygiene would, in my opinion, be of incalculable value to the world. Nervous and mental diseases, both in time of war and in time of peace, constitute by far the largest class of men with disabilities who have to be rejected from the military establish- ment as unfitted to the service. Certainly from a military stand- point any step which may be taken towards checking the develop- ment of this class of disabilities would be of immense practical importance. In my opinion the international consultation would be of great value to this problem." Dr. Russell H. Chittenden, Formerly Director of the Shef- field Scientific School, Yale University "The growth of the mental hygiene movement during the past few years has demonstrated conclusively that mental hygiene constitutes a field of practical endeavor, full of promise for the prevention and amelioration of mental disorders. I look upon the project of an International Congress of Mental Hygiene, therefore, as a movement to be encouraged in every possible way, since such a Congress will naturally bring together the leading minds in this field of work from all countries, and thus make possible a great advance in our knowledge of causes and conditions leading to mental abnormalities. The keynote, it seems to me, is prevention, and to this end we need fuller knowledge along many allied lines, physiological, psychological and even chemical. There are many problems, which may at first glance seem remote from the main problem, but solution of which might throw light on many obscure points and thus open the way for practical gain of the greatest value. "I hope the time will come when we shall have adequately equipped institutes for research in this field, and an International Congress of Mental Hygiene, attracting as it will the attention of the entire world, may lead to an era of great activity with possibilities of constructive work of the highest practical value." Dr. W. H. Wilmer, Professor of Ophthalmology, George- town University, Washington, D. C. "The idea of the International Congress of Mental Hygiene is an inspiration that will in the end bring about much good; for 24 the crusade for sound minds is one that should appeal to all people. Preventive medicine, which has done so much for the relief of physical diseases, should be extended to the more important and more complex mental ailments with their far-reaching sequelae. In my own work, I find that it is often difficult-sometimes impos- sible-to get good results physically until there has been the proper mental adjustment." Mr. Franklin B. Kirkbride, New York City "You have certainly done an enormous amount of painstaking work, and I cannot see how there could be any difference of opinion in regard to such a project. With every good wish for the success of your efforts." Rev. Henry van Dyke, D.D., Princeton, N. J. "The documents about the proposed International Congress of Mental Hygiene show an awakening and deepening interest in this important subject. "It is proved that men can combine, nationally and inter- nationally, to protect the health of the body. Why not to protect the health of the mind? If you can take care of the wheels of the watch, why not of the mainspring? "Mental and spiritual causes and effects are quite as real as physical. Over-excitement is as bad as over-feeding. Self- control can be taught, and without it there is no use in teaching anything else. Statistics of 'insanity' in different countries do not cover the ground. Outside of the asylums and hospitals and close to them is the fruitful field. Stop the feeders and the dark waters will go down. "Anyone who questions the usefulness of a Congress of expert students from different nations, to confer on the best ways of correcting the modern drift towards insanity, must be himself of slightly unsound mind." Dr. F. C. Shattuck, Professor Emeritus, Clinical Medicine, Harvard University, Cambridge "You certainly are doing a job worth the doing, and it seems to me are doing it well. The development of preventive medicine 25 all along the front is very significant and full of promise for the future. Mental hygiene has been held rather in the reserve, but I am glad it is coming into action, and am in full sympathy with the movement, which I am glad to help in any way in my power." Honorable Gifford Pinchot, Governor of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg "The names of those who are advocating the International Congress of Mental Hygiene are a guarantee of its success, and I wish to express my own favorable opinion of the project. "In Pennsylvania we are making a very definite move forward in the field of mental hygiene. During the last year and a half we have established approximately thirty mental health clinics under the direction of our Mental Health Bureau of the Depart- ment of Welfare, in co-operation with our mental hospitals. "Our most recent adventure is in the prison field. A very remarkable demonstration has been made at our central peni- tentiary at Rockview, which is at once our despair and our hope for improved prison administration. If through this International Congress of Mental Hygiene there can be established the principle that penal institutions should in reality be mental hospitals, and if that idea can be brought home to the people so that they will demand that type of curative administration in their institutions, then the Congress will be enormously worth while. We shall be glad to co-operate to make the Congress a success." Dr. Mazyck P. Ravenel, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Medical Bacteriology, University of Missouri, Columbia "I am heartily in favor of your plan for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. Such a Congress cannot but be an impetus to work concerning mental hygiene in America. I have no doubt that we can make a success of it, as we always have done with our international congresses. "I have become very much interested lately in the mental outlook for America, particularly from the biologic standpoint. This question is, of course, not a new one, but it appears to me 26 to have a particular bearing at the present time, when the people, not only of this country but of the world, are in an unstable mental as well as nervous condition. As far as I can judge, there has never been a time in the world when the question of mental hygiene in its broadest sense needed so much to be put forward to everyone, along sane and conservative lines." Dr. M. C. Winternitz, Dean, The School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut "The universal approval with which the plan for an Inter- national Congress of Mental Hygiene has met is the strongest evidence of the need for such a Congress. It has been a great pleasure to have been privileged to read the many favorable com- ments on the desirability of the meeting which you have so suc- cessfully planned. I could not help thinking, as I went over the material, of a haystack to which someone has put a match. The world obviously was ready for the Congress, otherwise even you could not have kindled such a strong fire. Wherever one goes the interest in mental hygiene is conspicuous. Last year there was a series of lectures devoted to this subject here at Yale, and the size of the audiences was astounding." Mr. Nelson Cunliff, Director of Public Welfare, City of St. Louis, Missouri "I feel that an International Congress of Mental Hygiene would be a great step forward in unifying public opinion on the adoption of modern methods of treating mental disease. "My observations of conditions in the Middle West lead me to believe that there is no comprehension on the part of the public of the various problems incident to the treatment of mental disease, equal to that in Eastern cities. If this is true of this part of the United States, it surely must exist in many of the countries that you are considering inviting to participate in this Congress. I am hopeful that your plan will be adopted, and that in connection with it, a real effort will be made to obtain the greatest possible representation from all of the communities of the United States, as well as from European countries. I should be pleased to be of service in any way that I can in forwarding the work." 27 Dr. M. J. Rosenau, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Harvard Medical School, Boston "An International Congress of Mental Hygiene would serve several useful purposes. I trust that such a gathering will be held and that emphasis will be laid upon the necessity of scientific research in the subject, in order that the work may be directed from a sure foundation." Professor Carl C. Brigham, Psychological Laboratory, Princeton University "I have read with interest the plans for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. Such a meeting would focus atten- tion on this most important movement, and would undoubtedly stimulate further research here and in other countries. I wish particularly that sessions could be held on problems concerning the mental hygiene of childhood, for this is the most fruitful field for preventive work." Dr. Samuel McCune Lindsay, Professor of Social Legislation, Columbia University "While I know altogether too little about the details of the situation and about many things which ought to be taken into consideration in deciding what The National Committee for Mental Hygiene should do in the matter of international organization, in a general way I may say that I still feel, after looking over your interesting report, that the time is ripe to reap the harvest that would come both at home and abroad from a really well- organized international conference. It is a big undertaking if done in the right way, and it ought not to be undertaken unless it can be done in the right way." Dr. Charles H. Frazier, Dean, Medical Department, University of Pennsylvania "It must be a gratification to you to have this overwhelming expression of sympathetic approval of your plans for an Inter- national Congress to discuss the problems of mental hygiene. 28 "No one could question that such a Congress would serve the interests of humanity the world over. Apart from its importance as a medium for the exchange of opinions as they may relate to purely scientific matters, or opinions dealing with the very much larger problem of the relation of mental health to the security of our present civilization, the creation and assemblage of such a Congress as you contemplate would provide a tremendous stimulus to the mental hygiene movement in all countries. As a means of focusing the public's attention upon the importance of mental health to the common weal, the Congress would be of immeasur- able value. How few people, probably only a handful, know that there are as many institutional beds in the country occupied by the mentally sick as by the physically disabled. What more telling figures than those ? Let us have the Congress. Let us join hands in the appeal for such support on the part of individuals and Foundations as may be essential for the furtherance of your plans." Mr. Howell Wright, Executive Secretary, Cleveland Hospital Council, Cleveland, Ohio "By all means go ahead with the idea. Such a Congress at this time will be of great value to the cause." Dr. M. A. Bliss, President, The Missouri Society for Mental Hygiene, St. Louis "The congresses I have attended in other fields have been of great interest and help to me. I feel that the time has come to assemble the leaders in mental hygiene for mutual acquaintance and helpfulness. "Due largely to your personal efforts, America is further advanced in the activity than other countries, but I have no doubt that the suggestions and criticisms of foreign delegates will do much to stimulate and balance us. We shall have many activities to show them, with some measurable results. And all of us-native and foreign-will return to our fields with added zest and with increased knowledge of our chosen work. I earnestly hope the efforts of the Organizing Committee will be successful and that the Congress may be held in 1925." 29 "I have found by experience that there is a peculiar sense of common loyalty among persons around the world who are devoted to causes that are at once humanitarian and scientific. I believe strongly that this sentiment should be developed and utilized by broad and bold measures. The result will be a much more rapid spread and application of social knowledge and skill everywhere. I am convinced, also, that-as a by-product which in the end may be greater than the main product-international fellowship of this vital sort will constitute a potent influence toward world peace. Mental hygiene, on account of the life-and-death import- ance of the subject, together with the combination of novelty and admirably developing technique which it represents, seems especially to call for international consultation and co-operation. And the American organization should clearly be the host of the First International Congress." Mr. Robert A. Woods, South End House, Boston Dr. Linsly R. Williams, Managing Director, National Tuberculosis Association, New York City "I was very much interested in hearing of the project to organize an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. I hope that you will be successful in organizing such a Congress, for judging from our experience in an allied field, an International Congress is not only of the greatest stimulus to the representatives of different countries attending it, but also to the country in which the Congress is held. I feel convinced that the happiness and effectiveness of a very large percentage of our population can be materially aided by the extension and development of the movement for improving mental hygiene. It is for this reason that I am hopeful that you will be able to arrange for an Inter- national Congress, as it will undoubtedly aid in the development of the work." Dr. William F. Snow, General Director, The American Social Hygiene Association, New York City "I regret that attendance at a convention in St. Louis pre- cluded my being present at the recent annual meeting of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene. I have, however, 30 had reports of that meeting and have discussed your plans with you, and wish to say that I am especially interested in the proposed International Congress of Mental Hygiene. "I have attended many international congresses. Several held in this country stand out in my memory as especially im- portant. The International Tuberculosis Congress held in 1908 is one of these; also the International Congress of Hygiene and Demography in 1912, which had, I believe, a great influence on this country as well as other countries. The International Con- gress of School Hygiene held in 1913 was similarly of great value to all nations participating. The Cannes Conference, out of which grew the League of Red Cross Societies, and which was followed by the All-America Conference on Venereal Diseases and other regional international conferences in this field, has been of inestim- able value in stimulating popular understanding of the common interests of nations in combating venereal diseases and of the related problems which are distinctly different for each nation. "Such an International Congress as is now planned in relation to mental hygiene should widen the support of the National Committee and should have very great influence, not only on the health and social welfare of the nations participating, but eventu- ally upon the administrative policies and relationships of those nations toward each other. I sincerely hope that you will succeed in developing the Congress, and that it may be held within the next year or two." Dr. Bernard Sachs, Psychiatrist and Neurologist, Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City "I believe the International Congress that is proposed is an excellent project and is well worthy of our thorough support. I am certain too that the discussions of the Congress will be help- ful in the care of the candidates for insanity both here and abroad." Dr. Arthur H. Ruggles, Superintendent of Butler Hospital, Providence, R. I.; Chairman, Executive Committee, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene "The proposed International Congress of Mental Hygiene appeals to me very much. While I am primarily interested in 31 the development of our movement in this country, I firmly believe that we should take a very broad view of the whole work, and that this country would profit materially in the advancement of its mental hygiene program by an interchange of ideas with men doing similar work in other countries; also that we could definitely give help to them. "From my own contacts while in England and France during the World War, with men dealing with this problem, in my opinion an International Congress of Mental Hygiene would not only serve as the most valuable medium for the interchange of knowledge between those of all countries who are doing the work, but would also be of tremendous value in bringing the importance and scope of our work before the lay public." Dr. Charles L. Dana, Professor of Nervous Diseases, Cornell Medical College, New York City "I heard you give your experience in connection with the effort to establish an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. It seems to me that everything that can be done to foster the cause of mental health is desirable and ought to receive support." Dr. C. Floyd Haviland, Chairman, New York State Hospital Commission, Albany, N. Y. "I regard the movement for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene as one of fundamental social importance. The greatest single obstacle to combat in the field of mental hygiene is widespread lack of knowledge of basic mental hygiene prin- ciples. An International Congress would arouse interest and disseminate information, thus stimulating preventive mental hygiene efforts in all the countries represented. As in physical disease, preventive work in mental disease promises far greater concrete results than curative work. "No social organization can permanently endure unless it be sustained by an intelligent and effective public opinion, which in turn is dependent upon a relatively high average of mental hygiene in a community or country. To insure a reasonably high average of well-balanced mental activity, the principles of mental hygiene 32 must be applied. An International Congress of Mental Hygiene offers a practical means to such an end. I trust, therefore, your efforts to organize such an International Congress will meet with the success they deserve." Dr. Carlos F. MacDonald, Former Chairman of the New York State Hospital Commission "I am heartily in favor of the proposed International Con- gress which, if held, as it undoubtedly will be, will in my opinion give a world-wide impetus to the subject of mental hygiene, the importance of which can scarcely be overestimated, whether viewed from a medical, social, economic, or philanthropic stand- point. "I trust, therefore, that the appeals for financial support for the Congress which you propose to make will be eminently successful. Moreover, if at any time I can be of assistance in furthering the work of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, the founding and successful operations of which are so largely due to your individual efforts, I trust you will not hesitate to command me." Dr. Stephen P. Duggan, Director, The Institute of Inter- national Education, New York City "The wisdom of holding an International Congress of Mental Hygiene appears to me to be self-evident. We have made remark- able progress in the last ten years under the fine leadership of our National Committee. Considerable has been done in Canada, less has been done in other countries, though beginnings have been made in several. So much progress has been made in physical hygiene in the past, we are justified in believing that public attention could be aroused to the great importance of a wiser attitude towards mental hygiene. We are not only foremost in extending a knowledge of the subject, but we are the only country that is so financially situated as to permit such a Congress to be held on a scale in keeping with its importance. I think it is part of our duty to the rest of the world to hold it here and to bear the expense of it. I wish you success in your effort to organize it." 33 Mr. Frank J. Osborne, Executive Secretary, The American Society for the Control of Cancer, New York City "I venture to say that more people learned through the In- ternational Congress of Eugenics of the aims and objects of the eugenics movement than had ever heard of it before. While it is probably true that financial support for the mental hygiene work will come largely from specially interested persons, it is equally true that from having called to their attention the mere fact of the existence of such a National Committee as yours, they will know where to turn for constructive advice for applying such funds as they may wish to devote to the mental hygiene program. "In other words, it matters not how interested a person may be, or how willing to give to a worthy cause, one is absolutely prevented from giving expression to his desires unless he knows where to turn to find an organization through which to act. It seems to me that an International Congress of this kind would do this, as the most immediately important thing, while the influ- ence of the public discussion of mental disease and prevention would have a most salutary effect on legislators, judges, probation officers and others whom you are constantly striving to influence to take a definite stand on the constructive side of this great work." Dr. William A. White, Superintendent, Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington, D. C. "As regards the projected International Congress of Mental Hygiene, I have only commendation for the project and the sincerest desire for its success. I believe it to be admirably con- ceived and opportune. There has been no international medical congress for some years, so far as I know, and surely it is a good many years since there has been a congress that brought together specialists in mental disease. I wish you every sort of success, and think that in pushing this idea through to its successful issue you will be doing a great good for the cause of mental health wherever the influence of the Congress and its constituent societies is felt." 34 Dr. M. S. Gregory, Director, Psychiatric Department, Bellevue Hospital, New York City "I regard the plan proposed for holding an International Congress of Mental Hygiene as of utmost importance. It passes understanding how little attention we pay to our mental welfare, and how greatly we are concerned regarding our much less im- portant physical health. The time is not far distant when we, as a people, are going to realize the truth that the economic ineffi- ciency, misery and suffering due to mental inadequacy are infinitely greater than that which is engendered by our physical diseases and disabilities." Dr. Charles S. Little, Superintendent, Letchworth Village, Thiells, N. Y. "I am heartily in favor of an International Congress of Mental Hygiene, and firmly believe that The National Committee for Mental Hygiene should take active steps to promote this project. A congress of this kind, bringing together as it would men and women earnestly engaged in mental hygiene in their own countries, would bring to us people who have charge of institu- tions, as nothing else could, an opportunity to get in touch with others interested in the same kind of work." Dr. Philip P. Jacobs, Publicity Director, National Tuber- culosis Association, New York City "I am decidedly of the opinion that an International Congress of Mental Hygiene would be one of the most valuable methods imaginable for focusing attention of the public generally, and of the medical profession in particular, upon this vital question. It was my pleasure to join the National Tuberculosis Association staff immediately before the International Congress on Tuber- culosis in 1908, and I therefore have had an opportunity to evaluate the influence of that great gathering. I do not exaggerate when I say that it did more for us in these formative years of our work than any single thing that we could possibly have devised^ The money and work invested in the Congress have been returned to us many, many fold. The mental hygiene movement in this 35 country is not very much further along than we were in the tuberculosis movement in 1908. I believe that a Congress would greatly stimulate your whole movement." Dr. Charles B. Davenport, Director, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of Genetics, Cold Spring Harbor, New York "I am quite convinced that the International Congress which you plan would do a great deal to stimulate an interest in mental hygiene throughout the country. The International Congress of Eugenics held in New York City in 1921 certainly had that effect. That Congress also reacted upon the interest and organization of eugenics in Europe. Meetings of an International Commission of Eugenics were held in 1922 and in 1923 in European coun- tries. They have done much to keep active the interest, and to provide for the next International Congress, which it is expected will be held in Prague." Dr. Arnold Gesell, Director, Yale Psycho-Clinic, New Haven, Connecticut "It seems to me that the projected International Congress of Mental Hygiene is not only feasible, but most timely. Interna- tional medical co-operation has made considerable advance in several directions, and it is highly important that a similar co- operation should be effected in the field of mental health. The proposed International Congress would not only stimulate national and local progress in mental hygiene, but it would bring to the fore the psychiatric and psychological problems which have nothing less than world-wide political and social significance. This splendid project is launched on the tide of the times, and I believe you will find abundance of support." Mr. Arthur Kellogg, Manager, The Survey Graphic and The Survey, New York City "Your plan for an International Congress strikes me as being tremendously worth while. I have been in social work long 36 enough to remember the great stimulus which all of us got from the International Prison Congress and the International Congress on Tuberculosis. The distinguished speakers from abroad added a great deal to the interest and value of the Fiftieth Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Social Work at Washington last June. Mental hygiene is young enough as a social movement to get a great stimulus from such a meeting." Mrs. Helen Hartley Jenkins, President, National Insti- tute of Social Sciences, New York City, and President of The Hartley Corporation "I think the idea of an International Congress, spoken of at the luncheon on November 8th, the right thing for The National Committee for Mental Hygiene to do. We have been so successful with the work here that it seems to me we should give our ex- perience to those on the other side who have not specialized as we have in mental hygiene." Dr. Richard H. Paynter, Jr., Psychologist, Child Guidance Clinic, The Division on Prevention of Delinquency, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, New York City "It seems to me that an International Congress of Mental Hygiene is of inestimable value, in our hope to attain peace and good will. The improvement, elimination and prevention of even the mildest personal mental disorders is a necessary initial step in the development of a moral substitute for war. There is no conceivably better way for the doctrines of mental hygiene to spread abroad, and even at home, than for the people to learn of the universality of its appeal. "At the International Congress there will be a decidedly helpful interplay of knowledge of methods used and problems faced in various lands. Representative humanitarians and scientific workers in the medical and mental sciences would return afterwards with added incentive. The lasting memories of the personal associations made would insure continued and effective co-operation." 37 Dr. Frederick Peterson, Formerly Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York City "I find myself in hearty sympathy with the plan for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene, and you may count upon me for support in your undertaking. I have always felt that the whole people should be imbued with right ideas of both physical and mental health, sound mind and sound body. The principles underlying this general program should be made a feature in education in all grades of the schools. We have been negligent of the physical and even more negligent, if it is possible, of the mental side of development in our children. How far are we from the three fundamental principles on which-according to Ruskin-all schools should be established: 1. Education in Health. 2. Education in Gentleness and Justice. 3. Education in the Way to Live. "None of our public or private schools or colleges apparently has any conception of these three principles. But all three might well be made essential parts of the program. The children have the plastic minds that can be moulded as we desire into the right ways of attaining health of mind and body, and the gentle- ness and justice that would lead to universal peace-the best behavior in community life." Dr. Herman M. Adler, Director, The Institute for Juve- nile Research, Chicago, Illinois "The projected International Congress has my unqualified approval and support. Those of us who are working in mental health know that there can be no more important subject for discussion and international agreement and co-operation. The responses which you yourself received while abroad, and about which you reported at the Annual Meeting of the National Com- mittee on November 8th, indicate clearly that the whole civilized world is now thinking along the lines of mental hygiene, and that there is a tremendous need for preventive and constructive work in mental health. There is nothing I could think of that would do more to further the mental interests of the human race at large at present than an international organization such 38 as you suggest. I think, furthermore, that the opportunity of having the first of such International Congresses held in this country is one which would appeal to the pride of every American citizen." Mr. J. D. Allen, Headmaster, Polytechnic Preparatory Country Day School, Brooklyn, New York "Remembering the Fourth International Congress of School Hygiene with which I had to do, in Buffalo, some years ago, I know the International Congress of Mental Hygiene should be very generally helpful, but I am personally particularly interested in what it ought to do for teachers. I hope you will not only invite but urge teachers in numbers to attend those sessions which bear on our work." Dr. Ira S. Wile, Director of the Children's Health Class, Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City "If there are any problems facing the world as a whole more serious than those requiring attention to mental hygiene, I do not know of them. It appears to me that a pooling of experience, a wise counseling together, and a more or less definite formulation of plans by representatives of the various nations of the world in an International Congress, would be of tremendous importance and benefit to mankind. "Not merely the difficulties that have arisen from the war, but the problems of human life conservation that have been raised by our peace activities, have multiplied the difficulties which future generations will have to meet in protecting the brain power and stability of growing generations. To anticipate crises is an evidence of common sense, and at this time an Inter- national Congress of Mental Hygiene appeals to me as a con- structive effort to organize a common sense of nations, to meet the problems of the day and to begin the development of a pro- gram that may be productive of the mental health of the future. "I sincerely hope that the projected International Congress will be a reality, because I have conviction of the real need for it and believe that it may prove a force, not merely for increasing international amity, but in safeguarding peoples of all nations." 39 Dr. D. J. McCarthy, Neurologist, Philadelphia General and St. Agnes Hospitals, Philadelphia, Pa. "It is my personal opinion and conviction that an Inter- national Congress, if successfully carried out along the lines of the International Congress on Tuberculosis in Washington, as you evidently have in mind, would prove, as did that Congress, of the greatest value to the cause and to the American people." Dr. F. W. Parsons, Superintendent, Buffalo State Hospital, Buffalo, New York "The proposed International Congress will do much for the mental hygiene movement. The good effects will not be limited to the country in which the meeting is held, but will be felt in all countries. The delegates from abroad will attract desirable public attention to this important health movement, and I am sure they themselves will return stimulated, enthused and ready to put forth further efforts." Mr. H. Addington Bruce, Cambridge, Massachusetts "I sincerely hope it will be found feasible to hold an Inter- national Congress, and that out of it will grow a permanent International Committee for Mental Hygiene. "This is a matter that should be of peculiar interest to all Americans, because of the constant inflow to our land of emigrants from the Old World. One of the greatest problems of our Federal immigration service is the elimination of the mentally unfit among these newcomers. If mental hygiene were given the place it should have in the European educational system, that problem of the mentally unfit would soon become less pressing, and the Old World, no less than the New, would be the gainer. "The projected International Congress of Mental Hygiene should further serve to indicate and facilitate a way to inter- national peace of the durable sort longed for by all intelligent mankind. There can be no doubt that mental ill-health is itself a factor in war-making, and that out of lowered morals and les- sened nerve control wars too readily spring. "If it were merely for these two reasons-though many others 40 might be mentioned-the calling of an International Congress to promote the hygiene of the mind would be amply warranted." Dr. George M. Kline, Commissioner, Massachusetts Depart- ment of Mental Disease, Boston "An International Congress of Mental Hygiene will serve a most useful purpose in focusing attention on this most important subject. The incidence of mental disease and mental defect, and the enormous expenditure required to meet the problems associated therewith, make most desirable and important the holding of such a Congress from which would come a program of prevention of mental disease and mental defect which would undoubtedly con- tribute to lessening the size of the problem." Dr. Smith Ely Jelliffe, Neurologist, Post-Graduate Hospital and Medical School, New York City "I had read in my exchanges of your movements in Europe, and was enormously pleased to see mental hygiene being put on the map. An International Congress is always an inspiration, and usually justifies the greatest efforts. The good results are not soon garnered, but they augment with the years, and make a solid background on which a stable structure may be reared. "It is a 'bromide' to reiterate that the only health that an individual or a people may have is its mental health. 'Mens sana in corpore sano' is a much overrated statement. The truth of the matter is the reverse. A healthy body is only attainable through a healthy mind. Who would look to the gladiators of old, or the pugilists of our own times, for our leaders in matters of essential healthfulness? When our minds are bent on socially useful purposes, our bodies become healthy thereby." Miss Maud E. Miner, Secretary, The Girls' Service League of America, New York City "I believe that an International Congress will be of very great value in promoting the cause of mental hygiene and in bringing knowledge of it to a very much larger group of people. I am heartily in sympathy with the plan." 41 Dr. Ross McC. Chapman, Superintendent, The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, Towson, Maryland. "I strongly believe that such an International Congress will, if the plan is carried through, be a great success. One is struck by the infectiousness of the idea, which, spreading over this country as it has in the past decade, finding expression in the founding of a great number of mental hygiene societies the country over, now spreads beyond our borders. To learn that so many countries have begun to take an interest in mental hygiene was a great sur- prise to me. The projected Congress should do much to give impetus to one of the most brilliant movements for the betterment of mankind that the world has seen. If I can be of any help whatever in plans as they materialize, I hope that you will call on me." Mrs. George P. Coolidge, New York City "May I express my deep interest in all the work of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, but especially in the projected International Congress, which was discussed at the Annual Meeting on November 8th? Certainly no greater plan for the good of mankind had ever been formulated, nor a more opportune one in this post-war period. It seems to me of especial value when viewed from the standpoint of immigration, in which this nation is now showing a very genuine, if somewhat belated, interest." Dr. Edward N. Brush, Editor, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Baltimore, Md. "I am very much interested in the proposed International Congress of Mental Hygiene, and sincerely hope the plans for such a gathering can be carried out. Such a Congress will work for the benefit of the whole world. It may be that it will draw to itself and its purposes such attention from the distracted and war-harried people of the world that they will begin to inquire into their own mental status, and turn their attention toward cultivating a state of mind which will tend to bring about peace among men. 42 "We need in this country more than in any other a great variety of viewpoints in respect to mental maladies and their causation, because of the mixed character of our population. In some of our states approximately fifty per cent, of the population of the public state hospitals for mental disorders is of foreign parentage. We cannot study the mental disorders of our Slav population or of our Latin or Germanic patients, as regards many of the factors in their causation, as we can those occurring in the native population of New England, the South, or the West. The things which enter into the mental make-up of the immigrant differ widely from those we have learned about in our native population. "What more important duty confronts us, therefore, than to bring together here in America the wise men in psychiatry, sociology, in criminology, from every land, to help us study our problems at first-hand and to take back with them a better under- standing of those problems, not only as they relate to us, but as they relate to peoples beyond the seas ?" Dr. Sanger Brown, Chairman, The New York State Commission for Mental Defectives, New York City "I listened with great pleasure to your ideas on the projected International Congress. My personal opinion is that this is an excellent thing, and that it should mean a great deal in the way of human welfare and world welfare. It applies in a certain way to many of the big movements that are going on in the world today, not only in public health and in public education, but likewise in economics. "I wish for you every success in forwarding this movement. There is every reason to believe that you will be as effective in this as you have been in The National Committee for Mental Hygiene." Dr. John D. McCarthy, School Physician, DeWitt Clinton High School, New York City "I am very much interested in the projected International Congress of Mental Hygiene, and hope that it may be eminently successful. It is difficult to estimate the good that may come from 43 such a Congress, for I feel that its helpfulness will extend into all civilized countries and will outlive any of us. It should, in part, lead to (1) concentration on problems concerning the cause of certain forms of mental disease; (2) introduction of measures to prevent mental disease; (3) promotion of interest in children and in the mental life of childhood; (4) promotion of interna- tional good-will." Dr. H. W. Mitchell, Superintendent, Warren State Hospi- tal, Warren, Pa.; formerly President of the American Psychiatric Association "I desire to express my hearty approval of the effort in which you are now engaged. Having been familiar with the development in this country of the mental hygiene program since its inception, I now appreciate that it has achieved its record by well formulated plans energetically prosecuted. The success thus far attained is due to the combined efforts of workers from many walks of life. An International Congress will be a natural sequence to previous development. "It is peculiarly fitting at this time that the National Com- mittee should invite its co-workers from other countries for mutual benefit. The exchange of opinions, discussion of methods and enlargement of vision resulting from such a meeting would have a most far-reaching and stimulating effect upon the work in this and other countries. The educational value of such a meeting upon the public mind would alone justify your effort, which I hope may be realized on a scale commensurate with the importance of the subject." Hon. Marcus M. Marks, Formerly President of the Borough of Manhattan, New York City "Mental hygiene is a subject for world-wide study. It affects not one country, but all peoples. The idea of an Interna- tional Congress is excellent. There should be an interchange of information and co-operation in action everywhere to help pre- ventive measures in the development of mental hygiene. I am with you heart and soul in this important endeavor." 44 Mr. Everett G. Hill, Hartford, Connecticut "In my belief it would be a confession of lack of faith in the essential virtue and correctness of the mental hygiene movement, which has grown up in America and spread to other countries under the leadership of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, it would be a repudiation of the great body of sound and progressive men and women who have associated themselves with that movement, not to seize now the opportunity for inter- national organization which seems to be open. It is a day in which we exalt 'the international mind,' which functions regard- less of the division of distance or seas. Here seems an opportunity to center that mind on a common effort for the mental healing of the nations. We should do all in our power to improve it." Miss Edna M. Carr, Editor, The Public Health Nurse, Published by the National Organization for Public Health Nursing, New York City "I believe an International Congress in the interests of mental hygiene should be of very great benefit and a stimulus. It would invest the whole subject, it seems to me, with the dignity and importance which rightly belong to this most vital of public health questions." Mrs. Eleanor Clarke Slagle, Secretary-Treasurer, Ameri- can Occupational Therapy Association, New York City "There can be no question regarding the desirability of the projected International Congress. The opportunity which such a Congress will present for not only formal but informal discussion regarding problems of mutual interest will be of enormous value. "May I add my appreciation of being invited to the luncheon meeting of the National Committee on November 8th, and to thank you particularly for the delightful way in which you pre- sented the details of your European visit last summer. The fact that you are willing to use your personal experiences, in presenting the subject of mental hygiene, carries weight that presentation in any other way could not possibly carry.'' 45 Miss Harriet Bailey, Instructor, Nurses Training School, Bellevue Hospital, New York City "I am heartily in accord with your plans for an International Congress. During the months I was in Geneva, Switzerland, gathering information about nursing in all the countries enrolled in the League of Red Cross Societies, I was tremendously impressed with the need of each of those countries for just such organization as our National Committee for Mental Hygiene represents, to arouse interest and help to establish standards. Knowing the need, I most heartily endorse your plan of action." Mr. Leroy E. Bowman, Instructor of Sociology-Extension Teaching, Columbia University, New York City "I think it is immensely valuable to get other nations thinking about this most serious problem, and mutually to help each other. I am, therefore, heartily in favor of the proposed International Congress and can see where it would be not only stimulating and inspiring, but actually add to our fund of knowledge and help us in attacking behavior problems. It is a bold and striking conception, decidedly worth while." Dr. Stewart Paton, Lecturer in Neuro-Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, N. J. "A great deal of good could doubtless be accomplished by bringing together representatives from the different nations interested in the subject of mental hygiene. If the Congress is well organized and is a success, much can be accomplished to indicate successful lines of attack upon a great many of the serious problems that are causing us anxiety today. Take, as an illustration of what might be accomplished in this direction, a special section to discuss the peace problem. Peace can only come as the result of education. The kind of education needed to secure peace is mental hygiene. A Mental Hygiene Congress might accomplish a good many of the objects that the various Peace Congresses have failed to bring about. "Mental hygiene assists us to distinguish between peace- ful and belligerent tendencies, and it suggests the ways and means 46 for strengthening the former and controlling the latter. Peace without good mental hygiene is a dream impossible of realization." Dr. George W. Crile, Professor of Surgery, Western Re- serve University, Cleveland, Ohio "I am heartily in favor of the proposed Congress, and I trust that the plans may be carried through without hindrance. Such a conference cannot fail to be of very great value." Dr. Charles P. Emerson, Dean, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis. "It certainly is a great step forward. I congratulate you, and wish you every success in pushing it." Dr. Walter E. Fernald, Superintendent, Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded, Waverley; Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Deficiency of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene "I believe that the holding of such an International Congress as is proposed would be most desirable and opportune. It would enormously stimulate all the fields of mental hygiene both in this country and abroad." Dr. Lewellys F. Barker, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Johns Hopkins University; From 1911 to 1919, President of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene "I am in hearty sympathy with your plan for the arrange- ment of an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. I believe that if some of the leading representatives of the mental hygiene movement from various countries could get together around a table they could formulate plans for an international movement that would be very helpful. Such an international conference should also act as a further stimulus to international activities. There are many topics that could well be discussed at such an international conference. Two of the more important would seem to me to be the relation of immigration to mental hygiene 47 and the desirability of provision for instruction in mental hygiene in the schools of preventive medicine in all parts of the world." Dr. V. V. Anderson, Director, Division on Prevention of Delinquency, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene "In this country we shall learn much from the foreign dele- gates who will attend an International Congress of Mental Hy- giene. On the other hand, I believe we have valuable informa- tion to impart, especially with reference to the recently developed method of attacking those problems of childhood which later lead to social failure, juvenile delinquency, adult crime and mental disorder. Through the Child Guidance Clinics, which the National Committee is establishing in many of the larger cities in this country, under a plan financed by the Commonwealth Fund, it is now possible to strike at the very root of the problem of prevention. This work will, without doubt, be of great inter- est to those who attend the International Congress." Mr. Henry James, New York City "What was explained at the annual luncheon meeting of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene the other day about the project for an International Congress impressed me and in- terested me very much. The National Committee in this country has long since established its usefulness, and earned the respect of the public; and it has learned a great deal about ways and means of working. In other countries there seem to be small nuclei of individuals of whom the same thing may be said, although in a smaller way. Really, the matters with which these different groups are dealing are essentially the same and world-wide in character. "The time has surely come when a certain amount of organi- zation for mutual encouragement, exchange of experience, and publicity, will be helpful and stimulating all around. Judging by what little I know, I can hardly imagine any next step as being more logical than this attempt to organize a really first-rate International Congress, and I cannot resist writing this letter to tell you so as I had no opportunity of speaking to you after the luncheon." 48 Dr. J. Ramsay Hunt, New York City "I am heartily in favor of the proposed International Con- gress of Mental Hygiene. The mental hygiene movement has been of such great value in this country, in stimulating the public interest and improving the conditions of patients suffering from mental disorders, that an enlargement of the idea in terms of international co-operation could only be of the greatest value." Mr. J. Prentice Murphy, Executive Secretary The Children's Bureau of Philadelphia. "The idea of an International Congress of Mental Hygiene appeals to me very strongly. In view of the fact that some of the most fundamental expressions of thought in the field of mental hygiene have come from scientific men in countries outside of the United States, it would be of immense value to have an Inter- national Congress which would bring all the schools of thought and all the fields of experience in mental hygiene together in one great series of meetings. This is all part of a fundamental educa- tional program that goes back to the training of parents and through them to the wise training and understanding of chil- dren. There is nothing more important than this." Dr. Augusta Scott, Psychiatrist, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York City "It was my privilege to be present at the luncheon meeting of the National Committee held on November 8th, and I was sur- prised to learn how much has actually been accomplished in organizing the international movement. It is indeed gratifying that plans are being made for an International Congress in the near future. It is difficult to imagine the great benefits that may be expected to come from such a conference. The undertaking deserves very general support, and there is no question of the co- operation of everyone who is interested in mental hygiene." Miss Edith M. Furbush, Director, Department of Informa- tion and Statistics, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene "An International Congress of Mental Hygiene would, in my opinion, make possible the interchange of information concerning 49 the various problems in the field of mental hygiene. This would be especially true, if a sub-committee on international informa- tion were appointed well in advance of the Congress to formulate plans. This Committee could consider statistics and nomencla- ture especially with a view to determining what is available and what is needed, in order that information from each nation might later be available to all the others." Dr. William C. Garvin, Medical Superintendent, Kings Park State Hospital, Kings Park, N. Y. "I am heartily in favor of the projected International Con- gress, especially if the program is prepared along preventive lines. I find there is a widespread interest among the general public as to what may be done in the establishment of good mental hygiene, both as regards individuals and in social groups. "I believe strongly that the problem should be begun in childhood before set mental habits and attitudes are developed. Of course, this does not mean that hygiene of the adolescent and the adult should not be considered, but emphasis should be laid on mental hygiene in early life. I think the Congress would be of tremendous benefit to everyone, not only those interested in the subject, but also to the general public." Dr. I. G. Harris, Superintendent, Brooklyn State Hospital, Brooklyn, N. Y. "I wish to say that a Congress would be a most excellent way to get together all the views of all the different countries, and thus crystallize these various opinions and as far as possible apply the same to the betterment of mankind. The proper study of mental hygiene and its wise application will be of the greatest benefit to mankind." Dr. Thomas H. Haines, Director, Division on Mental Deficiency, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, New York City "An International Congress of Mental Hygiene in the present stage of human development will perform a unique service in making available to each national group the best achievements and applications in every other such group. 50 "In all parts of the civilized world rather notable achieve- ments have recently been made in preventing mental disorder, as well as in improving the methods of treatment and in speeding up the processes of recovery. Every national group is concerned with the activities of every other national group in its endeavors directed toward the recovery of the mentally ill, toward the pre- vention of mental illness, toward adequate training of mentally de- fective persons and toward eugenic improvement of its stock. Men- tal health is, in short, an international interest of the first order." Dr. Bernard Glueck, Director, Bureau of Children's Guidance, New York City "The central theme of the feasibility of holding an Inter- national Congress of Mental Hygiene ought to bring out favor- able responses from everyone interested in this problem, not only because of the specific mental hygiene issues that such a Congress could discuss, but of the very promising broader effects which such a coming together might bring about. I am, of course, par- ticularly interested in the real need for a more consistent applica- tion of methods for dealing with behavior problems, and I really feel that the time has arrived when the American workers in this field could tell something distinctly worth while to foreign dele- gates. I sincerely hope you will be entirely successful in your efforts to organize this Congress." Dr. Donald B. Armstrong, Executive Officer, National Health Council, New York City "I remember very clearly previous conferences and conversa- tions on the subject of an International Congress of Mental Hy- giene, and have for a long time been convinced that it represents a most important project. I earnestly hope you will meet with great success in developing the plan and in financing the inter- national movement." Mr. George R. Bedinger, Executive Director, Public Charities Association of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. "Such an International Congress might be of untold benefit to the cause of mental hygiene throughout the world. The 51 analogy of the International Tuberculosis Congress naturally comes to mind. As a result of that Congress, organized educa- tional work was begun all over the country; so that now, after fifteen years, we find an enormous reduction in the death rate from tuberculosis and an ever increasing emphasis upon the pro- motion of health and the prevention of diseases. "Would not an International Congress of Mental Hygiene, if properly organized and directed, result in the crystallization of the enormous interest in the subject? Would it not also be likely to have the practical results which would lead to an active campaign everywhere for the prevention of mental diseases? This would mean careful study and treatment of our whole school population and as many children of pre-school age as could be reached." Dr. Samuel W. Hamilton, Formerly Director, Division of Hospital Service, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, New York City "An International Congress of Mental Hygiene will prob- ably stimulate interest in problems of treatment as well as in preventive measures. One might wish that it were to be held in a progressive European country so that American hospital administrators might get the benefit of seeing some of the ad- mirable institutions there. If the Congress is held in this country one may hope that some of the foreign participants will develop an exhibit of plans and pictures of European hospitals, and that they will also speak frankly of the ways in which patients are cared for in Europe better than here. I think such a Congress can be made very helpful to American mental hospitals.'' Dr. George S. Amsden, First Assistant Physician Bloomingdale Hospital, White Plains, N. Y. "Without any question, the plan which you have proposed is of the utmost importance. It might look forward to having usefulness far beyond what can be within reason claimed for it. The National Committee for Mental Hygiene has demonstrated so much of value that can be put into practical application, and has been so useful in stimulating allied interests, that it would 52 seem to me only necessary to point to this splendid achievement in order to enlist interest in the plan. I trust that you will be as successful in this as you have been with the National Com- mittee." Dr. William C. Sandy, Director, Bureau of Mental Health, Department of Public Welfare, Harrisburg, Pa. "The proposed International Congress of Mental Hygiene deserves every encouragement and support. Such a Congress would not only have definitely beneficial results in this country in the further spread of the principles of mental hygiene, but should also accomplish much in explaining and removing the present day international misunderstandings and bickerings. In this time of unrest, dissatisfaction and suspicion, it would seem especially opportune to have an International Congress of those who are accustomed to analyzing the causative factors and apply- ing the remedies to various kinds of maladjustment. I shall be glad to assist you in every way possible in the further develop- ment of your plans." Dr. Bailey B. Burritt, General Director, The Association for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor, New York City "From what little I know about the mental hygiene move- ment, I should think that a sufficient foundation in real work begun had been made to warrant the stimulation which an Inter- national Congress would undoubtedly bring to the whole move- ment in this and other countries. The Congress itself, if carried out with a comprehensive and statesman-like program, ought to, and I believe would, lay the foundation for a new development in the mental hygiene field." Da. Marion E. Kenworthy, Bureau of Children's Guidance, New' York City "Please accept my hearty congratulations for the very inter- esting and stirring talk which you gave at the luncheon group on November 8th. Everyone that I have discussed it with is most enthusiastic about the projected plan for an International Con- 53 gress. I feel that all who are interested in furthering the mental hygiene movement, toward which you have contributed such real service, will be more than happy to give whatever aid they can in lending their support and furnishing any help that is needed." Miss Esther F. Greene, Executive Secretary, The Rhode Island Society for Mental Hygiene, Providence, R. I. "The proposed International Congress seems to me a project of the utmost value. It will not only forward the cause throughout the world, but will stimulate interest which will result in more widespread support of our national and local organizations." Mrs. Helen M. Ireland, Executive Secretary, The Con- necticut Society for Mental Hygiene, New Haven "During the talk with us in New Haven of Mrs. Gardberg of Helsingfors, Finland, she told in detail of the adequate hos- pitalization and the scientific and humanitarian care given to cases of mental disability in her country. Her account was an eye-opener to many of us, and so definitely outlined were the methods of procedure that we have already given publicity to some of her ideas. Since Mrs. Gardberg's visit must be an indi- cation of what an International Congress would help accomplish, I most heartily endorse the project." Mrs. Alfred V. de Forest, Stratford, Connecticut "The proposed International Congress should be of great value as an instrument, not only for interesting other countries in the subject of mental hygiene, but for drawing the attention of the people of our own country to the important position of the subject in the life of any community. In other words, such a Congress, if carried out successfully and on a sufficiently impressive scale (as of course it would be), is a most valuable form of advertise- ment.'' Dr. Andrew F. Currier, Editor of the Health Department, New York Sun and Globe, New York City "Mental hygiene means so much to a community and a nation, it really is not strange that the ideas and aims of the 54 National Committee should be acceptable and sympathetically received by so many in this country and elsewhere whose in- tellectual leadership is unquestioned. It is but a logical step from the national to the international phase of the organization. The success you have had in extending the work to other lands has established the great importance of the root idea and the value of the propaganda which has been used. "The International Congress which has been proposed should be of great significance in bringing together all who are interested in this important matter, crystallizing their efforts and welding them into one strong homogeneous mass. If I can be of any assistance in furthering your plans for the Congress, I shall be very glad to give such assistance, for the more I think about what is implied in mental hygiene, the more I am impressed with its tremendous importance." Mr. Lawson Purdy, General Director, Charity Organization Society, New York City "Your address was most inspiring and carried conviction. Such an International Congress as you propose would stimulate and inform National Committees for Mental Hygiene now in existence. It would help to strengthen them and doubtless lead to the formation of national committees in countries in which there is no organized effort for mental hygiene." Dr. H. A. Steckel, Senior Assistant Physician Kings Park Hospital, Brooklyn, N. Y. "I was intensely interested in the outline of your plans for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene. Since 1911, in the capacity of medical officer in hospitals for the treatment of mental disorder in this as well as other States, I have been quite intimately in touch with mental hygiene problems, and have watched with interest the activities of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene. "I believe that the work of the latter organization has, more than any other one factor, been responsible for the very noticeable improvement in the institutional care and treatment of mental disease, and that, as a result of the efforts of this Committee, the 55 principles of mental hygiene are becoming ever increasingly and with more understanding utilized in the solution of the social prob- lems of the nation. "If an International Congress should be the means of in- itiating a program in other countries similar to that of The Na- tional Committee for Mental Hygiene in the United States, and I see no reason why it should not, then no effort should be spared to make such a Congress a success. You have my best wishes in the furtherance of your excellent and worthy plans." Dr. O. G. Wiedman, Medical Director, The Connecticut Society of Mental Hygiene, New Haven "I am of the opinion that the projected International Con- gress is of the utmost importance to the future welfare of the world." Dr. C.-E. A. Winslow, Professor of Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven "I have been greatly interested in your report on the inter- national mental hygiene movement. It seems to me that you have made out a quite unanswerable case in favor of the plan for an International Congress. I earnestly hope that you will find it possible to carry this project through to completion." Dr. Roscoe Pound, Dean, Law School, Harvard University, Cambridge "I am hardly competent to express an opinion upon such a matter, but the project for an International Congress of Mental Hygiene appeals to me strongly. Certainly the matter is of much more importance than many others for which such congresses have been summoned, and with respect to which they have achieved important results. I wish you good luck in your under- taking." Mr. William J. Hoggson, Greenwich, Connecticut "An International Congress of Mental Hygiene would be a most effective way to stimulate interest in the subject of mental 56 health. I feel sure that such a Congress would return many times its cost in labor and expense to the work, and result in great advantage internationally." Dr. Haven Emerson, Professor of Public Health Adminis- tration and Preventive Medicine, Columbia University "The artificial barriers to mutual understanding, interchange of scientific fact and the opinions of students in the medical pro- fessions, have been so great since 1914 that we are all of us suffer- ing from the danger of isolation of spirit, confusion of aims and controversy as to results. In no field of preventive medicine is the need of conference greater than in the youngest, the most fundamental and the most promising of campaigns, that for health of character, strength of mind, richness and purity of emotions. "We, the physicians and health workers of the United States, owe it to ourselves, for our own sakes, to ask for the opportunity of association, if only for a week, with the men and women of other lands who are passing through experiences and trials which have tested science and its contribution to human service as in a furnace." Mr. Lyman Beecher Stowe, Garden City, N. Y. "I was very much impressed with the intelligent planning of your projected International Congress of Mental Hygiene. I thought your plan for holding meetings in various cities, fol- lowing the Congress, especially interesting. It seems to me that such a series of meetings as you propose would not only effectively stimulate and generally advance the cause of mental health, but would be of incidental aid to other causes such as the international peace movement." Mr. Robert Maynard Hutchins, Secretary, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut "I can think of nothing which would contribute more to the spread of knowledge concerning mental hygiene than your pro- jected International Congress. The attendant effect upon re- lations among the countries represented is obvious enough. It seems to me that if this thing can be put across, it will rightly 57 be regarded as evidence of the unusual success of the work you have been doing for so many years." Mr. J. S. Kennedy, Chairman, State Commission of Prisons of New York "I am heartily in favor of the projected International Congress, and I believe the National Committee is proceeding along proper lines in promoting the idea. I want to congratulate you upon the splendid personal work you have done with a view to making this much-desired Congress a reality." Miss Marguerite A. Wales, General Director of Nurses, Henry Street Settlement, New York City "I feel that an International Congress would be a great for- ward step in the splendid work that has progressed so rapidly in the short time that mental hygiene has been a vital part of public health work. I am convinced that the stimulation that must in- evitably result from such an International Congress is bound to be of far-reaching importance in the development of mental hygiene." The Late Dr. A. P. Chronquest, Senior Surgeon and Medical Officer in Charge, United States Veterans Bureau, New York City "I personally feel that the projected International Congress, such as you have in mind, is one most worthy of the cause. Its magnitude is so far-reaching that I dare not attempt to cover it in its usefulness to the population as a whole. The mental hygiene movement, relatively very young, is now, as you have said, just beginning to dawn upon the minds of many of our more seriously thinking citizens. The work that has been ac- complished to date is a distinct manifestation of its usefulness." Dr. Lenna L. Meanes, Medical Director, The Women's Foundation for Health, New York City "We are all tremendously interested in the work of The Na- tional Committee for Mental Hygiene, and stand ready to be of service whenever and wherever possible. When the time comes, we trust we may help make the International Congress a success." 58 Dr. James R. Angell, President, Yale University New Haven, Connecticut "Your description of the general plan for holding an Inter- national Congress of Mental Hygiene and the various opinions set forth in the document forwarded to me recently, leave me with the feeling that such a Congress would be of great signifi- cance, and would unquestionably produce important results in the field of mental hygiene in all countries. "Years of contact with students in various universities con- vince me that one of the most important developments in the near future will be the supplying of mental hygiene advice to all undergraduates who may need it, from the time of entrance until graduation. "To train minds without at the same time protecting the mental health of their possessors is self-evidently not the right thing to do. An International Congress with its attendant publicity will bring home to educators and to the general public in a most convincing way the need for mental hygiene in the schools, colleges and universities." Dr. Walter B. James, formerly President, New York Academy of Medicine; President, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene, 1919-23. "The whole world needs a new and better point of view, and can obtain it only by changing and bettering its mental balance. An International Congress of Mental Hygiene will do more than anything else to bring this about. Today is the psychological moment and America is the psychological spot for the carrying out of this most promising project, in the interests of all peoples." 59 International Mental Hygiene (Two articles quoted from the "Mental Hygiene Bulletin" of The National Committee for Mental Hygiene.) Article I, published in January, 1923 Comparatively few seem to realize that the mental hygiene movement is already international in scope. National Com- mittees are at work in the United States, Canada, and South Africa. There are Leagues for Mental Hygiene in France and Belgium. During the past year in Great Britain a National Council for Mental Hygiene has been organized, and the forerun- ner of a National Committee in Australia has taken form as a Section on Mental Hygiene of the Australian Public Health Association. Plans for organizing a National League, or Council, or Committee, are under way in Italy, Spain and Brazil, and the situation is such in a number of other countries, among them Holland, Denmark, and Norway, that similar agencies can and no doubt will be established within the coming year. The spread of the movement to other countries has been a natural one. From 1909 to 1918 there was but one national organization, the (U. S.) National Committee. In 1918, through the activities of Dr. C. M. Hincks, of Toronto, the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene was established. About a year later-February 4, 1919-a plan for establishing an Inter- national Committee for Mental Hygiene was adopted at a meeting held in New York at the home of Dr. Walter B. James. It was upon the initiative of Mr. Clifford W. Beers, author of A Mind That Found Itself and founder of the mental hygiene movement, that this plan was proposed at that time. Some of those present felt that the international activities could be left to take care of themselves. Others believed that it was essential to have an International Committee to co-ordinate the work of existing or- ganizations, to help organize other national mental hygiene agencies, and later to serve as a clearing-house for information for all affiliated societies and for individuals in all countries. The latter view prevailed, with the result that today the Inter- national Committee awaits only an appropriate occasion for its formal founding. That will come when the First International 60 Congress on Mental Hygiene is held. If the present plan is carried out, which is one way of saying "if funds for the purpose are obtained," the Congress mentioned will be held in the United States in 1925. An important meeting of the Organizing Committee of the International Committee was held at the Yale Club in New York, December 11, 1922. Delegates from Canada, Belgium, Brazil, and the United States were present, as were a number of guests, including leaders in other fields of health work. The speakers at this meeting were: Dr. Stephen P. Duggan, presiding; Dr. C. K. Clarke, Medical Director of the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene; Mr. Manuel Muniz, representing Dr. Gustavo Riedel of Rio de Janeiro; Dr. August Ley, Founder of the Belgian National League for Mental Hygiene; Mr. John J. Carty, Vice- President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company; and Mr. Clifford W. Beers, Secretary of the (U. S.) National Com- mittee for Mental Hygiene. Dr. Clarke and Dr. Ley emphasized the need for holding an International Congress and completing the organization of the International Committee. Mr. Muniz spoke in behalf of Dr. Riedel of Rio de Janeiro, one of the leading psychiatrists of South America, who, while in New York recently, had offered to co- operate actively in the international work. Mr. Carty urged that efforts be made to stimulate and finance research in the field of mental hygiene and psychiatry. Mr. Beers outlined the growth of the international movement, told about plans for a Congress, and described some of the functions of the projected International Committee. Co-operating with the Organizing Committee of the Inter- national Committee is a group of advisers who will be called upon to assist in perfecting plans and program. Already over thirty leaders in various fields have agreed to serve. This group will be added to from time to time and a list of its members will be announced later. Article II, published in October, 1923 Plans are taking shape, under the direction of an Organizing Committee, of which Mr. Clifford W. Beers, Secretary of the Nation- al Committee for Mental Hygiene, is General Secretary, for an 61 International Congress of Mental Hygiene and related subjects, to be held in the United States probably in 1925. The plan for the First International Congress of Mental Hygiene and the founding of an International Committee have been under dis- cussion for some time. These projects lately received added impetus through a visit that Mr. Beers made during the past summer to France, Belgium, and England, where, in the order named, national mental hygiene societies have been established during recent years. Keen interest was found in these countries in the projected International Congress and the plan for a permanent International Committee or League, through which leaders in mental hygiene in all parts of the world might keep in contact with one another and exchange information helpful to all during the periods be- tween international conferences. Through arrangements made by the French League in co-op- eration with the Organizing Committee, which now includes repre- sentatives of twenty-one nations, delegates from ten countries met at Paris, May 28, and conferred with Mr. Beers. As a result of this meeting general plans for the Congress were agreed upon and active co-operation was promised. Representatives from Italy, Spain, Hungary, Denmark, and Norway agreed to make moves looking toward the founding of national leagues in their respective countries in time for participation in the World Congress. Since this meeting psychiatrists in Germany, Sweden, and Japan have accepted membership in the Organizing Committee and will assume the task of forming national mental hygiene organizations in their countries as rapidly as opportunity offers. The Secre- tary of the French League, which stimulated interest in the international movement through a meeting held in Paris in June, 1922, will assist Mr. Beers in establishing contact with other psychiatrists in Europe. r In Paris on May 29, a meeting was held in the Grand Amphi- theatre of the Sorbonne, under the auspices of the French League, Mr. Beers being the guest of honor. This was perhaps the largest mental hygiene meeting ever held. The Amphitheatre, which has a seating capacity of 3,800, was filled, and about 2,000 were, of necessity, turned away. Dr. August Ley of Brussels introduced Mr. Beers with a brief account of the mental hygiene movement 62 and Mr. Beers's unique place in it, and also interpreted his ad- dress. Mr. Beers was elected an honorary member of the British National Council for Mental Hygiene and addressed a large public meeting under the auspices of that organization while in London. He spoke at the annual banquet of the British Medico-Psycholog- ical Association, described the movement and plans for an Inter- national Congress at a drawing-room meeting at the home of Sir Maurice Craig, spoke to groups at Cambridge and Oxford, and later broadcasted a talk in the interests of the British Na- tional Council. While abroad, Mr. Beers discussed the international movement with a number of leading men and women, among them being King Albert, Cardinal Mercier, M. Clemenceau, Ambassador Herrick, M. Paul Strauss, Dr. Vervaeck, Dr. Ley, Dr. Christian- sen, Dr. Ferrari, Dr. Toulouse, Dr. Antheaume, the Countess of Chichester, Viscountess Astor, Lord Burnham, the Honorable Lady Darwin, Sir Courtauld Thomson, Sir Frederick Mott, Dr. E. Far- quhar Buzzard, Dr. Hubert Bond, Dr. A. Helen Boyle, Sir Maurice Craig, and Sir Eric Geddes. 63