The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-23

Murder-The Condition OF Our Criminal
Calendar-Where tho Responsibility
Rests-The influence OF tho Late War
Foreign Emigration = The Public
Press-Criminal Literaturc-Thc HUI
man Heart-serm0n by the Rev. DR.. j.
Stanford HOlmc.
Notwithstanding the threatening weather,
large audience gathered at the Trinity Baptist
church in Fftyffth street, last evening" to listen
to the pastor, the Rev. DR.. Holme on the sub
ject "Murder; or, the Condition OF our Criminal
Calender; Where the Responsibility Rests" He
selected for his text passage from Matthew, XIV,
l9-"Out OF the heart proceed murders"
He opened by referring to the condition Of our
criminal calendar aud its demand for our serious
consideration as Christian men, and said, In at
tempting to answer the question why the crime OF
murder Is so fearfully prevalent IN our day,
He woud first refer to some OF those in
fuences which may be supposed to be
more remote and afterwards attempt TO
trace the stream 10 the fountain head. And
first he considered that the prevalence OF the crime
is traceable In no small degree to the influence OF
our late war. That terrible struggle left fearful
shadow behind it. 1t cheapened human life; 1t has
familiarized us with seas Of blood and what men
learn to do for others they come to do easily for
themselves. Again, great Importance is to be at
tached in this connection to
FOREIGN EMIGRATION.
large proportion OF our emgrants belong to the
lowest class OF European population. And they
not only proportonately lower the standard OF our
national morality, but they even sink US in the
graduation OF the criminal calendar below that OF
the nations from which they come; and this be-
cause we are destitute of system Of police equal
to that OF Europe. The European police in their
wonderful ingenuity and system OF espionage con-
trasts strongly with our Imperfect ana inehci e
account in estimating the causes OF the preva-
lence OF crime IN this country. Nor does the
influence OF the crime or the lower classes end with
their actions but extends to the higher and more
cultivated class, as the 1lthy lanes and dark slums
OF the city send out their loads OF contaglon and
death TO the elegant dwellings of the rich. Again,
wicked men and women are rendered even more
desperate by the evident inequality OF the laws.
The laws prolessedly based on justice and exc
cuted with fairness but men who, though them
selves wicked not lost to all sense OF fairness
see that this profession Is in great measure,
mockery; that what processes TO be justice is
A MERE GAME OF CHANCE OR SKILL
where the cunning slip through and the strong
the same social and pecunlary condition as poor
Nixon he would now be where Nixon is? This ine
quality, this unfairness. this absolute injustice cor
Another cause Of the increase OF crime is the pub
licty given 10 II " the press in our day: 1t 70;
thus aids greatly In their propagation Pope has
thrown more philosophy than poetry into the well
kQOWu llueS.-
Vice Is monster Of so frightfu mien
AS to be noted needs but to be
Yet too Oft, familiar with its face
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
And am persuaded that few more powerful in
fiuances can be conceived OF than constant IA
miliarity with scenes OF violence to blunt the moral
sense and TO lead to the propagation of crime. The
influence Of the daily press Is almost incalcuiabe
and Incredible Every day It Is pouring its stream
OF influence on the public mind, and when the
youth OF our city are brought in daily and hourly
contact with the mass Of criminal literature which
it contains Is it wonderful that the
MOST FEARFUL RESULTS
should follow? The speaker then referred to
drunkenness as the parent OF all vice, and in trac
ing the stream Of vice back came to its fountain
the human heart. Out OF the heart, says the text,
proceed murders And II we had more insight into
these hearts OF ours we should discover In our own
ungoverned passions-our anger, our malice, our
feelings OF revenge-the germs OF murder. The
Apostle John says, "WhO 80 hateth his brother Is
murderer" He may not nave imbued his hands in
blood, but he has the spirit OF q murderer in his
heart. The speaker hkened murder to the bech-
ing forth Of the volcano Of the human heart, burn
ing with the fires OF hatred and malice. So God
declares every angry man o murderer, and VIII SO
hold him responsible. After celebrating to a con.
siderable extent on the cultivation OF the spirit OF
hatred rife in the community, the reverend gentle
'A' THE NEWSPAPERS,
said 81 am sorry to say that good many OF our
newspapers have just this spirit in them. They
pride themselves on being honest haters They
are more honest In this than in anything else, and
they infuse this spirit into their readers; and Is
there any wonder that the volcanic fires OF hatred
and passion are continually burning and blazing
and bursting forth into murder and deeds OF vio-
lenceS That deed Is furnished almost daily, SUI
lcient to stock city with murders Tor twelve
month";" He closed by urging upon his hearers the
selves and exercising their influence to promote 1t
among others as the only practical means for,
lesSenng the prevalence Of murders among US,
which legislation cannot by itself do.