Salt Lake Tribune | 1904-05-20 | Page 14 | America is on the down Grade

I- ON THE DOWN GRADE People as a Whole, Says a Chicago Divine, Are Morally De generating. 7HICAGO. May 19. That the fl American people as a whole I are morally degenerating, is the opinion of Dr. Charles Cuthbert, Hall, president of Union theological theo-logical seminary. New York, who has made a brief address before members and friends of the Religious Educational Educa-tional association at tho art institute. Dr. Hall Is president of the association, associa-tion, which now has 2000 members in various parts of the country. "We. all rejoice In the remarkable growth and the excellent features of American civilization." said he, "and we are pleased at the relatively good state of the common morality of the people, but a deeper examination of the 1 social side of our American life reveals 1 1 a situation that causes anything- but Fatlsfactlon. It Is a matter of consternation conster-nation and deep concern to us that the moral standard of American life Is deteriorating. de-teriorating. In the hustle and bustle of every day activity we have astonished aston-ished the world, but, morally, we are rapidly going astern so rapidly that I one Is dumfounded at tho contrast after af-ter a visit to some o the countries of ; the Old World. "I am an optimist, through and through, but I am not a stone-blind optimist. op-timist. I feel and. I know from observation obser-vation that religion has little i any part in our American civilization today. 1 This is a lamentable state of affairs and it behooves each and all of us to do all we can to help to stem this tide of ln-! ln-! difference."