The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-03-11
THE BEARDLEss BANDIT


fitting title for an edition of the sordid
stories Of holdups, bank and mail rob-
berries, and other forms of crime COM
mitted by boys whose shaving outfits
have not yet become of any use to their
blithe, maiden-like faces. The matter
is reaching proportions where senti-
ment and soft excuses for prank" are
giving the public no comfortable rea-
son to let the young man sow his wild
oats" 4 crime wave among the youth
of the land has been gathering in power
and violence. The fact is indisputable,
and every day adds new evidence to
the seriousness and the sadness of it.
Some connect it with the reactive
forces of the late war, others blame it
to the movies, still others lay it to
the lack of moral influence in the
schools Any and all of these causes
may contribute to the present moral
delinquency of Our youth. 1t would,
undoubtedly, be an effort worth while
to clean up our movies, and put better
principles into the dramas thrown on
the canvas 1t would be a splendid
thing if some one could tell us how to
cure the effects of the shock which the
late war gave to the nations physical,
moral and spiritual constitution. 1t
would be an inestinable service rem
dered to all mankind, if some one could
show us how our public schools should
be organized and conducted in order
to build intellectual and moral eff
cheney into the character of the pupils.
spent twenty-five billion dollars, Or
more, in cash, gave the nations asso-
ciated with us in the war another ten
billions, to help win that war We
worked ourselves up to an almost holy
frenzy in making this war, as far as
America was concerned, into a crusade
in behalf of idealism high moral pur-
pose, and self-sacri6cing service We
confidently expected that the passing of
this nation, and of the world, through
this fiery trial of untold sorrow, pain
and loss, would bring us a new era,
q golden age of brotherhood, purity,
honesty and noble effort,-a washing
Of regeneration and a newness of life
And the results? They are alarming1y
unsatisfactory. The facts are record
ing themselves in the history of the
present; but where is the remedy?
That conditions similar to those in our
country, and worse, prevail in other
countries, is small comfort to us. All
realize that a revaluation of life is
necessary, casting of society with its
ideals and customs timely, new meth
cd Of building up the respect for par
entail and other lawful authority highly
needed. All feel, even though few un-
derstand, that crumbling down pro-
cess is at work breaking down Our
guided structure of so-called modern
civilization. We have been so certain
of its solidity; we have been so happy
TO think that our homes, our schools,
our customs, our government, our So
kind were getting better" all the time
We have killed the Devil, forgotten
God, and smiled indulgently at the
old fogies who have mentioned that
even modern man stands in need of
Divine enlightenment, help and power
We were getting along SO splendidly as
the masters of this universe, conquer
Ors as we were of nature and the beasts
thereof. Then, all of sudden, we
wake up, rub our eyes, can not believe
it, put our hand out to feel-and here,
before our very eyes, our own offspring,
flesh OF our flesh and spirit of our spirit,
dressed UP in the modern approved
fashion, stands thing of DANGER
dangerous to our homes, to our neigh
bors, to society; cool and collected
spurning all that we thought was sa-
cred, and inviolable, a conscience as
blank and irresponsible as if twenty
centuries of Christianity had never Wis
tied mankind and this earth. We need
to change more things than our sys-
tenn of movies to rehabilitate the human
race. Suppose we started by making
a concerted effort, in the press, in our
legislative halls, in our schools, in
every community, to again make the
home the foundation of society, instead
of, as it has become, mere adjunct to
the community, the state, and the ma
ton? The church would, perhaps. sup
port such a radical reformation.