The apostle Paul, in advising Titus of those things which would be of most value to teach the saints, said:

Counsel for civic order

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

"That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

"That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

"To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

"Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded"  Titus 2:1-6

Civic disorder

Had parents the wisdom in this modern day to follow that simple bit of counsel, our communities would not find themselves in their present dilemma, the dilemma being: a murder occurring every 48 minutes, a forcible rape every 21 minutes, a robbery every three and a half minutes, an auto theft every 57 seconds, a grand larceny every 35 seconds, and a burglary every 23 seconds. Our nation is searching for an answer to this most serious problem; and our efforts to this point have been somewhat futile, primarily because we are not adhering to the "sound doctrine" mentioned by Paul.

In an editorial aired recently on KSL, which dealt with this problem, we find some searching questions. I quote:

"You hear all kinds of solutions proposed—better schools, more public housing, more integration, more social workers, more federal money to eliminate poverty.

"But most of those solutions run up against some troubling questions, such as, Why is there more crime than ever before when per capita income is higher than ever before? Why more crime when national illiteracy is at an all-time low? Why does crime seem to rise, the more federal money is poured in to fight poverty?

"There are no simple answers. But on one principle most people can agree: Juvenile crime is usually spawned by inadequate homes."

Responsibility as parents

We can spend millions in remedial programs aimed at the prevention and cure of crime, but the plain fact remains that until citizens recognize their divine responsibility as parents and are willing to be honest and respected themselves, and to teach their children likewise, crime will continue to increase. The home must ever foster the great and lasting virtues of purity of life, honesty, thrift, benevolence, and patriotism. To do this requires effort from both mother and father. It cannot be relegated to a baby sitter or a nursery school.

Neglect of children cause of crime

From an editorial written by David Lawrence, it seems that all who study the problem agree that neglect of children is a major factor in the rapid rise in crime, particularly among persons under 21. Placing much of the blame on parents, the report of the National Crime Commission makes these two significant statements:

1. "The programs and activities of almost every kind of social institution with which children come in contact—schools, churches, social service agencies, youth organizations—are predicated on the assumption that children acquire their fundamental attitude toward life, their moral standards, in their homes."

2. "What appears to be happening throughout the country, in the cities and in the suburbs, among the poor and among the well-to-do, is that parental or paternal authority over young people, is becoming weaker."

Value of parental discipline and guidance

The value of parental discipline and guidance is further illustrated from a broadcast delivered by Paul Harvey on Saturday, March 27, 1965:

"San Francisco's Chinatown epitomizes grinding poverty.

"For the child of Chinatown, life is mostly rice and salt, fish and work with his hands as soon as he's able.

"This is poverty. Chinatown population is 16 times more dense than the San Francisco average. Eight-tenths of all buildings need renovating."

He further states (which seems almost unbelievable):

"Yet, in the United States there has never been arrested a chronic delinquent child of Chinese parents!

"Seven percent of America's juveniles will be in trouble with the law this year. Not one Chinese.

"In the United States there has never been a Chinese convicted for rape, burglary, bank robbery, or desertion.

"In the half century of Chicago's Chinatown, there has been only one arrest for breaking and entering.

"Despite generations of western influence, this race has somehow check-reined the impulses of its vigorous youngsters. How?

"Albert K. Leong, president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Chicago, says, 'We keep a tight rein on our children until they are really responsible.'

"Editor Thomas Y. Fu of the China Times in Chicago's Chinatown says, 'Our children just naturally respect and obey their parents. A boy or girl would not bring shame on his family or his family name.'

"P. H. Chang, [former] Chinese Consul-General in New York City, says, 'A Chinese child, no matter where he lives, is brought up to recognize that he cannot shame his parents. Before a Chinese child makes a move, he stops to think what the reaction of his parents will be.'"

Respect and love at home

This being true, what then is wrong with our homes? Wherein does the weakness lie, or may we ask whence will come the strength to cope with the problem? Such strength as we will muster can only come from within—within the individual, within the family, and within the community. Such strength can only come by the family's being solidly bound together with love and respect of the child for the parent, and parent for the child, and the love of husband and wife. The home is the place to build such strength. This can only be done with full-time mothers, who are the divinely appointed keepers at home.

If there is no order in the home, if mother is absent, if it is deficient of a sound code of moral ethics, if it fails to have unity of purpose and omits the parental performance of guiding, disciplining, and teaching children, heaven cannot help that home. Parents must teach their children that the family name is important, that their actions must always be for the good of the individual, the family, and the society as a whole. They should be taught never to bring shame on themselves, their families, or their community. Since the family builds the individual, the family needs to be strong; and strong families come from strong parents who have adhered to the sound doctrine alluded to in Paul's epistle.

Order in the family divinely set

God set the order of the family. He created Adam; then, because, as he said, it is not good for man to be alone  Gen. 2:18 he created the woman, whom Adam called Eve because she was to be the mother of all living  Gen. 3:20 Mother is the term given to "one who gives birth" and "exercises protective care over." Father is the term given to "the male parent who begets a child" and "exercises protective care over."

As Adam and Eve were sent out of the Garden of Eden, Adam received the command, "in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread"  Gen. 3:19 and Eve received the admonition, "in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee"  Gen. 3:16 This was the family relationship as it was divinely instituted. Any action to upset that order can only lead to failure and trouble.

"Keepers at home"

In Paul's epistle, he instructed those responsible to teach the young women to be "keepers at home"  Titus 2:5 We are prone to skip lightly over that statement, but it is one of the saving factors of the home. There is one place for the mother, and that is in the home; particularly, she needs to be there when the children are home.

There are further comments that advise us that economic factors indirectly play a part in the absence of parental discipline. Working mothers are not at home during most of the day, and they are unaware of what their children are doing before or after school hours or with whom they are associating. Usually when the working mother is at home, her waking hours are filled with the usual domestic chores of washing, ironing, and general household duties. The school, therefore, during five days of supervision each week, must play a serious part in teaching morality. Admittedly, this is a poor substitute for a mother's duty, and the evidence stares at us.

The economic factor referred to above seems to be mothers leaving the home in an effort to secure unnecessary worldly goods and conveniences. Even with the most sophisticated reasoning to justify why mothers should work, the risk of failure in the home is still present.

After discussing the subject at a recent stake conference, I received this letter from a working mother. The letter reads:

"At our stake conference today, I could have stood up and cheered your comments about working mothers. I am thoroughly convinced that many of the nation's ills could be eliminated by mothers remaining at home and being good homemakers and wives. Husbands would respond to the dependence of being the provider and head of the family; youngsters could contribute to their own miscellaneous needs for money by paper routes, etc., and not be contributing to delinquency. The whole family could definitely benefit and grow by working together in harmony and understanding to live within the wage that was brought into the home. Being a good wife and mother and sweetheart is career enough for any woman.

"For us, 25 years of ideal marriage (20 years temple marriage) has evaporated in divorce and despair . . . A goodly portion of the breakdown came from my going out of the home to work, and the chain reaction of minute events that grew like a cancer, quietly and deadly."

Sorrow and unfulfillment will lie at the end of the career of a working mother who has neglected her family. While it is understood that some mothers must work because of no other income coming to the home, there should be no excuse for supplementing the husband's income for the purchase of so-called luxuries and conveniences.

Making family income do

My wife and I were married during the time of the depression. I had purchased a new car, and it was all paid for. I was employed—my salary was $ 125 per month. I remember bringing home my first check. My wife said, "It isn't very much, is it?" I replied, "No, but it will do." She said, "Yes, if we budget it." So we sat down and budgeted: $12.50 for tithing; $1.00 for fast offerings; $45 for rent; $40 for food, and additional amounts for utilities and clothing; and $10 in the savings account, for we presumed and anticipated that a child would come eventually. When we added it all up, the $125 was all allocated. I said to my wife, "It's all gone, and there isn't any left to buy gasoline for my car. What am I going to do?" She replied, "Sorry. I guess you'll have to walk."

So I walked back and forth to work, and the car stayed right in the garage for several months until I got a raise and could spare a little to buy gasoline. We've always managed to get along on my income, and I don't think we have ever had an unhappy moment over it, but rather, much satisfaction in coping with the situation. It isn't so much what you earn but how you manage.

I am grateful for the home in which I was reared. It was a humble home, but mother was always there, just in case an injury occurred or we needed discipline and attention.

This, my brothers and sisters, is the way out of the racking situation that we are in today in this nation. It is sound doctrine for the mother to assume her divinely appointed role as "keeper at home"  Titus 2:5 and the father to provide for his family, and for both mother and father to restore parental authority in the home through sound teachings and wise love and discipline of their children.

May we not have to learn through suffering and misery the truth of our Prophet's words, "No other success can compensate for failure in the home." This is my fervent prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.