Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1916-02-16
MORAL DEGFNFRACY
THREATENS COUNTRY
A Menace to Society and the Home
"A Moral Cancer Requiring
Radical Treatment.
MORALS DETERIORATE?
The Dress Of Women Today Not FIJI for
Polite SOciety---Fashions Appeal
TO the Sensuous---ls Woman
hood to Blame for Moral
Decl;ua
BY X. Hammond Elliott
PART IL.

by X. Hammond Eiliolrl
PART IL.
Now lets us continue and discuss the
third point, the number, frequency and
nature az our crimes. A comparison
Of the crime statistics Of America with
those OF other nations show that the
percentage per thousand OF the total
number of crimes committed i'm this
country annually is no worse than the
crime percentage OF other countries
The only crime in which we show a
great excess, is that of suicide and this
is largely brought about by the pecu-
liar social ana economic conditions OF
life in America In the countries of
the Old World, the everyday strain of
life is less strenuous and. therefore
less nerve-racking than here and, this
TO q great extent accounts for the pre-
ponderance of our suicides.
1t is Of interest TO the individual in
moral reform TO note that the great
majority of the crimes committed in
this country are directly traceable to
three sources - ililteracy, intoxication
and overwrousht emotions Of course
we have our desperadors, petty Grim
mails and others who commit crimes
with malace and 1rethought, know
ing perfectly well what they are doing
and doing it from choice. but the three
sources mentioned above constitute
the cause OF most crimes. Il.iteracy
and immortality generally go hand in
hand. If we could only have intelligent
and satisfactory school laws for the
nation, the decrease in the number OF
crimes appearing on the court dockets
would be astonishing knowledge is
the greatest of al reformers.
Intoxicants and drugs are another
great origin of crime You have only
10 glance through the daily papers to
realize this. YOU can pick out case al
ter case OF crime committed while the
perpetrator was under the influence OF
intoxicants or drugs Ninety per cent
of the Saturday night arrests IN every
town and city IN the country are di-
rectlv due to intoyication Besides
this intoXication is concurrent with
great deal OF existing illiteracy and
the direct cause eli much OF the Grim
mal environment OF some of our city
slums,
The emotional crimes are mostly al
ways due to overwrought nerves and
these NAV be caused by the strenuous
competition OF American life, as we
have sen above or by emotions being
inhamed by the use of drugs or intoX-
icants with, Of course. the usual mum
Der due to eT-mastering passions
You can readily deduce from the
preceding analyziation of this paruc-
ular branch OF our subject that the
question of compulsory education and
of prohibition enter very deeply into
this complex subject of better morals.
and that the laws enforcing both
should have the staunch ana jealous
support and appreciation of any one
interested in elevating the standard of
the nations morality
We have come 20 the most intricate
point i'm this whole question OF morals.
and the one which more than any
other proves conclusively the status OF
a counuy's morality The examination
Of the thought of the country reflect
ed in its literature, its amusements
and its moral state of mind Of the av-
erage mdividuaI As it is the moral
state of mind of the average fndivid-
ual which, taken collectively. sets the
standard of the nations thought. dis
cussion of this thought by the analyza-
tion OF the literature and amusements
of the time. viii suffice to prove con
clusively whether it is improving or
degeneraing.
IN the field of literature il does not
require q very deep or exhaustive ex-
animation to ascertain that year by
year its moral standard has gradually
declined Every reader realizes that
and has probably commented on it.
We are today living in an age Of free
speech ana discussion on all subjects.
Matters which generation ago were
only spoken of guardedly and in pri-
vate are now fiagrantly daunted be-
fore the eyes of the world This has
been brought about partly, by the
really conscientious but impracucable
effort OF the higher plane OF human
society to elevate the sordiditv of the
lower class and to eliminate much of
the existing morality. by teaching the
public the results that ore conc0mitaut
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