| Show ff j t t I I. I tf ft f 4 t f i I 1 i t J t. t H Y Life Brea D I Iii 1 I 7 A. A I 9 ll 0 merIca William Dudley Foulke es e's s Contention o That the Modern Civilization p of the Western World Shows Signs I y r 7 of 0 Decay Supported n by Many any Other k iy j S z G J. J r Y l v I V r SQ 4 Vi 7 v 4 J. v V. V w 4 i I 2 2 J j 4 i f Nf c. c American homes homes' 1 F s 's with one divorce to I Ia I marriages every 7 marriages a are re reported to be t collapsing like so man many I R 1 1 J r 0 f f Almost every day there is is disI displayed dis- dis I played in the courts the spirit j. j f of discord which is tearing f. f down the American home A 4 mo most t striking example of its j J extent has been shown res re- re s centy in the W. W E. E D. D Stok Stokes s trial during which Mrs t f 7 jf f l S Stokes to k es f fought h t d desperately I y to r preserve her good name namey name nam y hf i NOT NOT NOTs JOT s 59 so ma many mapy Y days ago the country i- i briefly concerned itself with the r story of a pastor who having occupied p pulpits of no mean distinction shot himself himself him- him self out out- in a Western c city ty as s his wife sought ought theatrical employment for herself r 11 and their brood of four children In a av v r tragic farewell note to his wife who was in New York City he gave as a R ai f i rf reason for fr his act the fact that through f. f f t no fault of hers they could not make makeI a ago I igo go of their marriage and his bitter regret I I that they could not make a home for l. l their children s The tidings of a clergyman compelled to confess s in in such tragic manner that he could not make a a- success of wedded life did not how however ver hold the attention C of the reading public very long On the same samo ame mornin morning a different sort of brief stir in the progress of mans man's daily affairs s i was waSI caused by a less sad but sc scarcely t less thought-provoking thought item which told Ii 14 l T how hov a prominent family in New York York I had decided keeping home-keeping as practiced 4 t at present was for them at least more morel l i M or oress less less- lessof of a failure and that therefore t they had decided to split the family r- r r f amicably in two labeling g the experiment r a a personality separation f i L jC STILL TILL the reader could not with witha a t r sense sense of proportion afford to pause l this item either for further further fur fur- f too oo hg over tt ther culling of the days day's news yielded c v the following r t j First Fist A young woman about to be bei bei i i married who vho e expressed pressed herself on the theY i Y eve of her wedding as having having no no illusions 4 about married life and possessing possessing- I only friendship for the young man she was about to marry many as expecting to live with heri husband only two or three years at most ost and t to have three or four husbands tl C. C C at at least before her death f fC K S Second nd A Aboy boy of thirteen who landed I In n the House of Detention in Brooklyn f. f r- r ifor for stealing hi his supper because there was was no o one to get it for him since his mother left his father I I Third The latest l divorce statistics making known the tho news news that according to a a completed survey by the United 1 States Bureau there is now one divorce in the United United States for every seven seven and tenths six-tenths marriages The inspection inspection- sf arresting figures such uch as these last and the contemplation of the constantly increasing wreckage of homes littering ring everyday life at the present resent are c causing t rig studious observers f pr cardboard houses Divorce I f has been called legalized g annihilation of bf the he American famil family i L M pv N NV Y V H s a 9 J t. t s 1 It is generally agreed that no nation is stronger than the homes of which it is com com- posed As proof of this theory the fall of ancient nations is pointed out Herewith is the reproduction of a painting by John Martin showing the sack of Babylon I of today to no longer simply query if ho home e life in America is not breaking down Prominent members of the clergy gravely reflecting social economists are arenow arenow now asking instead if the alarming rate at which home life is crumbling g. g I may not be taken as the starting ng handwriting handwriting handwriting hand hand- writing on the wall that points to the fall of f modern civilization History enlightens us that many civilizations civilizations civili civili- have risen and flowered only to decay and vanish from the face of the earth Once the Babylonians sat secure in their power then the Persians held sway over mighty lands and seas Greece wielded the glory of her scepter over cities and in time Rome with her coliseum and her mighty baths bulwarking bulwarking bulwarking bul bul- the stars came to be mistress of the world None Nope of these mighty universes universes universes uni uni- verses in themselves foresaw or would have entertained thought of the day when all the might and glory would be only a name in a history book Rome fell in a- a wave of chaos and Invasion Invasion In In- I made possible by the corruption of society from within Religious faith was was displaced among the high higher r classes by y unbelief Luxury rotted the strength of f moneyed society and family morality became something completely out of ot fashion v William Dudley Foulke president of the National Civil Service Reform Lea League League et is one of the leaders leaders' in social economic tho thought who have lately caused aused a stir by seeing in present-day present conditions conditions analogous to those which led up to the decline of Roman civilization The loosing of home ties the impatience of the younger generation generation generation genera genera- tion with restraint crime waves of banditry the decline of religious faith the moving of the population from the country to the city bankruptcies general general gen gen- eral lack of reverence for law law all all these signposts are tallied off strikingly with conditions that existed hundreds of years ago while Rome still did not dream of her decline But the most significant and fundamental of these peculiarly parallel evidences is said to be the breaking breaking breaking break break- ing down of home life Just as the basis of Roman civilization was the unit of the family this sociologist points out so our Nation was founded not on thee the the individual not on the state but on the millions of little lit lamp-lit homes twinkling twinkling twinkling twin twin- kling obscurely all over the land OMES the little red-bricked red white H HOMES curtained cozy affairs that used cheerfully t to line the streets of America are reported everywhere to be collapsing like so many tiny cardboard houses Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps you do not believe this Maybe you are incI inclined ned to think that if some star-lit star night you could be a genie and whisk off th the roofs of all the Rations Ration's homes you would find in each one of them pretty much much what you find in your own owna a a phonograph record whirling off the latest tune the head of the house comfortably comfortably comfortably com com- r rattling the evening paper over r overby overby overby by the living room lamp John and Mary perhaps begging for thirty cents to go goto go goto goto to the movies Your supposition might be true if it were not for the disturbing evidence of the divorce statistics The divorces granted last year numbered which doubles the divorce rate in the United States in the last thirty years Leave Mr Foulkes Foulke's s 's findings for a few minutes and examine e those of the Rev Howard Chandler Robbins D D. D D. D de dean n of the Cathedral of St St. John the Divine in New York and an eminent ecclesiastic who is another public figure to come out recently with a a. profound discussion of homo home life as it seems to tobe tobe tobe be toppling in America Standing apart from these divorce divorce- statistics Dr Robbins sees in them not the virus of cheap sensationalism flooding flooding flooding flood flood- ing the country N Nor or is the reputation of America at stake among other nations na na- na- na The stern arresting fact stands out ut that when divorces are aro granted granted in one year in our country it is isas s sas as though a great grim god of destruction tion took a giant hatchet and hacked just Then an and Now ow I ETEEN hundred years years' ago an aggressive advocate advocate advocate cate for the Christian civilization civilization civil civil- then in its infant infancy Y forecast the doom of the th then n flowering state of society with this prophecy This know v also that in inthe inthe inthe the last days perilous times shall come For men men shall be belov lov lovers rs of their own selves covetous boasters p pro proud r o u d blasphemers disobedient to t to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce breakers rs false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of 06 o those that are good tr traitors traitors trait trait- it- it ors heady minded high-minded lovers lovers lovers lov lov- ers of pleasure more than lovers of God Hear then another prophecy prophecy ecy just uttered in this twentieth century The loosening of family ties and of discipline discipline pline the decline in religious faith the drift of population toward cities cities' the intolerance of the opinion of others the apathy of the people in regard regard regard re- re r gard to public measures Uncontrolled uncontrolled uncontrolled un un- controlled sex selection in marriage disrespect for the laws laws' in these things the evidences of degeneration are many and palpable that number of homes to to pieces Every divorce awarded he points out is a legalized legalized legalized legal legal- annihilation of one of Americas America's families on which the strength of ot the Nation is The young woman woma woman n who made mad the remarks remarks remarks re re- re- re marks about having no illusions about marriage mentioned in the beginning of this article was one of New Nev Yorks York's de de- de- de It would never do to mention her name for she might change her mind and the views she so frankly expressed at a gathering of her girl girlfriends girlfriends girlfriends friends just before her marriage It is enough to say that she belongs to one of the leading families in America that she is still in her teens and that she was raised in New York City with all the advantages and beauties and accessories of modern civilization An important contributing cause to toward toward toward to- to ward the loosening of home ties is perceived perceived perceived per per- by William Dudley Foulke in the self-assertion self heretical ideas and lack of filial submission among our young folks Deploring an era that exalts self elf elf- expression at the expense of self con he insists that all aU the beauty and efficiency of our modern cities count for forI I I If there is a formula for happy marriage neither philosopher experimenter nor the little blind god with the bow has found it Because of the prominence of the principals the wreck of Corinne Griffiths Griffith's romance romance ro ro- ro mance attracted attention When she and William M. M Campbell were married it was heralded as a real love match of the screen but it went yent the way of many others under times time's test nothing as evidences of progress and permanency if the Nation does not ride forward on what he ho terms the only real measure stick of any civilization civilization build building ing up character and sound family I life e among the people The streets of our modern cities are areno no safer than the days of Rome when crime was rampant The satires of J Juvenal venal were filled fined then with scorings of lawbreakers but one has only to look on the editorial page of a newspaper to find that history is its re-acting re itself Brigandage scoffing at religion and law murders J and the failing of public publio s spirit spirit all all irit-all all of these the sociologists find in counterpart in today's dubious civilization civilization civilization civili civili- almost unanimously however interrelated with them all they find fine somewhere along the line a home boarded up and spiritually to let let a a home homa that did not live up to its calling Churches are sending out a ringing exhortation that it is time for the American American American Ameri Ameri- can people to decide what they are going to do toward the saving of the family tie to the Nation Religion has all down through the ages been the mainspring mainspring mainspring main main- spring of mans man's finest deeds and emo emo- THER HERE are those as well who feel example is sometimes the most ferent fervent fervent fer fer- vent ent teacher and they point to President Co Coolidge with his sturdy family and his sturdy ideas for the American family a avd d say if all Americans followed the example of the head of the Nation much of the tottering life home-life menace would be silently nipped in the tho bud In the meantime however the red line linein in the divorce thermometer continues to mount and tod today's ys y's citizen finds himself obliged to ask if the flapper and her petting party and the modem modern woman and her solution of the eternal triangle are indeed doing nothing more or less than bringing about the down downfall ll o of modern civilization a t Copyright 1113 1029 by Public Ledger Leder i j l J 7 4 |
