America Heading into Sex Anarchy, U.S. Morals Falling, States Sorokin

The United States has made large strides towards a goal of either sexual freedom or anarchy in the last few decades, Pitirim A. Sorokin, professor of Social Relations, said yesterday.

Lecturing before the Social Relations Society, Sorokin stated that American culture "is now permeated with a sexiness that oozes out everywhere." He predicted that if the current trend toward laxity continues, pro-marital chastity will be a historical myth.

As evidence of a situation which he said exists throughout the country, Sorokin cited the rapidly increasing divorce rate, the increase in illegitimacy and the decrease in pre-marital virginity.

Shorter Lives Predicted

"In the generations born before 1890, 35 percent of women were chaste when they married, while in the generations born after 1910, the proportion has fallen to 32 percent," he said.

He prophesied that sexually preoccupied people would suffer a decrease in physical vitality, and, consequently, have shorter life spans. "Disintegration of moral values will come to these people, for those who break their marriage vows will inevitably break other vows."

This breakdown would have a negative effect upon creativity, he claimed.

"The great creative masters of all arts were not sexual butterflies."

He did not make a definitive prediction as to where the country's sex-obsession would lead. He did say, however, that, on the basis of historical induction; "in general the periods of sexual anarchy in great cultures come shortly before decay." This is true whether the decay proved to be temporary or irretrievable.

Attributing the sexiness that is weakening America to Freudian influences, he said that Russia's great strength may lie in the fact that Russians generally regard the Freudian theory as nonsense.