Creator
W[illiam] H. Trout
Recipient
John Muir
Preview
Transcription
3but the proportion is even less than here, and in both places the business and working habits of the times are against the men. Some are in the shops on Sunday, Some on the road as train men, or travellers. Some in their business offices or stores in the forenoon attending telegraph telephone or business correspondence. Only a moderate minority of the male members will be in the morning service of the church. The women and girls will be there 5 to 1.In Milwaukee the girls are ahead in the common and high schools. The high schools graduate 2 1/2 girls to one boy. It is similar in the Sunday school; fewer boys attend, and they give more trouble to teach and stay a shorter time than girls. Most of the girls and only some of the boys graduate into the church. And a resulting counterpoint of this is that boy criminals are increasingly filling up our jails and reformatories! The boy problem is a great one.As for the causes of these conditions (I speak more particularly for Milwaukee) I place first the greed for wealth. 2d Socialism, which tho opposed to wealth, exalting altruistic theories, yet makes no practical advance, Ignoring where they do not directly oppose everything Christian. A few indeed try to combine both, but their influences is lost in the general trend, which is materialistic, even sensualistic. amusement seeing to be the highest aspiration. This increasingly pervading belief in the necessity of amusements, I would place as a 3d adverse cause. If amusements were a nesscessity how did you and get on? So the life of the community is frittered away, worthy objects being out of consideration. Religion regarded as only a sentiment, and morals a matter of preference, adaptable to a situation. Outward respectable people claim the freedom of their inclinations and appetites, and even their passions; and the vital backing and propelling force, behind those evil influences, is the Hyda headed, monopolistic, all pervading, wide spreading Dragon of the liquor traffic. Mutually helpful with it is political graft, the Social evil, White Slave Traffic and gambling. A combination that appalls good men, and they only dare attack the baser manifestations.05376
Location
Lufkin, Texas
Date Original
1913 Feb 15
Source
Original letter dimensions: 28 x 21.5 cm.
Resource Identifier
muir21_0137-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 21, Image 0137
Copyright Status
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Owning Institution
University of the Pacific Library Holt-Atherton Special Collections. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Page Number
Page 3
Keywords
John Muir, correspondence, letters, author, writing, naturalist, California, correspondent, mail, message, post, exchange of letters, missive, notes, epistle
