New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-05-24
The Philosophy Of Crime.

CIScISNATI, Friday May D.
To the Editor e) The Tribune;
Returning the other day from region OF coun'
trv where The Tribune does not find access, my
first essay to file OF that paper IN order TO
becoming posted up" in the matter oil news.
there found my letter. inserted on the 18th ult on
the subject of the Philosophy Of Crime, with some
editorial remarks appended, intimating that said
letter was without any apparent practical bearing
Permit me now to add, that if the premises laid
down in that letter be strictly true that IS, II II De
true that, IN the commission OF any crime the H.
nermost mind of the individual always dlssents
from the act then the causes OF crime are clearly
traceable &c the surrounding circumstances Of the
criminal from which, and by which, his out"a ard
character was formed. The practical bearing OF
this il seems to me- is plain enough that 10 every
crime that is committed, Society Is the criminal
while the individual actor IN the case ~ merely
LET no timid reader suffer himself TO De sh0cked
ont nj an examination of this subject. 1t Is either
time or il in slse II true. il should be repeated Oy
every friend of man until Society Is reformed or
Il ia false there is reason and logic enough In the
world to expose it to the lasting contemp'oi Hah'
kind. ::
hoes any sane person really believe that man -
Inherently corrupt bad in his very nature Ger
taiuly not, for in that case he would charge man
corruption directly upon the creator Inc -"
pyartiV of man, then, means neither more nor iess'
Than that his outward life IS not IN harmony WIN
the inward or spiritual life to which he IS iinaly
destined. This outward life is formed by ten
Thousand conflicting and chaotic circumstances OPP
Grating upon all from the cradle 70 the grave
which multiudinous circumstances may al De CON.
prsed in the manners, customs, and Institutions o!
Society. How many children are there AZ TINS mo-
ment grow ing up in the City OF Newly ork, whom
we know must become criminals, from the circum-
stances by which they are environedi 1t is well
/ known there are thousands. even within the sound
of the bells of those churches where human nature
has long been lbeed and its Creator blasphe'ned,
while the lbeler and blasphemer receives his
, $1,000 n year salary.
! II il well known. because it has been often, and
ably, and abundsnty exposed, in books, pamphlets,
tracts and wspapers, that Society organizes the
systematic pillage OF LABOR, whereby one wealthy
person may legally deprive hundreds Of his fellow
men ard women Of the just proceeds Of their work.
and appropriate said proceeds TO his own Prlva's
| use. Does not this make Society a roiber And
ifsociety is such grand robber, how Is the indi-
yidua, born within its influence TO become anything
| else ,han a robber, too. unless he rcnOunces and
denounces such society TIL his latest treath AS
l fear God and love mankind, l cannot but de-
nounce 1t.
TIE time has come, Messrs Editors when we
should be plain of speech, aud earnest in work
God is not mocked. let every one be assured
that Society, too, must give an account oil her
Stewardship, and that she has yet to learn the
truth OF that word which says win WnA1
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
sghin' Letmen in high places beware, then
low they Judge. Let the recent shaking OF the
thrones and the affairs Of Christendom, which,
since the year ls4s has terrified the nations, ad
monish them that a judge is approaching. whose
judgment cannot be set asd even the Judge o.
all the earth. Faith ully yours,
JOHN WHITE.
p1- We cannot agree with Mr.. White in
the foregoing views; but as there is nc
practical danger that the mass of men wh
regard criminals too compassionately, mol
seek too far for the causes of crime, we ls
him pass unanswered. Ed. T-ib.