Morals: Religion and Students
(Continued from page two)
we’re in today . . . And, too, I
haven’t noticed any change in
moral attitudes.”
At Sarah Lawrence College,
one of the history instructors
observed “a notable re-awaken
ing of religious interest. There
is much greater awareness of re
ligious affiliation than in past
years. Students are finding out
the origin of their ancestral be
liefs in a desire to identify them
selves, to attach themselves to
something. It might be a vogue,
but I think it’s much more. It’s
an effore in a chaotic world at
reaching some kind of security.”
And Dean Esther Raushen
bush of Sarah Lawrence con
firmed this. “I find an intensi
fied interest in religion, com
pletely different from the devil
may-care materialism that was
so characteristic of the Twenties.
I find a real concern for classify
ing values, and one of the ways
is religion. It is not an institu
tionalized religion. It is a search
for values, not dogma. I think
it is also an indication that what
sometimes looks like loose moral
qbhavior is part of the serious
quest for something to cling to.”
There can be little question
that over the course of the past
four or five generations—rough
ly 75 or 100 years—there has
been an erosion of religious be
liefs and practices in America.
You have only to read Alexis de
Tocqueville’s great study, “De
mocracy in America,” written a
little over a century ago, to find
an account of how deep and
crucial a role religion played in
American life at that time; and
compare it with recent question
naire studies (there was one in
•the Ladies’ Home Journal and
one in Fortune in 1948) to get a
sense of the distance we have
traveled.
• Many commentators have tak
en a dark view of this trend and
its effect on morals. As Profes
sor Stace has put it, “The reli
gious basis of ideals active Pro
testants, the religiously inactive
Jews and Protestants, and the
non-churchgoing Catholics as
the most active sexually.
For the college age-groups of
16 to 20, the ranking was some
what different. The orthodox
Jews were still at the bottom,
followed still by the devout
Catholics and the religiously
active Protestants. But the non
churchgoing Catholics came next
followed by the religiously in
active Protestants, with the in
active Jews as the most active
sexually.
■^vVith some slight variations,
the sequence was not much dif
ferent on non-marital inter
course and on petting-to-climax
among students. On both it was
the same sequence except that
the non-churchgoing Catholics
were in. the highest frequency
group.
If the figures are valid they
confirm the traditional view that,
religion acts to some degree as
a control over moral behavior.
But there is this qualification:
it must be not just formal mem
bership in a religious group, but
some kind of religious commit
ment, whether active church at
tendance or devoutness of be
lief. What must further be point
ed out is that the degree to
which religion acts as a control
is not as great as some have
claimed or hoped.
To take, for example, the
rather crucial question of pet
ting-to-climax: the percentage
of students who have engaged in
it by the end of their college
years is 39.6 per cent for the reli
giously active Protestants, as
afpllnsi 50 per Cent for llie non
churchgoing Catholics. The en
tire spread from one extreme to
the other is a little more than
ten per cent. This is the basis
for Kinsey’s statement that “re
ligious backgrounds seem to
have had little to do with the
individual's acceptance or re
jection of such activity.”
I turn to a study of a very
different kind, “The Religious
Beliefs of Youth,” by Murray
G. Ross (Association Press)
published last May. It is based
on a questionnaire filled out by
1,935 young people who have
taken part in YMCA activities,
along with intensive interviews
with 100 of them. This group
with which Ross worked, both
non-college and college, num
bered almost 80 per cent church
members. While he did not make
a detailed statistical breakdown
on sexual behavior, Ross says
cauticftisly that his “general im
pression, however, is that some
of Dr. Kinsey's findings would
not be inapplicable to this group.”
What is important about the
Ross study, however, is quite
another aspect. It is the most
careful large-scale study we
have had that tries to get into
the religious attitudes of Ameri
can youth to see what they mean
in terms of DEPTH of belief.
As I have noted, about 80 per
cent of the Ross sample were
church-goers, either frequent or
infrequent. More than that per
centage prayed, either daily or
frequently or occasionally. Yet
what is striking is that for most
of this group, religion was not an
active part of their daily life or
their thoughts. “Less than 20 per
cent find in religion a basis or
compelling guide for their every
day behavior. For the others . . .
religion has almost ceased to pro
vide a significant or lofty ideal
which gives life purpose and dir
rection.”
In other words, if we use the
test of a genuine religious com
mitment, which is not a matter
of lip-service of hand-me-down
dogmas but of daily thought and
behavior, the picture Ross gives
is a startling one.
“Only about 16 per cent of the
total respondents possess that
combination of firm belief, zest
for life, and sense of security
which have been here accepted as
the characteristics of the religi
ous person." I should add that the
sample included all three <of the
great religious faiths, and that
about only one in 10 was a dis
believer, or cynical about re
ligion.
And for our purpose, one of the
striking facts is that Ross found
the college graduates less relig
ious than those of the lower edu
cational levels.
Thus if it is true that there is
a return to religion on the camp
us, as my opening quotes would
indicate, it is a very new develop
ment which had not yet had a
chance to be reflected in the stud
ies made, and which may in the
future have some sort of effect on
morals.
(TOMORROW: Sex Education
and Morals)
Ad Staff 'Helpless;'
Manager Asks Aid
The Emerald advertising de
partment will interview students
interested in working in adver
tising this afternoon between
1 and 4, according to Don
Thompson, business manager.
Interest is the only require
ment, Thompson said, although
some advertising experience
would be helpful.
Positions are open for a lay
out manager and staff, day
manager and staff, zone man
ager and staff, and for general
layout work.
SU Committees
Now Accepting
Student Petitions
Petitions for 69 openings on sev
en Student Union standing com
mittees are being accepted until
1 p.m. Tuesday in either the pro
gram director’s office in the SU
or by Bill Carey, chairman of the
Interview and Referral committee.
Recent authorization by the SU
board of four new committees will
require 25 members to bring them
to full strength. At present the
four committees—concert, dance,
movie, and workshop—are func
tioning with former members of
the now defunct ballroom com
mittee.
In addition, three othex* commit
tees—publicity, house, and cultur
al—will take on 44 new members.
The cultural committee tops the
quota request with 28.
Petitions may be obtained in
the program director’s third floor
office. Grade eligibility certificates
are available in the Office of Stu
dent Affairs.
Cax-ey sad that students should
include their addi-ess and phone
number on their petitions so that
the Interview and Referral com
mittee can contact them for inter
views, set for the night of Jan. 18.
Board Petitions
Deadline Today
Petitions to fill the vacancy left
by the resignation of Student
Union Board member Carol Udy
are due in the office of the pro
gram director, third floor of the
SU, by 5 this afternoon.
Juniors in the School of Educa
tion who can fulfill the scholastic
requirements of the University are
eligible for the position.
Appointment of a new member
will come through a majority vote
of board members. It will be ef
fective until the end of the school
year.
Petitioners will be interviewed
by the board Tuesday night in the
SU. Announcement of the appoint
ment will probably be made that
night.
Meeting to Explaivm
Rushing Procedure
Sorority rushing procedure
for winter term will be explain
ed at 4 p.m. today in the Stu
dent Union, Joan White, Panhel
Ienie president, has announced^
The 66 women who have sign
ed up for rushing are asked to
attend this meeting, Miss White
stated. Rushing begins Tuesday,,
with bids to be given Jan. 29.
Written invitations extended
through Panhellenic will be used
for rushing dates this term, she
said.
Senior Ball Petitions Due:
Petitions for Senior Ball chair
manships are due at 5 p.m. todays.
They may be submitted to Steve
Church at Theta Chi, or Flo Han
sen at Alpha Omicron Pi.
11 a.m/Shadows of Significant Signs*
KASH Broadcast
9:45 a.m.—Bible School
6:30—Fellowship
“THE JEW, TODAY AND TOMORROW”
Bdwy. at High Dr. Vance H. Webster, Pastor
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
HEAR DR. J. EDWIN ORR—JAN. 21-FEB. 2
Drill Night
From a point high on the campus, a radar beam searches
the sky. Lights burn in classrooms. Khaki replaces tweed and
covert for the night as college men assigned to Reserve units
study the machines and methods of defense.
Preparedness is the order of the day.
And the Bell System stands prepared. In five busy years,
we have added more than 12,500,000 telephones. Many improve
ments have been made in the quality and speed of service. Out
force of highly skilled, experienced men and women has been
greatly enlarged —and now numbers more than 600,000.
A nation in a hurry goes by telephone. This country has
the best telephone service in the world.
BELL TELEPHONE SYSTEM