Arizona sentinel and Yuma weekly examiner., 1915-01-14
Is THE WORLD
 GROWING WORSE

The war in Europe has raised in the mind of every thoughtful person the query: ''Is the world growing worse Can we assert that mankind IS reach- ing higher ideals and levels in day that records 7,000,000 men engaged Tn the most brutalizing of all activities war? Can men and women claim that the doctrines of the NaZaTene are to- day a more potent force for good than they have ever been before when faced with the fact that His most humanlzlng precept is being ignored by all but one of the foremost Christian nations? Is if not true that the world today IS really no better than it was fifty O. hundred or even a thousand years ago? This is a serious question. The answer calls for certain general com parisons.
 The records of the remote past the conquest of Palestine by the Chll- dren of Israel, the wars of the Egyp- tians, the Assyrians, the Perslans, ana the Romans-furniSh one continuous tale of devastating cruelty. Women and children were ruthlessly butcher ed or sold into slavery, and the cruel ties of later times-the ferocitles or the Goths and the Huns, while des- membering the roman Empire, and o1 the Tartars under Tamerlane and Gen ehis Khan-are almost inconcelVable. The conflicts of the Middle Ages, anc even the Thirty Years War-a wal which ended only three hundred years ago-were characterized by every sort of brutality. Women were outraged anu children slain.
 Even a century ago the conduct of war was little less horrible. when battling in hostile territory, Napolean left his sick and wounded to be cared for by their enemies; today each a. m. has it's ambulances just behind the firing line. A century ago, even less harsh treatment of prisoners was the rule: in the present war each side IS making every possible effort to treat prisoners humaneiy and with courtesy. A hundred years ago non-com0atants -old men, women and children-Were killed and their death was chronicled as one of the unavoidable exigencles of war; recently, the dropping O. bombs by aircraft upon defenseleSs cities aroused such righteous mdlgna- tion in America that the warning na- tions. accepting our judgment, have for the time concluded that they daI Ie not incur the reproduction that sucL acts call forth. Fifty years ago there was no systematic care ot the soldiers, , men died from exposure, fever, gan, erene. Today thousands of devoted men and women, under the banner oi the Red Cross, minister lmpartlally to all who need their succor-Whethei Christian or Jew, Mohammedan ol Buddhist.
 When we compare today with the remote yesterdays, in times Of peace, the vision is even more encouraging. In ancient empires and republics, the states were built for the welfare O. the few at the sacrifice of the many The masses were virtually slaves. To day. physical slavery is rare; the aV' craze man has more rights and prlVl leees than ever before in history. For merly. almost unbelievable immortality and corruption existed in high places Today the leaders of most nations are men of upright character.
 It cannot be denied that there are facts to support a gloomy vieW-lf we look no further than facts. But facts may be variously interpreted. Our prl sons for instance, are OVercroWded This, however does not necessarily mean an increase of crime, but rathei greater vigilence in experimenting crlm inals. Our institutions for detectives and degenerateS are taxed to their ca nacity. but this is because we are tan ing better care of the unfortunate and. certainly no one can question the thought given to the welfare Of the masses. in the light of recent legisla tion-in this country and in Europe regarding child labor, white slavery widows pensions old age insurance and compensation for accidents and tol industrial diseases.
 In every quarter men and wome1 are working for humanity. Fraterna societies are spending millions of dol lars annually in sick and death bene fits and they are doing even more II service that cannot be estimated II dollars and cents. The far-reachlnt effort to provide emergency employ ment to tide the poor over the preSen peliod of financial stress is one of th' many indications that men are striving to help one another.
 The ordinary run of people toda! enjoy luXuries that the richest neVe dreamed of a century ago. Even thu dwellers in the tenements are begin ming to know the comforts of prope housing. The power of steam ha frightened the labor of those who toll the hours of labor are shortened