The Washington times., 1922-11-18
SOCIETY IS
IN MORAL
SLOUGH
Mature Generation Hopeless
and Doubtful Future Depends
on Children, Author Says.
By ROBERT S. .THoRNBURGH,
COamouoIitau Nsaa Service.

by ROBERT 5. .THORNbUkGh,
Cosmopolitan News service.
Civilization goes three steps
ahead and then two back, but the
general tendency is upward and
forward, in spite of the profes-
sional pessimists who gloat on the
collapse Of morality and the sins
OF youth, according to Mary Rob
erts Rinehart, author Of "The
Bat" "K," and other brilliant
plays and novels.
Picture Not SO Black.
II would paint the picture of to-
DAY and tomorrow In gray, rather
than black" said Mrs. Rinehart, as
an eristocratlc little brindle bull
raced up and down the hotel apart.
ment, chewed at her interviewer oe
strings. and indicated he
rather enjoy good romp lhan bear
the morals of the world discussed.
The old order of family life with
father, mother and the young people
gathered about the hearth and the
lamp with their newspapers. the
mehding. and books has passed into
the memories of yes. .erday because,
~ Mrs. Rinehart said, wi .hout de-
sire. on the part OF the family.
modern living Is all pulling away
from the home.
THE old-fashioned house s;fe, with
her day-long monotony OF drudgery,
was not voluntary prisoner h the
home" the novelist continued. 1T
II not unnatural. with The easier liv.
ing methods Of today. the compact
apartments, the perfectly appointed
hotels, and the many labor-eaving
cohveniences that women with more
leisure are likely TO go to the other
extreme and to follow the easy road.
Am. of course. speaking OF the
supported woman.
"Don't for a moment believe me
to mean that this is all evil, but 1t
ID true that living standards Of to.
day have done something serious to
family life. We have too many
houses and too few homes. And no
matter what the outward pull may
be, Q wotnan's first job IL to make
the home.
"But men are as much responsible
a. women for the failure Of modern
home life. We have. men and wom.
en-, become slavish followers Of tn
theory that those who work hard
must play hard. To too many men
home has become a place only IN
which 10 eat and sleep. The old
ideal OF the mother the center Of
tho family and the father the head
Of t has given way to a group
Of highly self conscious individuals
united only by a common roof.
''fs II extraordinary that we find
the young and inexperienced individ-
uals of these groups falling victims
to this laxity? What Ii there to hold
them? Who can blame them?
They have not so much left their
homes as their homes have left them.
There Is no use talking about re-.
forming the young generation. They
are the product OF the early ire
sponsibility of their elders. Nor am
I 90 sure that as q class they require
reforming. A great deal Of what Is
being so widely condemned today 10
q difference in manners, not In NOR.
ais. That these manners are fre.
quently bad and cheap indicates O
lowering OF taste rather than .
change of standards.
People Made Extravagant.
But the fact remains that a child
PROPERLY reared in its early impres.
sioiiabie years does not go far astray.
''Of course, there have been con.
tributing causes also. The social or.
saf,isation, changed with the coming
Of the automobile; the vast programs
Of Advertising that have brought Us
extrayagance i'm dress and an over.
efriphasis on luxuries; what passes
for pleasure Is sold by ticket, and to
crown IL all, prohibition, which does
not prohibit, has made drinking q
dangerous game and caused 1t to be-
come a sporting proposition.
!'The answer? There Is none for
the present generation. The only
hope is that the youth of today.
grown to maturity and looking back
on the pitfalls 1t has or has not
escaped, will do better by It's chill.
dret than we have by ours; will
give them not only life but author.
ity, will teach them responsibility
and will give them. what we too
often do not, home"
Asked about the problems OF
mothers With young daughters, Mrs.
,Rinshart agreed that their position
10 most difficult.
the example Of the careless one"
shs said. "She is placed In the posi-.
ttUn OF DeinH ODilktu " ioi piu Who'
ether mothers permit.
And the young girls position Is
equally hard. I know Of young girls
today who do not want to make
their debut into society because
they know they will not be popular.
They don't play around as the
other girls do.
Reaction Already Begun.
.sBut the reaction is already com.
fuf, II 10 q singular fact that a
rrsat many young men are trying
today 10 restore young women to
the pinnacle from which they them
seivss helped 70 dispose them. They
want wives, not only piaymates.
Ana At her most the modern kiri ss
wife.materiai ffightens them"
"But you DO not believe the stand.
ard Of morality has loweredf'
"Btandsrds Of morality have a..
ways lowered when two things enter
into the life OF a state, love Of luxury
luxury and religious indifference"
"would sex'education help In the
why should that be the province
os the schools7 Probably our failure
In responsibility In this one direc.
tiori has done more harm than any
ether. The same silly petticoat pru.
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