The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-10-09
ARE WE GROWING WORSE?

Cardinal Gibbons araigns the Amer
lean public school system and what
may be called the American divorce
system with reat yigor. The W are
not associated IN any way by the car
dinal. but are mentioned in the same
connection as fruitful sources of moral
degeneration. Much that the cardi-
nal a Y of the divorce evil at least,
ana to an extent of the public school
system, is undoubtedly justified. No in
stitution or custom has yet been es-
tablished by men that has not been
open to criticism. But the cardinals
arraignment as a whole, suggests the
query, are we growing worse?
Although Massachusetts was Z Of
the o~riginators of non-sectarian
schools, and has had several genera
tons of citizens who owe their train
ing to them. crime is shown by sta
tistics to be on the decrease, and es-
pescially that class of crime which
suggests moral degeneration. Not
only is crime on the decrease in Massa-
chusetts, but Massachusetts has less
crime thar European countries that
have for generations had none but
s~ectarian schools, and that too, in
spite of the mixed population of our
American states. In Massachusetts at
least there is no tendency to moral
degeneraey, from any cause.
What is true of Massachusetts
would undoubtedly be found to be
true of every state in the union if
the statistics were examined. In spite
of the greater publicity that criminal
events have in these days, and the inn
preston that often prevails that crime
is on the increase, the actual
records show that crime grows less
frequent and less vicious as the years
81 by. The tendency is towards 4
higher STANDARD OF morality in all
Classes ot soc4ety. o much OF that
tendency is due TO the influence OF
the puDlc scnooI system 1t would be
uncut " GSL4AndlCs DuL Ills 1 - IL
beyond question tha where the great
est number OF cnlIuIen are IN the puO-
lie moo and where the most -
eIal support is gwen to the public
schools, there the highest moral tone
peryaues the community. There is a
moral training in the mere association
OF stuuent with teacher, of stuaenl
with student, and of student with
iLtenectuai pursuits, and the higher
aims OF lie, that plays a much more
important part IN the moulding Of
character than is often admitted by
those who attach so great importance
to verbal instruction in theology.
There should be a national divorce
law. 1t is absurd that man should be
legally married in N state and be
subject TO prosecution for bigamy in
another. But this being said, it is
again proper to ask whether in spite
OF all the evils of the divorce system,
we are growing worse. The United
0L4AEo ID Ia AA4O4C AAbC4d al III o. 0ANAa5 !
divorces than European countries.
and in the United States the western
states have carried the divorce priv
ilege farther thar the eastern states.
And yet in no part Of the world is
there a healthier family life, or are
children raised among more favorable
oCcfa1 conditions tbon in tho TTpitad
States in general and the western
states in particular. This is an argu-
ment that is not conclusive and that
can be carried too far, for these hope
ful conditions exist in spite of what
are recognized as social crimes. But
inssmuch as they do exist, they sug-
gest that at least the system of grant
ing divorces within reason is not
threatening the social order nor prom
to bring about an era OF profit
gacy and degeneracy. On the other
hand the sentiment that dictates di-
vorce for habitual drunkenness, deser-
ton and ~non-support, and other like
causes hat make family life a sham
of reality, is grow ing through
the land rather than lessening,
md will contine to grow because it is
the interests of good morals and
order TO relieve parents and chill
diem from a living death. 1t Is all
very well to say that young people