My Brethren and Sisters and Friends, As I Approach...

My brethren and sisters and friends of the television and radio audience, as I approach this solemn duty, I sense fully the need of your united support and particularly the sustaining and guiding influence of the Spirit of the Lord. ¶

"I charge thee, . . ." wrote Paul to Timothy, "before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, . . . ¶

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering. . . ." (2 Tim. 4:1-2.) ¶

In the same letter he prophetically declared ". . . that in the last days perilous times shall come. ¶

"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, . . . ¶

". . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ¶

"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: . . ." (Ibid., 3:1-2, 4-5.) ¶

Safeguards Against Delinquency

It is in the spirit of Paul's charge and prophecy that I approach the subject of safeguards against delinquency of youth. In naming these safeguards I have nothing new to offer. You have heard them mentioned frequently, but I think, as with the gospel principles, it is fitting that we be active in season and out of season, that we reprove, rebuke, exhort, admonish with all longsuffering as we contemplate the rising crime wave and bring home to each of us, if possible, the realization that greater diligence is needed. ¶

Few will question the fact that we are living in perilous times, that many people have lost their moorings and are being ". . . tossed to and fro, . . . with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" (Eph. 4:14.) ¶

Among the glaring evils of our day are two which seem to be most detrimental and which must be curbed if we would preserve true Christian ideals. These are: first, an increasing tendency to dishonor the marriage vow; and second, the mounting juvenile delinquency. Careful study discloses a close relationship between these two unwholesome social conditions. ¶

Tendency to Dishonor Marriage Vows

As evidence of the first, we need only to glance at the number of divorces in the country at large. Recent statistics disclose that one out of every four marriages is separated by the ever grinding divorce mill. ¶

Ever-increasing Crime

But it is the ever increasing crime wave to which I desire to call attention this morning. Children are being corrupted by it; youth are caught in its whirlpool and are being contaminated overwhelmingly by it. ¶

J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who is probably our nation's leading authority on crime, made the following alarming report at a dinner held in his honor in Chicago, Illinois, on November 24, 1964: ¶

"To every man and every nation there comes a time when decisions must be made about grave problems. Further delay in seeking solutions can bring disaster. That time has come for the United States. ¶

"The moment has arrived when we must face realistically the startling fact that since 1958 crime in this country has increased five times faster than our population growth! Serious crimes — murder, forcible rape, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, automobile theft — have mounted steadily since the end of World War II. In 1951, these crimes for the first time topped the one-million mark, and more than two and one-quarter million serious crimes were reported during 1963. ¶

"Even more ominous is the fact that this terrifying spiral in crime has come about through a growing wave of youthful criminality across the Nation. Last year for the fifteenth consecutive year, crimes involving our young people increased over the previous year. For all serious crimes committed in the United States in 1963, youthful offenders were responsible for 72 percent of the total arrests for these crimes! The cost of our crime has now reached the staggering sum of twenty-seven billion dollars a year! ¶

Decline of Moral Strength

"What a grim and unhappy commentary on the moral climate of this great Nation! The moral strength of our Nation has decreased alarmingly. We must return to the teachings of God if we are to cure this sickness. These shocking statistics, together with the public's apparent indifference to them, are indicative of the false morality we are tolerating today. It is a false code which is based on the worship of things of man's own creation. It is as imperfect and feeble as man himself! However captivating to the senses, this type of moral climate cannot give the support nor the strength which is so vital to our national survival. This breakdown in our moral standards can only render us impotent as a people and as a Nation." ¶

In calling attention to these conditions, I would not have you think that our young people generally do not merit our confidence. It is the few, not the many, of whom we now speak. ¶

When, a few years ago, a little four-year-old lad wandered into the Badlands of North Dakota, the whole countryside was aroused and organized for the rescue. They gave no thought, however, to the hundreds of four-year-olds who were safe in their mothers' keeping. A train wreck or an airplane disaster shocks us to attention, awakens sympathy and a demand for more safeguards, while to the hundreds of trains and airplanes carrying millions to safety, we give scarcely a passing thought. ¶

So while we solicitously call attention to the tragedies in the stream of human life, let us not be unmindful of the much greater group who move steadily and successfully along, avoiding the sandbars and rapids of sinful indulgence and spiritual decay, whose noble lives confirm and increase confidence in the growing generation. As we seek the lost sheep, let us be appreciative of the "ninety and nine" that are safe in the fold. ¶

But no matter how firm our confidence in the majority of the young, we must not close our eyes to the fact that the number of delinquents and youthful criminals is ominously increasing. In the interest of the moral atmosphere of our communities, the welfare of the state, the perpetuity of our democratic form of government, we must search for the causes of this upswing in crime, and, if possible, remove them and apply the proper remedies. ¶

Safeguard Against Delinquency: Home

One important cause of the increase in child delinquency is a letdown in home ideals. A growing desire for economic independence or a too eager willingness to improve financial circumstances has influenced too many of our mothers to neglect the greatest of all responsibilities — the rearing of a family. Director Hoover makes the definite statement that "in the background of these youth offenders lies the story of shocking neglect. Boys and girls are being deprived of the care and guidance necessary to the proper foundation of their characters. Their lawlessness had its roots in every instance in broken homes where mothers and fathers, because of their neglect, misunderstanding, or irresponsibility had failed in their primary obligations. More often than not, God was unknown, or, more important, was unwelcome in their homes. ¶

"On the other hand, in nearly every instance the youthful offender would have been a strong, upright citizen had he been given a chance. If his pent-up energies and desires had been directed along wholesome channels; if his problems — the problems that made him a problem child — had been solved by patient and attentive parents, he would have proved to be an influence for good in his community." ¶

You may think me extreme, but I am going to say that a married woman who refuses to assume the responsibilities of motherhood, or who, having children, neglects them for pleasure or social prestige, is recreant to the highest calling and privilege of womankind. The father who, because of business or political or social responsibilities, fails to share with his wife the responsibilities of rearing his sons and daughters is untrue to his marital obligations, is a negative element in what might and should be a joyous home atmosphere, and is a possible contributor to discord and delinquency. ¶

There are three fundamental things to which every child is entitled: (1) a respected name, (2) a sense of security, (3) opportunities for development. ¶

The family gives to the child his name and standing in the community. A child wants his family to be as good as those of his friends. He wants to be able to point with pride to his father and to feel an inspiration always as he thinks of his mother. It is a mother's duty so to live that her children will associate with her everything that is beautiful, sweet, and pure. In the words of former President of the United States, Herbert Hoover: "After we have determined every scientific fact, after we have erected every public safeguard, after we have constructed every edifice for education or training or hospitalization or play, yet all these things are but a tithe of the physical, moral, and spiritual gifts which motherhood gives and home confers. None of these things carry that affection, that devotion of soul, which is the great endowment from mothers." ¶

And the father should so live that the child, emulating his example, will be a good citizen and, in the Church, a true Latter-day Saint. ¶

A child has a right to feel that in his home he has a place of refuge, a place of protection from the dangers and evils of the outside world. Family unity and integrity are necessary to supply this need. ¶

The home is the best place in the world to teach the highest ideal in the social and political life of man, namely, perfect liberty of action so long as he does not trespass upon the rights and privileges of another. ¶

The great need of the American home today is more religion. Parents should make it obvious both by their actions and their conversation that they are seriously interested in the fruits of true religion. Example of parents should emphasize the need of honesty in our dealings with our family, our neighbors, and all with whom we come in contact: of kindness to our employees, of fair play to our employers, of good measure to our customers. ¶

The Lord places the responsibility directly where it belongs, wherein he says that it is the duty of parents to teach their children the principles of the gospel and to walk uprightly before the Lord, and if they do not so teach, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. (See D&C 68:25.) ¶

Safeguard Against Delinquency: Church

Next to the home as a safeguard to delinquency, the church should be a dominant force. The other day I was pleased to note a recent Gallup Poll published in a late edition of the New York Herald Tribune which revealed that in 1964 at least 45 percent of the entire adult population of the nation attended church in one typical week and that, although the percentage dropped four points since the peak year of 1958, it is still so high that it completely eclipses the 5 percent and 7 percent in some of the other leading countries. It is interesting that although men are reputedly not very religious, 40 percent of the entire male adult population of the United States attends church each Sunday. Forty-nine percent of the women attend regularly. This means that 49,500,000 adult men and women attend church services in the United States. But what of the other 55 percent of men and women who do not attend church and what of the children who come from the homes of these men and women? Their indifference towards church should tend only to spur us to more earnest and diligent activity. ¶

Safeguard Against Delinquency: Schools

Where there is an indifference toward Christian churches, we shall have to place next to the home, not the church, but the public school as the most influential factor in lessening delinquency. ¶

I believe with all my heart that the most paramount objective of the public school system from kindergarten to the university should be character building and the evolving of true, loyal citizens of the republic. The teaching of the three R's, of the arts and sciences, even the delving into research work should be but a means to the development of true manhood and noble womanhood. ¶

True education is awakening a love for truth, a just sense of duty, opening the eyes of the soul to the great purpose and end of life. It is not to teach the individual to love the good for personal sake; it is to teach him to love the good for the sake of the good itself; to be virtuous in action because he is so in heart; to love God and serve him supremely, not from fear, but from delight in his perfect character. ¶

Upon the teacher rests much of the responsibility of lifting society to this high level. Ralph Waldo Emerson, reputedly the wisest American, said, "Character is higher than intellect . . . A great soul will be strong to live, as well as to think." (Nature, Addresses, and Lectures: The American Scholar.) ¶

Safeguard Against Delinquency: Moral Atmosphere of Leaders, Community, State and Nation

Another safeguard against delinquency of youth is the moral atmosphere of the leaders of the nation, town, and community. This is determined by the ideals and actions of adults, and particularly of civic officers and those who are entrusted to enforce the law. ¶

If we are sincere in our desire to reduce the delinquency among youth, let us look to ourselves as members of the community and as leaders and officials in civic circles. A nation that has conquered great material difficulties and harnessed the physical powers must have some more effective means of combating the cynicism of its youth — the cynicism born of widely flaunted dishonesty of those in high places, insincerity of leadership, and gaudy pageantry of crime. ¶

Yes, we are living in perilous times, but let us hope that they may be to the present generation as the fiery furnace that consumes the dross but purifies the gold. ¶

A clean man is a national asset. A pure woman is the incarnation of true national glory. A citizen who loves justice and hates evil is better than a battleship. The strength of any community consists of and exists in the men who are pure, clean, upright, and straightforward, ready for the right and sensitive to every approach of evil. Let such ideals be the standard of citizenship. ¶

Let us here and now express gratitude for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its priesthood quorums and auxiliary organizations especially organized to combat the evils of crime and juvenile delinquency. It was established by divine revelation of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. Its glorious mission is to proclaim the birth of the restored gospel; to uplift society that people may mingle more amicably one with another; to create in our communities a wholesome environment in which our children may find strength to resist temptation and encouragement to strive for cultural and spiritual attainment; to make ineffective the influence of designing men who would make profit out of their fellows who are fallen so low as to be slaves to their appetites and passions, who would fill their purses through the weaknesses of addicts of gambling, drunkenness, and nicotine. The gospel is a rational philosophy that teaches mankind how to attain happiness in this life and exaltation in the life to come. ¶

God help us to discharge our responsibilities to our youth by making an environment in home, in school, in Church, and in our communities that will be uplifting, wholesome, faith-inspiring, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶