Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-09-16
ARE WI BETTER OR WORSE?

One who scans the field OF public &C.
currences. through the aid OF no other
instrument than the journals that make
a feature OF the publication Of crimes,
scandals, and horrors, would be par
doned for forming the opinion that the
world is about as corrupt as II was i'm
medlately before the great flood. But
Notwithstanding appearances. many
sincerely hold that we are growing bet
ter from time to time, as civilization
progresses. They hold that crime forms
but very small part Of national life,
though this part is unduly emphasized
by certain class OF journals. They
assert that the readers who reyel in the
details Of divorce suits or scandals In
high society or In the disclosures Of the
folbles and folles Of private life are
not half so numerous as may be mag
ined. The great body Of the Amerl-
can people lead decent lives and have
a serious purpose in life. They know
that vice exists but they do not want
It constantly Haunted In their faces by
newspapers. They do not care to intro
duce in their homes journals which pre-
sent the seamy side Of life IN vulgar
detail and thus are not 1T for the per-
usal Of boys and girls,
1t is a curious fact that morallsts OF
each age find their resi- ective genera
tons about totally corrupt. The pic
ture given by Paul In his letter to the
Romans Of the moral condition of his
age, Is painted In the darkest colors
Martin Luther has left on record the
following estimate Of the moral con-
dtlons OF the generation to which he
preached "Thc whole world Is nothing
else but a turned-about Decalogue, or
the ten commandments backwards
wizard, and a picture Of the devil. All
coptemners OF God, all blasphemers, all
dlsobedlent; whoredom, pride, theft,
murder, etc, are now almost ripe for
slaughter; neither IL the devil idle with
Turk and pope, heresies and other err
roneous sects. Every man draws the
Christian liberty only to carnal excess,
as II now they had free liberty and
power TO do what they list" Luther
also expressed the opinion that on ac-
count Of the moral condition OF the
world, the Kingdom OF the devil" was
the best government for It, "for there
with they will be governed with strict
laws and rights, with superstition UNI
belief, etc"
In view Of the denunciatlons Of for
mer preachers OF morality, It may cas-
lily be believed that we are not worse
than other generations have been. But
no one should be content with being
mot worse Our age is one Of free
dom and enlightenment, We have gem
eral school education, and the higher
branches OF learning are open to near
ly all, and TO those who have no oppor-
tunity Of attending the great temples
Of learning, the discussions in the daily
journals and the magazines. supply
much light upon almost all subjects,
With these advantages, we ought to
be much better than our predecessors.
There ought to be less murder, less
dishonesty, less impurity, less profan-
ity, In the world than ever before our
age ought to excel in all that is good.
II It does not, It's condemnation is just.
Its fall Will be swift, The peril of our
age is in the lowering OF the moral
standards Of both public and private
Me- When these are low, and trailed
in the dust, there can be no improve
nent.