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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN
c.aititi'Al. .\u.
Officers
State Society.
Macon.
First Vlce-Pres.:
Dr. A. It. Holderbj,
Atlanta.
Second VIce*Prea.:
Dr. B. C. Peate,
Macon. •
Secretary-Treasurer:
Dr. W. T. Jones,
Atlanta.
Annual Meeting In
May, 1907, at Macon.
SOCIOLOGICAL
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE-Rev. C. B. Wilm'er, J.
D. Cleaton, E. Marvin Underwood, Dr. R. R. Kime.
Officers
Atlahta Society.
Vlce-Prosldout:
K. SI.- Underwood.
Keerelarjr-Trefl surer:
I>r. B. U. CartU'dge.
Regular Meeting on
Seeond Tburadny
Night of Barb
Month at Carnegie
Library.
TWO FOR ONE—
THE PRIMAL CAUSES OF CRIME AND BEST METHODS OF PREVENTION
By
M
By E. MARVIN UNDERWOOD.
ANY criminologists declare
crime to be a disease. Disease
Is that state which la otherwise
than normal, that Is a diseased person
Is an abnormal person. The severity
l,it a disease Is marked by the number
,.r magnitude of abnormalities. The
criminal 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 have for several decades
been studying and classifying these
abnormalities. It has been demonstrat
ed by them that crime Is due to phys
ical as well as moral abnormalities, and
as a result of this discovery the best
Institutions for criminals have become,
so to apeak, great hospitals for the cor
rection of criminal abnormalities, rath
er Ilian 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. Such
abnormalities originate and are devel
oped, as In other diseases, from and
by 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 low vi
tality. which 1s usually an Inherited
defect.
They have not sufficient energy to
earn an honest livelihood, nor will
power to control themselves, and drift
into pauperism, twin sister of crime, or
Into petty crimes. Etghty-two per cent
of apprehended criminals have accu
mulated no property and 26 per cent are
of pauper stock. The criminal rolls
are awaited by auch criminals who have
Inherited weak bodies and wills from
diseased parents or whose low vitality
resulted from the consanguinity of
their parents or tho Immaturity or de
generation of one or both at the time
of conception. Ten per cent of appre
hended criminals ahow Insanity or epi
lepsy In ancestry and, doubtless, sta-
t titles, wars they at hand, would ahow
a much larger per cent of weak and
dlieased bodies In ancestry.
Alcoholism Is a prolific cause of
crime. It produces partial atrophy of
the brain, which la handed down to the
children. The brain tben becomes too
small for Its honey case and brain dis
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 cent are habitual
drunkards.
The Influence of heredity Is starting,
ly shown by the history of the "Jukes.”
The progenarator of the family led a
very Irregular life and drank exces
sively. Of hla 1,200 descendants, there
were 220 paupers, 140 criminals, 200
arrests and trials, <0 habitual thieves,
7 murderers and murdered, 440 con
taminated with loathsome diseases, 30
bastards and prostitutes and 200 pre
matura deaths of children. The coat
to society of this one family Is com
puted at 21,102,000.
Other primal cause* of crime may be
classed under environment Under this
head our subject touches nearly every
phase of life.
Bad laws, especially those pertain'
Ing to marriage, divorce and the pun
Ishment of crime and the lax and un
fair administration of law la directly
responsible for much crime.
Educational neglect or unwise edu
cation renders parsons vary 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
and disease, and they to crime. About
10 per cent of all the criminal* In state
prleape are untrained men without
trades.
In the rapid growth of cities, too, tit
tle attention has been paid to sanita
tion and health. Impure water, air
contaminated by tubercular and other
germs, small and foul yards and dirty
houses In which large number* are
crowded regardless of sex, have cre
ated conditions fruitful of crime and
the more dangerous because they are
usually primal rather than Immediate
cause*, a fact which obscure* their na
ture.
the moat Important and prolific cause
Nlnety-
of crime la home environment.
«x per cent of juvenile criminals coma
from homes classed as bad. Nearly 66
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 licen
tiousness, drunkenness, brawls and
thieving. In other homes, perhaps 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 aeem unwelcome and
are often aent away with a cuff or cross
words, conditions blighting and de
structive to moral development. The
home Is ugly, dirty and unattractive
and usually th# yard la email and filthy.
Can we wonder that children loathe
such homes and wish to stay there as
little as 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
light* 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 fine 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 atrip 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 Immature
amid temptations, to which even the
strong succumb.
The effort to check crime by the puni
tive system In vogue In Geotgla, In
many. If not In the majority of cases,
makes criminals out of offenders or de
velops them Into worse criminals. The
prisoner Is placed In Jail, a cess-pool
of vice and degradation, to await trial.
First offenders, children and habitual
crlminnts 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 a fixed term, and the convict
Is sent to-a penal Institution, usually
composed of a camp of convicts leased
by a private cltlxen. No effort Is made
to reform the convict: his moral con
dition Is of no consequence, but his ca
pacity for work all Important: no hope
I* held out for his re-entrance Into
freedom, should he prove himself re
formed, but on the other hand, the de
pressing certainty that, however worthy
he may become of cttlcenship, he must
serve out hi* term, In company with
habitual criminals, the latter being as
certain as he of thstr 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
the Inefficiency of the system as cor
rective or protective.
Advocacy of definite methods of pre
ventlon of crime should follow a dls.
cusston 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 shouk.
deny license unless the applicant shows
that the parties are mature and healthy
enough to produce a self-supporting
progeny, that they have reasonable
means of supporting a family and that
they are not criminal*.
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.
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
should be provided with libraries,
schools, competent teachers, lecture
halls and chapels, gymnasiums and
baths, good work-slioas, and large
grounds for outdoor exercise. There
should be h definite scale of wages,
and each Inmate should be credited
with the value of his-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 The
new-comer Is placed In the second and
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 < 2S Yeir *’ Exerlence ->
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:
cannot expect ihe children, who are ^cind"^"or Sa JSSKTsU
consecutive months with a perfect rec
ord. promoted to .the first, where he
must again present a perfect report
far six consecutive months to win the
privileges of probation. He should not
'pkI be put on probation until employment
■* oe j i, DU ti*<
driven from home by Irritable parents,
to stay olf of the streets and out of
public places, where they learn the first
lessons of crime.
The Juvenile court and probation sys
tem Is the only effective method of
dealing with juvenile criminals.
,, ._ i Iihs been procured for him and he has
1 •ril» J. I ' I »AV«d sufficient of his earnings to pay
K Th Fji ; *H tl,e expense of reaching the place of
nf Sf u If!! t i employment. He must not change Ills
of all other duties so that he can de-1 einpioyroem without the consent of
vote his whole lime to the Juvenile the HU perlntendenl and must report
offenders, and should t» supplied, with 1 1 „ him regularly all about his condl-
tlop, earnings, expenditures and sav
ings. The employer must also report
regularly. If he faithfully keeps his
istrnle for six months he should bo
given nn absolute release, If not Ills
probation should be prolonged or he
should be returned to the reforma
tory.
The reformatory la 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
competent officers. Ills court room
should be as far removed as possible
from the Jell ami adult court
room and all suggestions
of a criminal court avoided. No formal
charges should be made against the
offender. The Judge should talk with
the child 4n private and learn all he
can about Ills character and reason
for committing the offense. HIs parent
age, health and mentul capacity should
all be considered. If the child can bo
safely left with his parents, It Is wise
to put him on probation, after a father
ly talk by the Judge. While on pro
bation the child must report regularly i tjon. whlie under the punitive system
to the probation officer. And It Is the' -
duty of this officer to frequently and
unexpectedly visit him In Ills home, to
see that proper Influences surround-
him. 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 per cent of
the probationers being reported as re
formed. If the child cannot be put on
probation he Is Sent to a reformatory
school. Tills reformatory should he con
ducted along the same lines ns the one
hereinafter dlscrlbed, but should be
far removed from the adult refonna
tory.
We have heretofore discussed the
treatment pt criminals outside of penal
or reformatory institutions. Let us now
discuss the methods of treating them
In such Institutions.
There are 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.
Thr second class, consisting of the
able-bodied habitual crlmlnuls whose
cases have proved hoiicless under the
reformatory method, should be per
manently Incarcerated In n separate In
stitution. It Is folly to repeatedly re
lease a convict, whose conduct renders
his return to crime a certainty, at the
expiration bf an arbitrary number of
years.
The third class consists of first of
fenders and reformable convicts. All
criminals should be treated by the
reformatory method a* long as there Is
a possibility of reformation.
In the first place, the sentence
should be Indeterminate, that Is the
trial Judge, who ho* no opportunity of
knowing the .character nnd 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 and means for studying
and testing the convict. On entering
the Institution he should lie examined
mentally, morally and physically, tho
results, together with such tlnta as his
occupation, mode of living, condition
and character of parents, etc., should
be recorded. The superintendent should
then have a long private talk with hint,
explaining the purpose nnd metliods
of the Institution and Impressing upon
him that hla conduct and proficiency In
work will determine the length of Ills
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 for mental training,
to the gymnasium, If physical devel
opment is needed, and to the work
shops, where he learns a trade and
supports himself. Such Institutions
It Is the rule. - ,
The reformatory method treat* crime
by removing the causes. It checks In
herited criminal tendencies by restrict
ing their transmission; prevent! crime
resulting from low vitality by build
ing up the body; removes the causes of
crimes of Impulse and Ignorance by
strengthening the will and training
th* mind, and prevents crlmo raused
by environment by transforming the
old. or supplanting It by u new and
good environment.
The reformatory nnd probation sys
tem Is the solution to tho problem of
crime prevention.
STUDENTSMISSIONAflY
LEAGUE CONVENTION
The first annunl convention of the
Georgia Students' Missionary League
will be held In Macon, at Wesleyan
Female College, on December 7, 8 and
9. and it is expected'that a delegation
of students will be on hand from At-
luiitu. An Interesting program Inis
been arranged lind the officers expect
students present from all over Georgia.
President DuPont Querry. of Wesleyan,
will welcome the delegates, and ad
dresses will hIso be made by President
S. Y. Jameson, of Mercer, and Ilev. Dr.
R. E. Douglas, president of tho Macon
Ministerial Alliance.
This league was organized after the
Student Volunteer convention last sum.
iner, and since that time It has grown
considerably. Students from all the
colleges In (Jeorgla are on Its mem
bership rolls, and it Is hoped to cement
a Christian union among the students
of Georgia and to promote a spirit of
missions.
Name of
Publication.
Everybody’s Magazine.
Outing .
Leslie’s Weekly
Judge.,.
The Commoner .......
Judge’s Quarterly..
American Magazine..
American Boy
The Jeffersonian (Watson’s
LONG WINTER EVENINGS
DEMAND GOOD READING
McCall’s Magazine.. .,
Scribner’s Magazine 3.00
Ainslee’s Magazine.. .
The Commoner and The
Jeffersonian
Smith’s Magazine 1.50
Popular Magazine
Country Life in America. .
Southern Cultivator
Woman’s Home Companion.
Woman’s W ork
Garden Magazine
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan and World
Cosmopolitan and Harpers’
Cosmopolitan and Woman’s
Home Companion
Cosmopolitan and Review of
jular
Georgian
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Cosmopolitan, Review of
Reviews .and Woman’s
Home Companion.. . . ..
Delineator, McClure's Mag
azine, World's Work. ; .. 1
(Single subscriptions must he taken by any agent or added to any club at not less
than the full list price.)
Then why not get the "whole family
group”—The Delineator, McClure’*
Magazine and The World's Work, to
gether with The Georgian for $6.50 per
year In advance. The price of these
magazine* alone Is $6. The Georgian
I* $4.50. But nil gf them can be ob
tained for it year by sending The
Georgian now $0.50, or you can get
The Jeffersonian ,(Watson’* new maga
zine) and The Georgian each one year
for $4.50.
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, GA.
MISSION RALLY AT
WEST END MONDAY
President A. McLean, of the Foreign
Christian Missionary Society, and Du-
vld Rloch, of India, n missionary at
home on furloutth, will conduct a mis
sion rally at the West End Christian
church Monilay. The morning session
will lost from 10:30 to 12:30, then
lunch will be served ut Ihe church and
the meeting will continue from 2:20 to
4 In the afternoon. Rev. L. R. Walker
nnd Itev. Purser and other Atlanta
ministers will make short addresses.
RAI8E CHRISTMAS FUND
FOR MACON'8 POOR.
Special to The Georgian.
Macon. Ga., Nov. 24.—At the meet-
Intt of th# Benevolent anil Protective
Order of Elks, held last night, 22,oo«
was pased to the credit of the sinking l
fund for the purpose of erecting a
home. In all there has been 215,000:
deposited In this fund, and when tli» |
entire 276,000 Is raised th* Elks wlllj
build one of tho handsomest club i
homes In the country. Following tholrt
usual custom, the Elks appropriated t
2500 to the poor Christmas fund.
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.