The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-06-16
From the Scientific American
II TfES1I0.r Nv SOCE.9L
SCEE.N'(E

''NS' "o dppl'tu I'D the question we arc
; about g. discuss As our readers are
, well aware, we believe there is no such
hung as social science yet in exist
encc; and our use of the term here is
made with this protest We use it only
: IN view OF that prospective time when
the construction of society shall be
made to rest upon general and i'm.
mutable principles, thoroughly ascer
tanned by scietifir experiment, or logic
ally deduced thcrefrom, and classified
and reduced to system, according to
the true scientific method
When that period arrives, the cues
'ion OF what we shall do with the men.
tally and morally diseased persons we
now style criminals, will be settled per-
manently. 1t is even possible that this
will be brought to rest firmly upon
sound reason and science.
Criminals are now regarded by think
ing men in "A very different light from
that generally entertained fifty years
ago. Psychologists and psychologists
are beginning to see that what we call
moral obliquity IS, in "A great measure,
if not entirely, the result of disease
The man who in a fit of mania opotH
brains his wife with II frying pam the
wretch who, devourcd by base passions,
break. by force through restrictions
society imposes for the protection Of
female honor; the man who, mad dened
by jealousy, shoots down the real or
supposed destroyer of his peace the
wealthy kleptomaniac; the petty pill
lerer; the murderer in col blood the
burglar; the pickpocket, and the high
way robber, all are in the same category
of people diseased, through the undue
prominence of some passion or appetite,
or through the absence or decay of those
sympathies, affections, impulses and
emotions that impel men to kind acts,
and deter them from acts injurious to
their fellows
The application of the term "justice"
to our dealings with these unfortunates,
is as contrary to reason aud fact as it
would be to apply it to the removal of
smallpox patients to pest houses. The
crude idea mistaken for justice in most
minds, is desire to crafty u feeling Of
revenge Science is teaching Us that
''iustice," 50 far rs the administration of
human law is concerned, should mean
the best means for protecting society
from the contagion OF crime, and the
lawless acts Of the depraved in body and
mind, whether it be by enforced isola-
ton from society, or by death. Science
is teaching US that the terms punish
ment, penalty" Justice do not as
sert that which society has right to do
with criminals. 1t teaches that, while
society has the undeniable right to pro
tect itself against crime as against any
other class of disease, it has not the
right to revenge itself upon the morally
sick, any more than upon the physically
sick.
1t thus throws clear light upon the
much debated question Of the abolition
of capital punishment" as it is called.
1t teaches US that society, as well as the
individual, has the right to use any and
all means absolutel y necessary for self
protection and defence and that the
question of means must be considered
in no other light but that of expedi-
ency.
The individual does not argue the
question of abstract right or wrong
when called to desperately defend his
life, even if obliged to resort to kill
ing his antagonist and neither need
society debate the question. 1t has
merely to determine what is necessary
to save itself from destruction. If it
be necessary to take the lives of Grim
inals in order to insure the peace and
good order of society, the necessity is
the justification of the act.
This narrows the dispute down to the
determination whether it be necessary
for society to kill men in order to pro-
tect itself or not; and this determina-
ton must either be based upon the al
ready acquired experience of the race,
in social government, or upon new ex.
poriments, performed with view to
decide the matter.
The light of the past shows, we think,
that for the protection of society against
a certain class of crime, there has yet
been found no adequate substitute for
the execution of the criminal; but it
does not convince us that such a sub
stituto is to be found, because there has
been no thorough organized search for
such substitute, nor any proper trial
of any thing proposed as substitute.
We think We could show the truth of the
latter assertions, had we space to review
the attempts made in certain localities
to abolish capital punishm ent, and to
point out the defects, considered in the
light Of experiments; but we cannot
pursue this topic to greater length.
If crime be the result of disease, it
should seem that remedies and treat
ment designed to cure and prevent the
disease should more engage the atten-
ton of reformers than the protection of
the healthy from its effects; because
that is really the most difficult problem