Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-05-20
The defense here closed.
After hearing the argume


SERMON by REV. FIELDER IsRAKL-soME THOUGHTS
ON JUDGE aILPlN's CHARGE TO THE GRAND
JURY.
Rev. Fielder Israel, pastor Of the First Uni
tartan church, preached . sermon, Sunday even-
ing, on ''Crime Its Causes and ItA Cure" The
thoughts were suggested by Judge Gilpin's re-
cent charge to the Grand Jury, wherein 1t was
stated that crime is fearfully on the increase in
this county.
First thanking the Judge for this opportunity
and for the timely warning which he gave, MI.
Israel then noticed the three causes Of crime,
viz: viciousness, vanity and vagrancy; or natal
Israel here noticed class Of persons who drift
through life worthlessly, amlessly and mis-
chievously, simply because they have nothing
to do with their money or their lives. They
have no consistent principle or fixed purpose in
living; hence they are subject to temptation and
fall an easy prey to the seductions of crime.
From all these sources vice comes; from vile
nurture and from vanity, the root evil Of which
is the indiscriminate respect paid to wealth and
from idleneas. He then went on to mention
several mistakes about the causes OF crime 1st,
To suppose that its commission is mostly among
the poorer classes; End, By the ignorant and un-
educAted; and 3nd, BY the incorporate. While
each Of these is cause OF CRIME it Is . mistake
to suppose that any one of them ia fountain
head. The particular snd special source OF
crime ia the indiscriminate homage paid to
wealth, because it produces 1st, The desire
for distinction /; End, The ambition for money 1t
| all hazards 3rd, It leads to dishonesty, defal-
cation, and destruction. 1t u incredible what
Herbert Spencer says, "scaroely man is to be
| found who would not behave with more civility
! to knAve in broadcloth than to knaye in fus-
tian."
What shall We do with crime2 Let us remember
| the rootidea Of 1.-THE incongruity between the
faculties and their sphere Of action, when these
faculties are abnormal, or lily educated, or wick.
| cd, or warped. In order to cure crime We nust
in the first place purify public opinion. We
must insist upon the enactment Of just and rig
orous laws. Here tho speaker showed the in
sufficiency Of our Delaware code and it's punish
ments, particularly noticing the pillory and the
| whipping post and denouncing them - inenec-
tual, and saying that Notwithstanding the OK
istence of this mode Of punishment it is an
nounced by the highest authority in the State
that crime 10 on the increase. On Saturday last
q larger number than usual were sentenced to
both the pillory and whipping post We must
| como to better ideA Of punishment it must
be reformatory and not fetributive for re-
straint, education aud development Of the good
and not for vindictive, passionate determine.
ton to vindicate the law merely, but save the
offender As we'll a. the oifended-not to destroy
his manhood, but to improve his manners. The
any respect gained over by brute force. All his
tory proves this.
We need reformatory institutions and we'll reg
ulated Houses Of Correction-a penitentiary,
work house and self-sustainiag elmshouses
We want education. Here the speaker bsanchet
OF to show that education was not = preventa
tive Of crime, reading again from Herbert Spen
Ger and also referring to Maoaulley and Mis-.
MaItineau, presenting the argument on botl
sides that education is . euro for crime.
But what We need more than all is gospel b
cure this evil-A gospel of sympathy, Of human
ity, not Of seasons and sacrAments, Of theolo
gies, Of metaphysics and philosophy, but one o
service, of duty, Of benevolence and good will
Of justice, Of the recognition Of the rights o
man. Each we're dwelled upon and applied I
the subject in hand aud their power and eject
shown as reformatory and regulating principles
This gospel can alone reach and rule these evil