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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN.
.NO^uiyk.;: .
Officers
State Society.
President:
Dupont Gnerrj,
Macon.
First Vice-Pres,:
Dr. A. It. Holderby,
Atlanta.
Second Vice-Pres.:
Dr. B. C. Peete,
Macon.
Secretary'Treasurer:
Dr. W. T. Jones,
Atlanta.
Annual Meeting (n
May, 1907, at Macon.
SOCIOLOGICAL
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE—Rev. C. B. Wilraer, J.
D. Cleaton, E. Marvin Underwood, Dr. R. R. Kime.
Officers
Atlanta Society.
(tegular Meeting on
Second Thursday
Night of h'fteh
Month at Carnegie
Library.
THE PRIMAL CAUSES OF CRIME AND BEST METHODS OF PREVENTION
By
M
By E. MARVIN UNDERWOOD.
ANY * criminologist, declare
. crime to be a disease. Disease
Is that state which Is otherwise
him normal, that Is a diseased person
» an abnormal person. The severity
,r a diseaee Is marked by the number
or magnitude of abnormalities. The
nimlnal Is a diseased person in the
sense that he Is abnormal, the stand
ard of normality being the attributes
most often found in the average man.
Criminologists havs for ssvsrat decades
heen studying and classifying these
abnormalities. It has been demonstrat
ed by them that crime Is due to phys
leal as well as moral abnormalities, and
as a result of this discovery the beat
institution, for criminals have become,
so to apeak, great hospitals for the cor
rection of criminal abnormalities, rath
er than penal institutions where society
wreaks vengeance upon transgressors.
If crime be a disease In the above
sense, a premise we accept, then the
primal causes of crime are abnormali
ties residing In the criminal and crime
must be prevented by removing them
and checking their propagation. Buch
abnormalities originate and are devel
oped, as In other diseases, from and
bv heredity and environment.
Low vitality plays an Important role
In criminal history. Most petty crim
inals and those guilty of sexual and
other crimes of weakness show tow vi
tality, which Is usually an Inherited
defect. '
They have not eufllclent energy to
earn an honest livelihood, nor will
power to control themselves, and drift
Into pauperism, twin sister of crime, or
Into petty crimes. Eighty-two per cent
of apprebeoded criminals have accu
mulated no property and 25 per cent are
of pauper stock. The criminal rolls
are swelled by such criminals who have
Inherited weak bodies and wills from
diseased parents or whose low vitality
resulted from the consanguinity of
their parents or the Immaturity or de
generation of one or both at the time
of conception. Ten per cent of appre
hended criminate show Insanity or epi
lepsy In ancestry and. doubtless, sta
tistic, were they at hand, would sHow
of crime Is home environment. Ninety,
slx per cent of Juvenile criminals come
from homes classed as bad. Nearly 55
per cent of criminals are under 20 years
of age. and since, unless reformed, they
will become habitual .criminals, Juvenile
correction becomes most important. In
many Instances the home is actually
criminal and children are taught crime
by precept and example. They are con
stantly brought Into contact with llcen-
tlousness, drunkenness, brawls and
thieving. In other homes, psrhapa the
majority, the parents are well-meaning,
but through Ignorance, selfishness, pov
erty or neglect make criminals of their
children. The children And no love nor
attention, always seam unwelcome and
are often sent away with a cuff or cross
words, conditions blighting and de
structive to moral development. The
home Is ugly, dirty and unattractive
and usually the yard Is small and fllthy.
Can we wonder that children loathe
such homes and wish to stay there as
little ae possible? The parents, glad
to be rid of them, permit them to run
the streets at all hours of the day and
night, where they are attracted by the
lights and music of theaters and places
of amusement, to them a heaven com
pared with their homes, where they
meet other such boys and become
members of a “gang.” The tine qual
ities of boy nature, which should lead
them to success and good citizenship,
are In such associations perverted, be
cause misdirected, and they fall Into
crime. Their wants are enlarged by
desire to enter such places or to treat
their fellows and money Is needed to
satisfy them. Their parents give them
no spending money and, If they are
working, even strip them of their earn
ings, so they soon resort to theft.
Many sordid parents, amply able to
support their families, keep their chil
dren out of school and put them to
work for the small pittance of a salary
a child can earn. All ocupatlons of
children are trying enough upon their
morals, but some are almost sure to
swamp them In the gulf of Immorality
and crime. Employment In whisky
houses, In messenger service. In news
paper selling, etc., places the immatpre
ntnld temptations, to which even the
strong sqccumb.
The eiJSrkWcheck crime by the puni
tive system in vogue in Georgia, In
[ not money, but reformation alone re
stores him to respectability.
Society would rid Itself of much
crime by securing to its less fortunate
members their birthright of sanitary
homes and sufficient education. Prop
erty owners should not be allowed to
rent houses which are certain to Im
pair the health of tenants too ignorant
to recognize the danger. They should
be forced to keep their houses In better
repair and the yards drained and san
itary. Cities, especially in the poorer
and crowded sections, should supply
parks and play grounds, where chil
dren can breathe pure air and get
healthy exercise. Until this Is done we
cannot expect the children, who. are
driven from homo by Irritable parents,
to stay off of the streets and out of
public places, where they learn the first
lessons of crime.
The Juvenile court and probation sys.
tern • Is the only effective method of
dealing with Juvenile criminals. The
punitive system, which prevails In
Oeorgla, Is an utter failure. The JuJgo
of the Juvenile rourl should be relieved
of all other duties so that he can de
vote tils whole time to the Juventlc
offenders, and should be supplied with
competent officers. His court room
should be as far removed as possible
from the Jail and adult court
room and stl suggestions
of a criminal court avoided. No formal
charges should be made against the
offender. The Judge should talk with
the child in private and learn all ho
can about his character and reason
for committing the offense. Ills paront-
re, health and mental capacity should
1. be considered. If the child can be
safely left with Ids parents. It Is wise
to put him on probation, after a father
ly talk by the Judge. While on pro
bation the child must reimn regularly
to the probation officer. And It Is the
duty of this officer to frequently and
unexpectedly visit him In lit* home, to
see that proper Influences • surround
hint. If necessary, the parents should
also be put on probation and required
to give proper attention to the child.
This system has proved very effective.
In some Jurisdictions 95 law cent, of
the probationers being reported as "re
formed. If the child cannot lie put on
probation he is sent to a reformatory
school. This reformatory should lie con
ducted along the same lines ns the one
__i_ . - - 0 . live ejoiFui .in iii uovtsmi »ss uuuni uiuiik mu Biiiiif 11lira tin uir wir
dlJZuMd bodies ffi ancestry* ^ d many. di/W In the majority of cases, hereinafter dlscrtbed. but should be
(iiieaasa noaies in ancestry. t. -v . . , far removed from the adult reforma-
Alcoholltm Is a prolific cause of
crime. It produces partial atrophy of
the brain, which Is handed down to the
children. The brain then becomes too
small for Its honey case and brain dls
eases result. If this continues through
several generations it will lead to Im
becility and crime. Forty-three per
cent of criminals are of Inebriate fami
lies, while 40 per esnt are habitual
drunkards.
The Influence of heredity Is startlng-
ly shown by the history of the "Jukes."
The progenerator of the family led a
very Irregular life and drank exces
sively. Of hia 1,200 descendants, there
were 220 paupers, 140 criminals. 250
arrests end trials, 60 habitual thieves,
• murderers and murdered, 440 con
taminated with loathsome disposes, 20
bastards and prostitutes and 200 pre
mature deaths of children. The cost
to society of this one family Is com'
puted at $1,202,000.
Other primal causes of crime may be
dossed under environment. Under this
head our subject touches nearly every
phase of Ilfs.
Bad laws, especially those pertain'
ing to marriage, divorce and tha pun>
lahment of crime and the lax and un
fair administration of law Is directly
responsible for much crime.
Educational neglect or unwise edu
cation renders parsons very suscepti
ble to evil Influences and less amena
ble to the good. The Ignorant have less
control over their passions, act on Im
pulse and prejudice and are prone to
excesses. Ignorance leads to pauperism
nnd disease, and they to crime. About
80 per cent of all the criminals In state
prisons are untrained men without
tradee.
In the rapid growth of cities, too, lit
tle attention has been paid to sanita
tion and health. Impure water, air
contaminated by tubercular and other
(terms, small and foul yards and dirty
houses In which large numbers are
crowded regardless of sex, have cre
sted conditions fruitful of crime and
the more dangerous because they are
usually primal rather than Immediate
causes, a fact which obscures their na
ture.
the most Important and prolific cause
mqket .'criminals out of offenders or de
velops Them Into worse criminals. The
6rl*on4r Is placed In Jail, a cess-pool
of vice and degradation, to await .trial.
First offenders, children and habitual
criminals are not classified and sepa
rated, but locked In together where un
restricted conversation makes the Jail
a school house of crime. At the trial
the Judge, using his discretion between
a maximum and minimum sentence,
imposes ft fixed term, and the convict
Is sgmt to a penal Institution, usually
composed of a camp of convicts leased
by a private citizen. No effort la made
to reform the convict: his moral con
dition Is of no consequence, but his (Ra
pacity for work all Important: no hope
Is held out for hfi re-entrance into
freedom, should he prove himself re-
formed, but on the other hand, the de
pressing certainty that, however worthy
hs may become of citizenship, he must
serve out his term, In company with
habitual criminals, the latter being as
certain as he of their release at the
end of their sentence, regardless of
whether or not they are dangerous per
sons to turn loose upon' society. He
finds no sympathy, no hope, only chains
and degradation. The fact, shown by
statistics, that most of our criminals
repeatedly return to crime. Is proof of
ths Inefficiency of the system at cor
rective or protective.
Advocacy of definite methods of pre
vention of crime should follow a dis
cussion of Its causes.
To prevent the transmission of crimi
nal tendencies by heredity, we must
reform prospective parents, or when
this Is Impossible, and also when they
are diseased or Indigent, prohibit their
marriage. Our marriage laws shoulc
deny license unless the applicant shows
that the parties are mature and heatthy
enough to produce a self-supporting
progeny, that they have reasonable
means of supporting a family and that
they are not criminals, j
The administration of law should be
swift and impartial. The criminal In
high-places must be shown that he Is
more culpable than the petty criminal
and that his health and position will
not shield him from the lot of other
criminals. Society must demand that.
far removed from the adult reforms
tory.
We have heretofore discussed the
treatment of criminals outside of penal
or reformatory Institutions. Let us now
discuss the methods of treating them
In such Institutions.
There ore three classes of criminals
whose treatment Is to be discussed.
The first class, consisting of the In
sane, epileptic, inebriate or physlcully
Infirm, should be sent to Institutions
especially equipped for the treatment
of these diseases and kept there until
cured.
Tha second class, consisting of the
able-bodied habitual criminals whose
cases have proved hopeless under the
reformatory method, should be per
manently Incarcerated In a separate In
stitution. It Is folly to repeatedly re
lease a convict, whose conduct renders
his return to crime a certainty, at the
expiration of an arbitrary number of
years.
The third class consists of first of'
fenders and reformable convicts. AU
criminals should be treated by the
reformatory method os long as there Is
possibility of. reformation.
In the first place, the sentence
should be Indeterminate, that Is the
trial Judse, who has no opportunity of
knowing the character and condition
of the offender, should merely commit
him to the reformatory, leaving the
length of term to the discretion of the
reformatory officials, who will have
ample time nnd means for studying
and testing the convict. On entering
the Institution he should be examined
mentally, morally and physically, the
results, together wltli such (lata ns Ills
occupation, mode of living, condition
and character of parents, etc., should
be recorded. The superintendent should
then have a long private talk with him,
explaining the purpose and methods
of the Institution and Impressing upon
him that his conduct and proficiency fit
work will determine the length of his
Imprisonment nnd that society’s pur
pose Is not merely to punish him. but
to make a good citizen. He Is then as
signed to classes tor mentnl training,
to the gymnasium, If physical devel
opment Is needed, and to the work
shops, where he learns a trade nnd
supports himself. Much Institutions
should be provided with libraries,
schools, competent teachers, lecture
halls and chapels, gymnasiums and
baths, good work-slices, and large
grounds for outdoor exercise. There
should be. a definite scale of wages,
anil each Inmate should be credited
with the value of Ills work and made
to pay for everything he receives. This
will teach .self-reliance. Industry, fru
gality and the value of money, which
will be valuable In Industrial life.
There should be three grades, each
differing greatly In the comfort- and
privileges appurtenant thereto, to act
as an Incentive to good conduct. Thej
new-comer Is placed In the second and
either.fall Into the third, because of
bad conduct or Is, after serving six
consecutive months with a perfect rec
ord. promoted to the first, where he
must again present a perfect report
for six consecutive months to win the
privileges of probation. He should not
be put on probation until employment
has been procured for him and he hits
saved sufficient of his earning* to pay
the expense of reaching the place of
employment. He must not change his
employment without the consent of
the superintendent nnd must report
to him. regularly all about his condi
tion, earnings, expenditures nnd sav
ings. The employer must also report
regularly. If he faithfully keeps his
parole for six months ho should be
given nn absolute release, If not his
probation should be prolonged or he
should he returned to the reforma
tory.
The reformatory Is the scientific.,
cheapest and most effective method of
preventing crime. It has proved its
efficiency, while the punitive system
has shown Its Inadequacy. Statistics
show that the return to crime under
the reformatory method Is the excep
tion, while under the punitive system
It Is the rule.
The reformatory method treats crime
by removing the causes. It checks In
herited criminal tendencies hj: restrict
ing their transmission; prevents crime
resulting from low vitality by build
ing up the body: removes the causes of
crimes of linpulso and Ignorance by
strengthening the will and training
the mind, and prevents crime cuused
by environment by transforming the
old. or -supplanting It by u new and
good environment.
The reformatory and protmllon sys
tem Is the solution to the problem of
crime prevention.
studehtsmiIsTohary
LEAGUE CONVENTION
The first annual convention of the
Georgia Student*’ Missionary League
will be held in Macon, at We* ley an
Female College, oft December 7. 8 and
0, and It la expected that a delegation
of student* will be on hand from At
lanta. An IntereHting program ha*
been arranged and the officer* expect
Htudeflt* present from all over Oeorgla.
President DuPont Ouerry, of Wesleyan,
will welcome the delegate*, and ad
dresses will also be made by President
R V. Jameson, of Mercer, and Rev. Dr.
R. K. Douglas, president of the Macon
Ministerial Alliance.
Thl* league \va* organized after the
Student Volunteer convention last sum.
mer, and since that time It ha* grown
considerably. Student* from all the
colleges in Georgia are on It* mem
bership rolls, and It Is hoped to cement
a Christian union among the student*
of Georgia and to promote a spirit of
mission*.
TWO FOR ONE---
The Georgian 20,000 words a day from all over the world; 300 corre
spondents in Georgia and neighboring states simply fat with news. Then
think of its Editorial, Sporting, Society and Market Pages—
JOHN TEMPLE GRAVES, Editor;
PERCY WHITING, Sporting Editor;
MRS. GEO. C. BALL Society Editcr;
JOS. LIVELY, Market Editor < 25 Year *’ **"'•«*••)
THE GEORGIAN CLUBBING OFFER FOR 1906-1907
We will send The Atlanta Georgian and any of the following publications,
each one year, for the prices quoted under‘‘Combination Price.,” Old subscribers as
well as new subscribers are entitled to take advantage of this liberal offer. Old sub
scribers in arrears must pay to date and one year in advance:
Name of Regular
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(Single subscriptions must lie taken liv any agent or added to any club at not less
than the full list price.)-• /
LONG WINTER EVENINGS
DEMAND GOOD READING
On account of the low subscription rate, subscriptions must be paid in advance.
The Georgian can be delivered by carrier in Atlanta or mailed to any address out
side of Atlanta under this arrangement. Address all orders with remittances to
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT,
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN,
. ATLANTA OA.
Than why not get tha “whole family
group”—The Delineator, McClure's
.Magazine uml The World’s. Work, to
gether with The Georgian for $6.50 per
year In advance. The price of these
magazines alone Is I*. The Oeorgtan
Is 14.60. But all of them can be ob
tained for u yesr by sending The
Georgian now SS..'ft, or you can get
The Jeffersonian (Watson's new maga
zine) anil The Ueui-ghin eachqine yeur
for $4.50.
(MISSION RALLY AT
WEST END MONDAY
President A. McLean, of the Foreign
Christian Missionary Society, and Da
vid Bloch, of India, a missionary at
home on furlough, will conduct a inis-
sion rally at the West End Christian
church Monday. The morning session
will Inst from 10:flo to 12:30. then
lunch will he served at the church and
the meeting will continue from 2:20 to
4 In the afternoon. Jlev. L. R. Walker
nnd Rev. Purser nnd other Atlanta
ministers will make short addresses.
RAISE CHRI8TMAS FUND
FOR,MACON’8 POOR.
Kpeelnl to Tbe Georgian.
Mneon. Gs.. Nov. 24.—At the meet
ing of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, held last night, $2,009
was pased to the credit of the sinking I
fund for the purpose of erecting a
home. In all there has been $15,000 j
deposited In thl* fund, and when tli*-)
entire $76,000 I* raised the Elks will J
build one of the handsomest club
homes In the country. Following thalrl
usual custom, the Elks appropriated!
•600 to the poor Christmas fund.
i •
Why do you take a paper into your home that advertises
illegitimate practices in medicine and medicines for evil
purposes?™Are not such papers aiding the fakirs in their
business? The Georgian advertises no medicines for
unclean diseases nor any brand of sex doctors.
There are honest, law-abiding doctors to go to, and
The Georgian is a self-respecting newspaper—
THE GEORGIAN FOR THE HOME.