Arizona State Miner

SCRIBES BUSY

Phoenix, Arizona
January 17, 1926.

The Five Points Star,
Tempe, Arizona.

Dear Sir:

Much has been said in press and pulpit, and written in books and papers to the effect that the human race is disintegrating, and that it will not be long until the social world will be going the way of Rome and Greece, and still older world-famed civilization. These opinions are based on a vast mass of records and statistics relating to institutions for insane, moral perverts, degenerates, physical diseases as shown by war-draft records and the startling growth of divorces, crimes and murders that invaded our land today.

Whether this mass of records may be considered of degeneration or not, the fact remains that there certainly is a wonderful if not woeful waste of human material in the world, and the wonder is that it is so great in this country that boasts of higher civilization, moral and religious enlightenment people.

We hear and read so much about the great efforts that are being made to save the ignorant and benighted people in foreign lands, and so little comparatively that is being done to save souls of the poorly educated, badly trained and ill used here at our homeland communities.

Of the thousands of boys and girls whose home life is morally and socially as far unsanitary for the welfare of our civilization, what percentage do you imagine will be saved under present methods? If these boys and girls are not raised to higher social and moral levels, what can we expect of the future generation? They are the mothers and fathers of tomorrow.

The nation was originally founded on the home the Puritan home, the Christian home, the home of the frontiersman, the home where the Bible was read, where God was worshiped, where the only school existed. It was a spiritual home environment, and its influence has made this nation what it is.

But the situation has greatly changed in our land today. The question of the hour is how are children living in morally unsanitary homes, breathing bad surroundings, sin-laden atmosphere, lacking in restriction and direction, to be transplanted into more healthful environments and taught to be better boys and girls?

The church people and the better class of our land have a far greater problem to solve that confronts them today than they can imagine and we should all realize that this world is just what we make it.

This reminds us of a country school teacher recently asking her class what constitutes a college? After waiting a while for an answer, several replied: "A football team."

It seems our late presidents have hit the right key-note when they said: "The church and religious people have a great duty to perform at the present day."

It isn't the mere question of abstract religion that confronts the church, nor of mere routine schooling by educators, nor the duty of organized society as represented by the home, but how these great forces may be applied to produce the best possible results to plant our coming generation on a higher level.

CHARLES R. BERNETZKE,
Author of "Cactus and Blossoms",
and "The Good Old Pioneers"