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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 Total Combination Save ice. Regular Price. Price. Price. You $1.50 $4.50 $6.00 $4.80 $1.20 3.00 4.50 7.50 5.00 2.50 4.00 4.50 8.50 6.70 1.80 5.00 4.50 9.50 8.00 1.50 1.00 4.50' 5.50 4.50 1.00 1.00 4.50 5.50 4.50 1.00- 1.00 4.50 5.50 4.50 1.00 2.00 4.50 6.50 5.00 1.50 1.00 4.50 5.50 4.50 1.00 1.50 4.50 6.00 4.50 1.50 1.00 4.50 5.50 4.50 1.00 .60 4.50 5.10 4.50 .60 3.00 4.50 7.50 6.00 1.50 1.80 4.50 6.30 4.85 1.45 2.50 4.50 7.00 5.25 1.75 1.50 4.50 6.00 4.70 1.30 1.20 4.50 5.70 4.50 1.20 4.00 4.50 7.50 6.15 1.35 1.00 4.50 5.50 4.50 1.00 1.00 4.50 5.50 4.50 1.00 1.00 4.50 5.50 4.50 1.00 1.00 • 4.o0 5.50 4.50 1.00 1.00 4.50 5.50 4.50 ’ 1.00 2.50 4.50 7.00 5.00 2.00 2.00 4.50 6.50 4.80 1.20 2.00 4.50 6.50 4.80 1.20 4.00 4.50 8.50 5.50 3.00 5.0C / 4.50 9.50 A 6.65 2 f».0() '' V)>0‘ 10.56 6.50 H ‘ M.00 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.