The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-03-02

Protect itseIflfOm the Multiplf.
cation Of Criminals and lSnu.
persia Suggestion az 40 the
Use 0flhC kniiis. sB 4 ts.FI
From the Scientific American Of February 9Th,
Published Ia tho lntHlllsoncor by request
1t Is fortunate circumstance that vice
/. ultimately sclf.deslruc.iyc, Lust, VIC.
lcucC and debauchcry arc killing in them.
selves; and tho children OF the brutally
vicious are very apt to enter upon tho
struggle for existence weighted with such
an inheritance Of weakness and disease
that their carly destruction Is all but in
evitaLle, It lisa law Of nature that the
generation Of the wicked shall be cut off.
To this bcnohcent law, however, there
Are serious exceptions. Certain phasUs
of criminality-as may DO seen any morn
ing In our police courts-Are not only
consistent with, but are usually accom-
panied byabundant animal yigOr, capable
Of indefinite propagation; and the proba-
blities arc that the criminals Of future
years will be chiefly descended from the
sturdy sinners for whose restraint tho
police Systems OF to-day arc mainly re-
luired. The criminal class, like tho pau.
per class, Is to u great extent hereditary
caste, representing the unciyilized and
largely uncivilizable elements Of the com.
munity. How to deal with this class,
how to turn is perverted forces into Use.
inl channels, and make la perpetuation
difficult II not impossible, Ia tho great
social problem Of tic day.
Victor Hugo has said that the quickest
way to civilizo man Is to civilize his
grandmother. The saying Is worthy ofa
place among the axiOms Of social science.
Certainly when society nGgleCts the grand.
nother-as itdid IN the case Of the waif
called maggie" (reiorred to in our paper
Of January 9), to whom DR.. Harris traces
such pestilent brood Of human vlpers-;
the succeeding generations are pretty
sure to pay heavy penalty IN perpctua.
ted savagery. Probably ouch one. OF tho
small army Of Criminals, lunnlic+, drunk.
ards, imbeciles, and the rest, to which shG
gave being, have cost tho country moro
than would have suIliced for the reClamn.
ton Of dozen such grandmothcrs to be,
certainly enough, TO surround hem with
conditions which would make 1t impOs-
sible for any one Of them to stock country
with criminals and paupers.
It will not take many such cases, II Is
to be hoped, to rouse the community to
an appreciation Of the urgent need Of
greater watchtulneSs in regard u the de.
yelupment OF vagrant children, aud all
children not subject to wholesome inIlu'
ences. Who can say how many Maggies
are Skulking about city aud country to-
day, or covering In homes Of brutality
and vice, receiving the training requisite
for making them criminals and breeders
Of criminals? For It's own safety, lot
alone the children's present and future
welfare, society IL bound to adopt more
liberal and thorough measures for re:
moving such heirs Of crime and criminal
poverty from their corrupting environ
ment, and for training them In ways Of
industry md morality.
II may be impossible to make much .!
such unprdmiSing material nevertheless
Il "a possible to prevent much; and with
social as we'll as with individual disease
prevention Is better than cure. Every
boy or girl growing up In beggary AM
lawlessness IL the possible ahcestOrot
line Of pariahs aa numerous and burden
some as Maggie's have been; and neither
prudence nor PHILANTHROPY can tolerate
The neglect Of them. AS q matter U
Justice, Too, society has as little right L
allow Inc future to be afflicted with the
pernicious fruit Of such petnicious stem'
as II has 10 stock the fields with poison
Gus plants, or knowingly 10 establish tli'
conditions for the development oil ttilur'
pestilences.
now CAN SOCIETY HELP iTsEIF2
Primarily, by civililing, 40 far rs pos
siblc, The naturally unCiyilited grand
mothers, not forgetting the grandfather
also, bybringing them up In habits Q
honest industry In useful occupations
not In unnatural masses In prison. Tx
asylums, but In workshops and famil lea
This done vigorously, the criminal elias
will be largely cut of by conversion int'
something better. We shall have cauS
for thankiulness when 80 much Ia done
IiuI lin time Ia ufOblbly coming WIle
d"o ; Ie yiIi ssc lie necessity Of takin
s,iII tgotS rSdIaSi MEASURES for The pre-
vSni;%n Snt nniy of t,ossiblc crime, but .
Nn.s;Sio HFiminais, In a more immediate
and active sense that the words h0i
carry, the generation oil tile wicked vii
DO cut Of, ..,,....,,.,. :.
Natures processes ior eileeIlng tlls en-
are, like mos. other nasli tH ptiY1eesse y
very slow ana very wa ,.e SUI .s, n,otS
they are very unlast, Sihce snI ,,i l'OT ri,
Silier lar more Ihan w WI w. Sit,d =
lusty vaganonu Ieaus . loliy iaie .' T. ~
the end with all tue Gnloy m In ~ IS ~ y.
pable Of; and leaves 3ehlnu nm = NY n.lI ,.i
Gus progeny t9 pay the penalty OF I nls ny
deeds In hereditary poverty, impV ,.s.,,.
90 constitutions uepray,g,a tas.es m ~ !,
Diseases and other conal'ionIj q, q. ea.Iy n
feat In HES engagement anu lhe .i hi s1 "
and physically healthy are laAeu lVr ~
support OF alnih9useS prisons asyi WV y
hospttala and other places q relIge ~
them. For the victims, as wei Y " l9 n ~
mainly at large, II we're oeIter iau .,s w
never been born. we 90 wen 70 I n'"N
the most OIL !hen aver tnsy S.e uoEI,-O