Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-02-19
WHERE DOES ALL THE CRIME COME
FROM.

We regard nothing as beneath the dignity of
the press that points out the evils that afilict
the human family, more particularly when the
appropriate remedies for those evils are at the
same time pointed out.
We believe that what is called the neutral
and independent press, whilst most assiduous
and enterprising in collecting news, and whilst
it justly claims over the political press the ad-
vantage of versatility and variety, yet often
times, to make paragraphs and to get the repu-
tation of being uncommonly industrious, gives
publicity to things that should never be known,
and the knowledge of which can only be hurtful.
There are things that humanity shudders at.
There are things that humanity bushes at.
There are things done that never should be
named, for if named they only lead to the
repetition of them by others.
The crimes and follies of great city like
New York! How multiform, how varied, how
immense! The miseries of such a city-how
infinite and diversified! They are confined to
no class, to no condition, to no sex, to no age.
1t becomes the press studiously to avoid pan
dering to the morbid tastes and appetites Of
the public; to set its face against all who for
profit or Aeeting notoriety would ruthlessly root
up the gross iniquities, the shocking enormi-
ties, and the disgusting brutalities and immor
alities Of that great city. We say that, when
such things are done for sofdid gain or mser-
able notoriety they should be frowned down.
But sometimes the cause of virtue and human
ity may be prospered and promoted by such
exhibitions. In such case the press should
be the first to speak.
Under the head of "The Friendess Children
of the city-what can be done for them ?" the
New York Times of the 18th has an article,
from which we make the following extract:
"Intelligent persons sometimes wonder where
all the crime that infests society can come from.
They viii. cease to wonder, if they will but re-
feet upon the fact that there are ten thousand
children in this city alone, who are either with
out parents or friends, or are trained systemati-
cally by their parents to yagrancy, beggary,
and crime; not only shut out utterly AID hope
lessly from all moral influences, But exposed
day and night to the contamination of crime,
and taught by example, the swiftest of teachers,
its worst excuses; growing up into youth and
maturity without even haoacing ho,o to get an
honest living, and predestined thus from their
very infancy to become the pests and victims
of society. 1t is from this class that our army
of thieves and murderers is annually reinforced.
Here is the nursery from which come forth in
due time the thousands Of hardy, expert, and
reckless villains against whom we bar our doors
in vain, and from whom we are compelled at
last to protect ourselves by the dread MACH.
merry Of the dungeon and the gallows. This is
the hot-bed in which society raises its crimi-
nails, in which it trains its children to habits of
crime shutting from them the light Of know
ledge, screening them carefully from all sym
patty and kindly regard from the classes above
them, surrounding their budding passions and
evil propensities with whatever can stimulate
them into a rank and precocious growth, and
then sweeping them into its dungeons, or hang
ing them by the neck until they are dead, in
self-defence."