The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-11-02
MORAL FILTH UNDERMINES
COUNTRY BOY WHO SEEKS
AMUSEMENT IN TOWNS

President william A. Mills, Han
over. chairman Of committee on rural
HE, made the following address Ut the
charity conference last night:
There probably II higher cor
relation between the delinquency and
effectiveness Of the sub-normal and
anti-social classes with which this
conference Of charities and corrections
Ii concerned. and the moral and re-
Iigious conditions prevailing in the
environment from which this part OF
our population IL drawn, that We are
accustomed to grant. Without doubt
the general conception that low moral
conditions are to great extent the
result Of sub-normality may be justi-
fled. But there II reason to believe
that the reverse Of this r. true to even
greater extent-namely.. that delin-
quency and sub-normality are the re-
suits Of low moral and spiritual con-
ditions.
Due 10 Thrss Causes.
Three causes Of delinquency are at
present emphasized above others-the
broken home Inadequate vocational
training and feeblemindedness. The
established principles Of psychology
suggest that feoblemindedness may
result from living with defective
mother ~ we'll 90 from being born
OF one. The child Of defective par
ents 10 not necessarily defective at
birth, but probably will be highly sus-
ceptible, and hence the easy prey OF
the vicious atmosphere OF the home
and neighborhood. the ready victim OF
the sensuality surrounding him, Of the
insanitary life, the insufficient nour.
ishment, the shiftlessness, and the
deadening inertia. And added to this,
he 10 not stimulated by the higher ap-
peals which are necessary to bring
out the higher responses.
"A word with regard to the broken
home, the prolific source Of wrong
doing. Many cases are, Of course. In
evitable, but on the whole. directly or
Indirectly, the broken home II the
fruitage of defective moral and re-
likious training. Unjust economic re-
lctions are immoral in their origin ~
we'll az in their consequences; pre-
ventable disease II immoral, and In
dustrial accidents are due to the lack
Of . true morality in some connec-
ton. All other important disturb
auces Of family life are the result OF
defective moral and religious educa-
tion. In the state Of Indiana. with Its
rapidly rising divorce rate, It II sig
nificant that there are few divorces
among those who maintain the sacra-
mental character of marriage, and that
there are but q few brief months be-
tween the marrying squire and the
divorcinE Judge. s es,-,s1s
I'll. Country suppItss Cities. Al,
ITO the extent that the farm, the
farm village and the country town are
the recruiting areas for city popula-
lions, to that extent the religious and
moral conditions of rural life are OF.
vital interest to all Of US. In recent
years a number of exhaustive studies
Of the life of rural communities have
lcen made. These surveys indicate
that the status Of the community
church Is conditioned by the develop
,,ent of agriculture, schools. roads and
the personality of the population.
1.-TWO surveys are before me. These
two townships we're settled by much
the same stock as the latter OF the
good neighbors. Both townships have
an embarrassing supply of churches.
but none Of these has been vigorous
enough to make. an impression on the
people. In neither township has there
been resident pastor for many years.
In neither does a minister or other
religious worker enjoy place OF lead
ership. In neither township is there
a prayer meeting held, young peo-
pies society Of any character, religious
or otherwise. nor any provision for
the satisfaction of the social impulse
Under wholesome regulation. The ma
tural resources are as good as In the
second example of good neighborhoods.