The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-09-03
ARGUING FROM rTrECr TO CAUSE.

AISNlNNs lItOh II lN.i ~ Nh'Ni"
what follows ls frankly. speculation. There
Is a condition eNtant throughout tho United
States which Is commanding the serious and
apprehenslve attention Of publlclsts everywhere.
IT ia social unrest IN ono locality. political In
trlgue in another paternastic yearnug else
where and wave OF petty crmiuallty every
where
The American bar association has just made
report through the fundamentally OF a learned
committee, on this growing evil this "disre-
spect for law" This learned committee attrib-
utes many causes and explodes many theories
In its very thorough report, among the exploded
theories being that tho foreigner is either moro
Law abiding or lawess than his American born
coi'patrlot, yet It does prove beyond even de-
bate that cfime and criminals IN the United
States Of America far outnumbor those OF any
other OF the great nations OF tho world.
why?
We know that tho phenomenon is OF COM
parhtlvey recent origin. our own records, In
those Instances whore personal experience Is not
available tell us that there was a time not no
very long ago when such conditions ala not OBJ
tain. Perforce, then. must turn ones at
tention to the conditions and the causes which
may bo contrlbutory to the effect II indeed they
are not the major cause OF the effect
And instantly we discover the changed attl-
tude of our entire social ana political system
towards honorable labor during the last two
decades II was the custom OF tho previous
generation to look upon labor as ennobllng and
necessary. Children were taught to engage In
some useful and lucrative task as their
years made such task practical; and they were
taught to consider labor not only an absolute
necessity OF existence, but likewise honorable II
1t were indeed honest labor. They woro taught
20 give their best TO their employers that thus
they might attract promotion and earn their rise
In the particular vocation they were engaged ip.
There were no exceptions 10 this rule The
daughter Of the banker took her turn In per-
forming tho household duties. the son OF the
banker very early put into service some-
whore. The farmer and the artisan eithNr
placed their sons in line OF advancement In .
higher vocation or profession or npprcntlcsd
them 20 . master workman - so:ae g! .fe
skilled trades. IiIcuesa especially among the
young, was considered the greatest Of evils
What man of fitty or more today has not heard
his parent preach time after time that the devil
finds work FOR idle hands to do2
This has all changed. Nowadays we hav,
professionals teaching our yo1ns people how
save teaching them how to dance, how 10 4,
the useless things OF life instead OF how to d
the useful things OF life. our Legislators hav
forbidden children to work. The gospel ot tn
new days appears 10 be that children should no
work, should not develop early those character
istics and traits absolutely essential TO goo
citizenship ana sclr-subsistance later in life.
Thus particularly In the larger commun,ua'
the streets and the yards Of the homes Of IN
city are filled with boys husky. healthy, yr'l
young animals capable Of producing 10 the!
own lasting good ana the benefit OF their supe
rlors; idle, with no sense OF responsibility rest
ing upon them. They are abroad during tn
evening, ana they must find m outlet ior thsi
enthusiasm IN some manner. The doyil fl>d
work for idle hands to dol
II a boy secures position IN store, som
representative OF some of tho organization
comes aous and he S. dismissed, because y
has not yet attained sixteen years His futrs
before him was making his own living at th'
age and Is TO-DAY splendid specimen ot wei
preserved manhood both phyAcally and iura
lectually.
II the boy sells gum on the streets, or "
girls attempt 60 give expression 20 their inherei
desire 70 become constructive and earn bit
money for themselves they face the same pr
poserous law. Yet an the while tho growir
necessities OF the young man or young womr
stIn below sixteen demand some money for p
purposes.
With more stress being placed the necr
slty OF preventing so-caucd children from entt
Ing honest and beneficial labor than on the n
cessity of their developing habits OF indus'
and thrift or than for them to observe the Ia
I is not surprising that the easy and IN ma
Instances the only available source OF money
embraced
We ask IN all sincerity, is there connect
between this condition we have just been
scrlbing and the criminal statistics which sh