Morals Off the Campus

Some denied it, some admitted it; some expressed qualified approval; others flatly disapproved. But to most observers, it was obvious that the moral standards of American adults have undergone a revolutionary change.

Where the grown-up of the 1900's lived enthralled by Horatio Alger's tales of the success brought about by honest virtue, today's adults savor passages like this one, from a recent popular novel: "%|#%/--$**Z"

Saddest of All

The saddest of all were the adults caught in the middle, those who could not decide whether to go with the tide of the new morality or to stand by their parents' ideals. "I just don't know; I like it, but I know it's bad," one Bayonne, N.J., housewife explained.

Psychiatrists took relaxed views of the question. "Adults always tend to overstate their sexual lives," said one reputable doctor. "The only difference between adults today and those of a generation ago is that they are finding their sex partners in their home towns instead of patronizing brothels and the like."

One Thing Obvious

It might be good; it might be bad; many were shocked; many were upset. But one thing was obvious: changes were taking place.