The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1868-07-04

Nou VI tuarhctcr rs human nature ~ not lnlhlll.
| Die " follows as necessary conclusion that all
men have their faults. Even the best and mos,
virtnous amongst us have 10 regret nj times some
| cardinal defect Of character, which obtains the
Ascendency and pTedominaies over every true
aud correct principle. And often,imes the mora
We strive TO eradicate the evil, the more visible
and obstinate u becomes These defects are either
hereditary or acquired. II be true that ''Ihe
sins of the father are sometimes visited upon the
heads of the children To the third aud fourth
generation, then IL Is true that IL often occurs
that the accused party Is the victim Of the offence
instead OF being the author. On nO other princi-
pie can We account for the wide stretch ofhaman
depravity which We sec around US and the depths
and mysteries Of that self-aba ndOnmcni which Is
the source Of nearly oil the misery in the world
Ihis suggestion Is not thrown out as apology for
crime. u Is believer that IN the majority Of in-
stances, the power tO correct aud reform evil
habits exists w''h the individual. aud when not
exercised should be the occasion ofscVcr. Gel sure
There Is species OF reiined cruelty in the dis
position Of some men, which We would supposc
could never, at least under ordinary circuins;an-
ces lie acquired II certainly IN not the result OF
education. II Is kind Of inherent depraviiy
and has its origin In thosc hereditary defects
which have bcrn spoken Of. There are persons
IN The world who have natural disregard for
human life, whose chief dcligh, IL Is 10 insict A.
much pain as possible not only upon their fellow
men but upon the meaner animals and ~ if 10
show the extent Of their natural, moral turpitudr
they have usually associated with this IN inor-
dinaic love Ofgain and an appetite for every thing
which IL low aud mean aud iicrnlious There Is
no crime known to society which lhey would not
commit were u favorable opportunity To OiIrr
such persons, rs respects their passions, differ
but little from the inferior animals Their un-
bridlrd rage Is only cquHled by the iierceness Of
the brute In the forest, aud the quc, conirivan.
e'S OF their minds IA forming plans OF guilt, may
H. ea.fN.
the s,calihincss Of the wolf when IN search Of
their prey.
There are. however, as has been already &C..
marked. bad traits OF character, which have been
acquired. These are sometimes the offspring Of
defect IN early moral culture, and are also Or.
casionally supcradded TO the character by evil
aud protiigAie associations. IL requires a mira
Gle To make good man out Of one who in his
youth has been neglected 60 into the haunts
Of the low and the abandoned, and select from
amongst them those who have fallen into the last
rremcdnbc stage Of drpraviiy examine into
their past history, and in ninc cases out Of ten
you will find that
-"No mother. car.
Shielded their infant innocenes with prayer j"
that from their earliest years they have trfied
their Maker And /, Is not deplorabc to sec n
young man, Whose mind is naturally pure aud
virtuOus, wandering from his true position aud
forming an intercourse with crime through n
want oI proper, parental training And equally
painful IL is to see one who in Youth was the
delight Of the home circle, after he attains 10
years Of manhood, departing from his early in-
slructions and courting an intimacy with the vi
cious aud abandoned Aud yet all this has oc-
eurrei and the miserable wrecks Of humanity
which We see around W.. as well as the inscrip-
lions upon the tombs Of the dead, bear evidence
To the truth of what has been said
u has been remarked that inherent depravity
within The reach ~ fhela IA NJ
1nd the proposition is attempted To be sustained
by the effect Of solitary confinement upon cTimi-
nals who have been convicted aud sentenced In
court Many Of them, il i cOntcnded come out
Oi the peniientiary infinitely worse than they went
into ii, while others are truly reformed, and af-
ierwards become good aud useful citizens This
is no doubt true Rs the punishment which the
law ntiieis Operates differently upon different
constitutions. II is not every criminal who is a
philosopher. PEI ons Of warm and ardent tenn
permanent ARE usually overwhelmed by the hor-
rors Of their situation. deep sense Of their de-
grelat0n and infamy crowds out every other
feeling, and they sometimes lose all motive 10 re-
form. But those ARE not always the inherently
dcpiaNei. On the contrary, the hight In which
they disposed Ia. view their condition, shows
that they were one time possessed u exalted and
dignihed ideas Of character and social position |
The inan vino "a most .OOi and deliberate In his |
confinement, Is most likely TO be selected from
the ranks uf ihn'c whose depravily Is Inherent |
!, - he who ia the solitude Of his cell calculates
and coniriVrs his plans cooperation Tor the future
And ia the majority Of instances those plans are |
criminal. The first thing which suggests itself |
TO hls mind, u plan Of ESCAPE That being Fen- /
dcred hopeless the next l. how he NAV be- re- /
vengrd upon his accusrs after the period Of his |
imprisonment is ended. Hence il is, that in the
hisiUiy OF our Jalls aud peniieniiates We n,sft |
with numerous instances Of men cOnfneG/fof |
iritling offences being discharged |
upon tile community only 10 renew iheiI ouirA- |
fes, which never end except IN confinement for |
life, 10 murder and the scaiiold
These men are more anu igcstonably inherent. !
ly iepraved. Nature has provided them with no /
restraining influences and the law l. impoient in
the work of their reformation. In the case Of |
the former which have been noticed, society 10 |
sometimes much 10 blame that their after career
il reckless and unguaTlcd. As in prison they
regarded their punishment as Infamous so when |
they 20 ont into the world again, they are sm,-
ten with sensc uf ihImc, which Is often aggra.
va,ed by the cob, social criticisms which they |
meet atound ,h"m How decidedly better would |
II be were - a few drops OF oil TO be- poured upon |
tie troubled waters. They would be infinitely |
more beneficial than all the kicks and curses |
which could be bestowed After the criminal |
has satisfied the demands OF justice, by living out
his sentence, he should be- entitled 10 sympathy
and encouragement. Society should soe 10 Il,
that his feet arc placed once more upon the solid
rock. and shoul he yigilan, in the effort to make
his liberty blessing 'o him aicr he has paid
the penalty.
There l. no doubt but inherent depravi,y Is
difficult 10 reform. !, resembles somewhat ma
lignaut disease, which, after il has once obtained
the mastery ovcT the circulation, distributes Its
poison 50 extensively throughout the system as
10 place i, boyond the reach OF medicine Hut,
like the disease referred TO, il nay be cured, pro-
videl il Is taken in time. The cradle Is the prop
cr place for the reformation Of this sal evil. II
should be- slranglCd IN the first manifestations Of
intelligence ia the infant Aud II the parent is
closc observer, lhc seeds Of the evil not dill.
cult to discover. They will exhibit themselves
in shape or form, aud Il will readily be perceived
that the natural tendency OF fhat frail mind is |
10 do evil The mother who is the guardian of |
the infant, should he endowed with patience, |
watchfulncss and u spirit of tender solieitudc -
Her temper should bc amiablc, and her heart ell
ell with the waters Of maternal affection. Cruel |
u IN such cases should never be practccd. rhe /
infant knows full well the difference between |
smile and frown. The former has tendency |
Ia sooihe aud allay the tide OF passion, while the
latter arouscs and terriiies. soft word Of kind
ness brcathed into the ear, may leave vitiuons |
impression which will never he forgotten, while |
harsh expressions and loud complaints, stimulate |
10 action the slumbering guilt, aud add 10 iis |
magnitude aud Importance, by the force oi the |
mothers example. The mind ofthc infant, like
a tender plcnt, rcquiies constant watching aud |
careful culture. Assal IL with rude hands, and |
It's vital properties ATE Topped %, and II 10 losi
and ruined forever. Where depraviiy. Is inher- |
cni, not the most distant hoIe Of reformation
can bc cherished, unless the parent can succeed
in divrrting the mind of the infant from iis nat.
ural turpitude, and supply ~ place with i'm.
pTcssiona which are pure aud holy Ia their na-
tufc Aud this must be accomplished while thu
mind is Young aud tender Delay Il until the
habi, of independent thinking is acquired, and
the ease Is hopeless.
't'ouE bows 1t N rrlaird of u certain sec.
rrlary of Governor, several removes back from
the present Chief Magistrate ui New York, that,
like tnt~ ub-ollicials, To whom some pressing
final pfortss l. committed h. had an itching
ualtn while at tho same time, II would not h.