Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1842-01-08

Making 81
But he saws there we're zone hundred who wore exam
med on this subject" We are left TO conjecture whether
the 3 whom he has not classified, only knew "a thing or
two - and therefore could not claim a place among either
the taught or the untaught.
Here ends the statistical Information. 1t is almost worth
less, first, because it is incomplete in itself; and secondly,
because il is unaccompanied by other essential data essen
,ial because without them, no safe deductions can be drawn
from the tables given US in this Report. Does il follow, for
instance, that because | Of our convicts was born IN Ten
nessee, and II in Kentucky. that the kentuckians are more
criminal than the citizens of Tennessee! Or, as Scotland
has furnished us with convict. and North Carolina " it'll $.
does il follow that a Scotchman is more honest than a Car
oliniaa? No: in order to arrive at even an approximation
TO truth, it is necessary to know what proportion Of all our
citizens are kenruckians, Tennessceans. Carolinians, and
Scoichmen; and no, only that, bu, to know also whether
some of the numerous convicts wero not merely born in GER
tain States; and brought up in others; whence they come
TO US prepared for the peniteniiary. In a word, the fault is
not in the place of "nativity'' but in the place OF education.
That one crime leads to another; and that intemperance
leads to many, is true; bat we sophissicate our reasoning
vhen we lmpu,c it to intemperance, enemies which have no
rela ton to it. Intemperance, indeed, is but a sister crime;
as all crimes have a common parentage, in depravity of
heart. To suppress intemperance by force, would sub5ue it
as a crime; but the ca use of other crimes would still
remain.
And VIVA, DO we learn from this Education table and
from his accompanying remarks' Tina, "A ''classical edu-
caton' is the cause of an innocent life! That no eGu-
cation is the parent of crime! That Latin and Greek is
the founda non of virtue; and ignorance of books, the moth
er,of vice? That the convic,s found a home liz the State Pri-
son, because they never ''attended sabbath school - That
some were imprisoned because thay ..had lost one or both
OF their parents in early life - Or that. others had secured
a lodging in the Penitentiary. because ike Franklin. they
had left tho parental roof ''n a state of minority - No
such differences can nationally be drawn. Aswell might we
say, that &c mon committed larceny, because they had new
or learned how to make turtle soup; ana IL others commit
ted burglary, because they had mol been taught how to
whistle "Jim C.c-." IS well might we say that 10 were
guilty of mansIaughter and murder, because they never at
tended a Shaker dance. But he admits that "a few Of
the criminals had attended 'sSabbath school' for a sconsid-
cradle length of 'irne;' p so that as it is highly probable that
''cne OF the convicts ever attended the religious dance 'slor
considerable length of time,' his argument appears to
run in favor of Shakerism, instead of Sabbath S-aools.
He lays much stress upon .ae fact, tina, only tfco classical
scholars ara i'll the Peniten,iary. For my part, l consider
this a large proportion of convicts out of the sparsi,y of
Latin and Greek men in the State. And by the side Of this
statement, i, is no small encomium upon ignorance, to be
that out of 5000 unlettered adu is, only fl are con
of crime. Although | am a friend to use fl earning
| cannot De persuaded to the belief that a knowledge of the
languages, or an Acquaintance with penmanship and
printed words, keeps men on, OF the penitentiary. The
is, it is by the exercise of their penmanship. tina,
some of them get there.
Again, he says some of these convicts ran away from
home: That they might free themselves from the res,rsip int.
81 parents or guardians, showing most clearly that their pre-
sent desrada'ion, originated i'll some radical defec, in their
early education. that their vices, terminated in the nursury.
we're developed by the association and habits of youth. and
-ipened i'll the State Prison"
But he hopes "some OF them At LEAST, may be .brourh,
to The path of virtue Whether the vices of these
"ripened in the State Prison. under the foster
hs hand OF the Chaplain, we are not Informed. Nor do |
ee how their present desradation,' or a radical defect
Il their early education" or svices terminated in the n1r-
uy' are compatible with the '-restrQiass of parents,,
'he would hardly suppose that vices would terminate IN
ef Inc returning hand of parent; or that restraint " a
radical defect' in education Nor do | clearly under
how a convict can be ''broIyht back TO the path Of
lTtle' when his vices, beginning i'll the nursury, were de-
sloped in youth and ripened in the State Prison: for that
fa'ch is vicious from the cradle TO the State Prison, cannot
e said ever 20 have been an the path of virtue.
However laudable the intention of the Chaplain might
ave been, he appears TO me TO have failed III the sufcien-
' OF daia. aid in solndness of argument.
ALOES.