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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, MAY 20, 1983
PAGE 9
schools.)
Not surprisingly, crime began to abate: it remained
only � moderate problem for about � century.
In the 1920s,
dramatic cultural changes began. The temperance movement became
discredited and conservative religion lost ground. Prof. Wilson
also notes that from 1890 to 1910, about one-third of the arti
cles about child rearing in the LADIES HOME JOURNAL, THE WOMAN'S
HOME COMPANION and GOOD HOUSEKEEPING dealt with character devel
opment and the importance of the mother's character. In 1920,
only 3% had this focus. By 1930, "personality development" was
the dominant theme of the women's magazines.
In more recent years, cultural emphasis has focused upon self
expression, spontaneity, tolerance, individualism and personal
freedom. Rights, not duties, receive primary attention. As for
the public schools;-t"hey have sharply downgraded character train
ing.
Some Americans have responded constructively to this
milieu, but for many it released destructive impulses that
wise might have� held in check. Crime rose steeply
1960s and has remained at alarming levels ever since.
social
other
in the
An English scholar, Christie Davies, analyzed erime trends in
Britain during a comparable period. Writing in the Winter 1983
issue of POLICY REVIEW, Mr. Davies observes that Britain's high
rates of crime in the mid-19th century diminished thereafter and
remained very low until recent years. Then crime began soaring,
along with "aggressive hooliganism" at sports contests, drug
usage, drunkenness and illegitimacy.
What accounts for this strikingly parallel pattern of anti-social
behavior in Britain? Mr. Davies says that following the earlier
erime wave, the dominant "Victorian elite" imbued all social
classes with the conviction that each individual was morally
responsible for his behavior. This elite, aided by the religious
influence of John Wesley and Methodism, "diffused (certain moral)
issues throughout society." These included the impertance of
"honesty, industry, willingness, conscientiousness, punctuality,
sobriety and a sense of responsibility."
(Mr. Davies also
credits the modern British police force and universal schooling
with helping reduce crime.)
But as the Victorian moral crusade faded, the belief became
fashiona5Ie that society, rather than the individual, was respon
sible for crTiiie': This led to preoccupation with publ�remedies
for the consequences of individual misbehavior, rather than with
moral attitudes which contribute to crime.
The upshot was a
major increase in crime despite the fact that economic condit'Ions
had improved and the welfare�t� had largely eliminated
poverty.
If these writers are correct, this would call for a reexamination
of the cultural factors which, in the large, condition the moral
att �tudes of the young� Cur�ently, school teachers are fiercely
resistant to pressures for doing more about character development
(an "unproTessional
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