The following study should alarm us adults and cause us to do something NOW to reverse this looming crisis. Here's the study:

A group of educators and scholars, alarmed at soaring rates of teenage homicides, suicides and out-of-wedlock births, attacked what it called the "timidity" of schools in instilling good character traits in the young. The 27 academics warned that "schools in general are not doing enough to counter the symptoms of serious decline in youth character." The report, "Developing Character: Transmitting Knowledge," cited government statistics showing that out-of-wedlock births females ages 15-19 have increased 800 percent since 1940, and the rate of death by homicide for males, 15-24 climbed 315 percent.

A horrible outlook. But perhaps we are too late, since this report was published by the Spokesman-Review, in November of 1984.