Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-15
REV. DR.. JOHN MOcKRIDGE
On the Moral Spirit Of the Times

THAT the general tone of public morality
i Is not nearly so bad as n great many
persons profess 10 believe Is the opinion OF
the Rev. DR.. John Mockridgc. rector of st.
James Protestant Episcopal Church
THE state of public morality" said DR..
been depicted. These things are generally
grossly exaggerated by those who write and
speak about them. The result Is that an
entirely erroneous view of the situation is
usually given, perhaps uIintentonally. and
perhaps with the idea that stories of this
kind must be made more or less sensational
IL they are to command attention.
''An article illustrating exactly this point
of view was published on Sunday last in
one of the largest Of the New York news
papers. 1t was to the effect that conditions
in Philadelphia society--that is. what Is
worse than in II similar stratum of New York
life. The woman who purportcd to give this
information said that If you belong to the
socially elect, you can take part in night
life which would cover with red paint even
base Broadway ITSELF She also asserted
that there are fifteen country clubs within
n radius Of ten miles OF Philadelphia and
that in every one of these the same dcbasing
and degrading kind of revcry is Il regular
thing
War Broke Down Certain Barriers
"This whole statement is almost too
utterly false and ridiculous to be worth the
trouble of denying. While 1t IS true that
there has been Il more or less hystcrcal
condition resulting from the war and its
aftermath, it is also true that there has
always been fast set and there have always
been immoral men and women, in high places
as well as in low ones.
"Thc war threw down many of the ord.
nary barriers and sanctions to which people
had become accustomed, and this was cspc
cally the case with the girls and the women
The emergencies of the war, when labor was
at a premium and hard to get caused women
and girls to enter n variety of fields of labor
which they had never before invaded.
"Many of them who know how to run
automobiles became chuufcurs for officers
and men who were actively engaged in war
work; others entered business houses and
even shipyards. and this applied with even
greater force and in larger numbers to what
is known rs the socially elect than to their
sisters who long had been accustomed TO the
environment of daily wcrk.
Some Projections Removed
'Th"rc could be but one result of all this ::
it made things generally more open and re.
moved certain restrictions which had up to
that time existed and applied n restraining
influence. Perhaps the women Of our cOun
try had been too much protected under
former conditions but. if this We're the ease .
! much of this protection was taken away by
the conditions which developed rapidly when
our country entered the war and the need
came for every one to do what he or she
could to insure its success.
''As Il consequence of the partial removal
Of these barriers and sanctions, there has
been some tendency toward greater freedom,
all Of which has not been desirable, although
do not believe that the permanent consc-
uurnccs Of it will be serious.
"As ! have seen the situation these are
| the principal causes for the largely unius
E,.l hn pIrh1 IL, e
the Nation but it seems to me to be largely
| only an augmentation of the naturally rest .
| less temperament and life of America, with .
| out seriously or intrinsicaly wrong tend /.
| encies.
Young People in Church Work
| "As "A whole. ! confidently believe thnt
the moral standards of the young peOple of
the country are certainly no lower than thev
have been in the past and they are probably
higher. | can say, as rector Of st. james
Church. that never have there bCcp so many
young women interested in the work of thr
church rs there are at the present moment
They are seriously interested too, with every
sign that this interest will be permanent
in no sense does it seem to be n superficial
| or temporary thing.
"lf the war situation brought out in somo
cases the worst side of humanity. in momv
others, and in the great majority of cnsrs
| at that, it brought out the better side nnL
brought 1t out more strongly than il mivht
b. possible to do otherwise. The hectic
| spirit which was 70 prominently shown
during 1913 and for about q year following