Article September 1, 2013

A balance sheet of moral values

Erwin D. Canham

Originally published in the March 29, 1963 issue of The Christian Science Monitor

The response of readers and of editors of other publications to this series of articles has been vigorous evidence of the yearning in humankind for ways to achieve a cleaner, clearer society. Is there in fact an erosion of morals in nearly all areas of modern life? Certainly it would seem so. As this series has abundantly documented, there is a widespread challenge to standards we have long respected.

But in which direction are we really moving? Is there not something signiﬁcant and hopeful in our very concern? Is there not much less concealment of immorality than ever before? In what scales can we weigh against one another such blights as the present licentiousness of cheap publications, ﬁlms, books which poison the minds and emotions of youth, and the 19th-century evil of massive child labor?

What, in short, is the balance sheet of moral values today?

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