parents must be called to neglected duties.
Compulsory attention to such duties as affect the wards of society,
the children, may be needed for a time. Just as the wise father,
taking the child for a walk, allows him to run free as soon as his
strength and courage permit, so the paternalism of society is relaxed
as soon as its _protegees_ show themselves both able and willing to
do the right thing without its aid or command.

Compulsory school attendance places responsibility for certain care,
vaccination, decent clothing, good food, decent shelter. The thousand
and one ways in which society is now protecting itself are all
educating the newcomers to American ideals. They are all intended to
make efficient, self-sustaining citizens who do not feel the pull of
the law or the bond of outside care. It is the last conflict between
the ideals of individualism and those of the community need,
subordinating the individual preference. Much wisdom and forbearance
will be needed to secure this community ideal, but in that way
evidently lies progress. It behooves the leaders of social effort to
make all their work educational, and thus remove the necessity for a
repetition in the future.

Just as the parent in the home establishes habits while the child's
mind is plastic, so the community stands _in loco parentis_ to the
future citizen, and surrounds him with safeguards while needed.
Knowledge is needed, scientific investigation is fundamental, expert
wisdom is indispensable, costly though it is, being the product of
long research and rare brain power. This is at the service of the
nation for the good of all the people, and it is the surer the wider
the range of experience. For this reason chiefly, greater actual
knowledge and more complete harmonizing of conflicting interests is
necessary. Certain sanitary measures are carried out by the Federal
government as an education to communities, just as communities educate
individuals. Federal effort may be unwisely put forth in certain
cases, investigations of little consequence may be undertaken, but on
the whole a democracy must learn to manage its affairs by making
mistakes. The principle should not be discarded as a result of the
first mistake.

The immediate concern of this chapter is with the leaders of community
movements, the educated, sympathetic, farsighted sociologists,
sanitarians, and economists, whose concern is for the advancement of
mankind. These leaders must have c