New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-19
DIR. BELLOHS'S LECTURE.

DR.. Bellows gave the last Of his Lowell series Of
lectures on Paupersm and Crime last evening at Gin
ton Hail. His audience was fit though few. He said
that on this evening he should conne himself to stat
ing how crime did actually arise. Its causes were four
bad training bad appettes poverty and bad egisla-
tion He discussed at length the influence of educa-
ton upon crime in communities. 1t was the entire
training rather than the education of the school which
was most influential upon crime. LIE Play, in his mag
nifeent work Les Curriers' Europfens, had proved
that the measure Of civilization the quality of the
family Life. Every new system which tended to
weaken or detenorste the family life was a vicious one
Orphsnase was therefore fruitful source Of crime
and was of great importance to society that Juvenile
vsgrants should be provided with homes. The only
way with the gpsy class was to conne them until they
had become different beings; milder measures would
do for the ordinary dangerous classes. Widen the
streets make landlords responsible for the cleanliness
of their tenants and furnish the poor with comfortable
homes at moderate price. There in Mott street
a block Of houses accOmm odstng eighty-seven fami-
lies, each with 4-room tenements as separate from
each other as ordinary houses Inc rent OF the tsne
Wa q profit able one Children's Aid Societies and
Industrial Schools were movements In the night drec-
ton but they did not 60 far enough Institutions were
needed 10 take charge Of the children whom death or
degradation had deprived of proper parental care.
He knew that there danger that these oPPortuni
ties would be abused, especially by the foreign poPu.
ation but that danger was far less threatenng than
the inevitable crime which must otherwise result:
Our common school education should be broadened
to make up for the defects of family life. To do this
the social character of the teachers should be ee'
waited by competent Normal Schools and their salaries
and position be conespondngly advanced. lie
would have boys much more generally taught
by women than now, and, perhaps, girs
taught by men, Drunkenness was one Of the greatest
of the sources Of crime In England tbo were
liz, Mani for init
answered in certain sense the demand for pleasant
life-relations. Intoxication rendered man a more
self satisfied being The craving for secomplscercy
must be met in some other way if drunkenness were
to be abolished. Education might only reveal to the
lower classes their hOpeessness happiness only re.
moved thecause of intemperance. The material con-
must be improved. 1t might be thought singular
that men would barter days discomfort tor an hours
exhilaration. But there was In all men q desire tor
the divine affatus for the highest ecstacies OF lie.
full only as they furnished social stimulant which
took the place of the alcoholic Whatever tended TO
increase wages, and to cheaper food fuel and lght.
tended TO diminish drunkenness. Another most imPor'
tsnt check was the mntiphcstlon Oh 'he means ., III
nocent enjoyment. There was less drunkenness on
the continent than in England, because there was
of popular amusement ana more soclsi me,
especially out of doors. The encouragement OF music
and art-chesp music, cheap art and cheap literature
strongly worked against drunkenness. he must
speak Of the great social sin of the age. Marriage
was a luxury which only the rich could afford The
obstacles to purity were the obstacles to marriage.
Many women were driven to shame by the necessity
Of gaining living; many more into marriages scarcely
better, because had usurped the work OF women
and yet they were still constantly leaving the
field for the shop, that the agricultural produc-
tons OF the country continually decreasing
Ihe thmd cause OF crime-wsnt-he had fully treated
OF IN previous lectures The last was bad legislation
Government could only afford theopporunity Of pro.
| gress. The usury laws actually raised the rate Of
interest because the lender compelled the borrower
pay him for the risk he incurred by taking usury
The taking of osths every trivial occasion was
fruitful Of perjury. The distorting and cor.
| rupting influence OF the State laws in rela.
ton to Slavery also indicated the disturbing
power of legislation upon society But its demoraliz.
ing influence far greater upon the Federal Gov.
eminent An unjust law broke down reverence for all
| law and sspped the very foundations Of government
The disturbing influence of Slavery upon reverence
for law and general quietness the indirect cause
f t least one third of the drunkenness and lust in the
country. When he commenced the examination Of the
influence Of the Death Penalty he was in favor Of but
he soon convinced himself that IT was all wrong The
nubc sense Of right revoed at it, and experience had
,snobt that mild but certain punishment was most
eeacjous in The prevention OF crime Reiormaticn IN
| ,r;.cn discipline which WAS rapidly gong cu, was
iAndnr 10 a poial where criminals UoRd D. ce.bn"d