New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-05

about II, in Jail for larceny, astOnished every
body by breaking out in the most sclen-
tfc, and by running off in the most successful
way. Whoever reads the newspapers knows
that it is the boys who make more than
mOiety of work for policemen and for police
courts. There is hardly any crime which they
do not commit - murder, burglary. arson,
forgery, theft, assault. This is fact SO well
recognized that everywhere there are societies
of the benevolent sort seeking to reform these
little rascals, and singularly hard work 1t Is
found to be. Kindness seems to be wasted
faith in human nature is lost; patience
is exhausted; and the result is, as
to-day in Massachusetts, that the pnerility or
the criminal is forgotten or is not taken INTO
the estimate in awarding the penalty of boys
ofIcnsc. He has about him all the signs and
tokens of maturity, even if it be bad one,
and he is dealt with accordingly. While we
are making much of him as an Oliver 1Wist
he turns out to he an Artful Dodger, ana
really much sharper than his Instructors III
morality. So he is left to be dealt with ny
tbe officers of the law who rarely have much
pity for him, or show him much mercy. we
lock him up ard he comes ont anything
but penitcnt, having associated with his SUI
periors in sin and iniquty, and with the re-
suit which might have been expected. lie
goes at once to the old trade, and presently
we lock him up again. Whether ms HE Dc
long or short, he is destined to pass the better
part of it within the four stone walls OF Il
prison; and when at last he is sent there Tor
the remainder of his natural life he humbugs
the chaplain, and cxpends all his ingenuity III
devising ways and means for obtaining an
Executive pardon.
There is one thing. however, which, lose we
patience as we may, it is only justice 10 re-
member. Without INDUCING in any false ard
romantic sympathy, 1t may be sad Tor hiil'
that the juvenile criminal is projected INTO
world for the evil influences OF which he Is not
personally responsible We do not mean TO
saw that he does not know that he Is DONG
wrong when he steals, for he does but What
we would point out is, that he meets such
large opportunity Of stealing. The chance OF
committing the crime, 1t is not to be denied,
be finds ready made to his larccnOns little
hand. He is born to the business; it would
be absurd to say that he does not know
that it is an unlawful one; but he IL tempted
from the start. To be sure, no sinner can
plead that he found sin in the world upon MS
coming into it. He is not absolvcd by the
general and ancient character OF wrong-doing;
he il to be punished without reference to the
doctrine of natural dcpravity; while at the
same time he has given quite unnecessary evi-
dence Of the truth of that doctrine. But he Il
70 90 to iail all the same. There is an ethical
point which society must always take for
granted. 1t is too busy to inquire into all the
antecedcnts of criminals, and it always VIII
be. Upon one side its business must he to
punish and restrain
But upon the other side, il there not also
something to be dOnci These deplaVed
Youngsters are heritOrs OF sin, and though II
must be punished the question still arises
whether society may not do much to diminish
adult crimc-the only sure way which occurs
to us of diminishing Juvenile crime. IT, for
instance, the penalties of the law were always
and vigorously inflicted upon adults of sound
and responsible mind if muIdcrcrS, while the
law against murder remains a. 1t Is, were
always executed If thieves, of high or low
degree, in Congress or CuStOm-bOuS" or IN
Five Points. were always, upon detection, pun
ishcd if courts of law i'll every case were
consistent and above the suspicion OF
venality; IT the statutes were Hl'aiEiciF
enforced with Rhadamanthinc severity, IL u
unreasonable to presume that by perfectly
natural process the Oilcnscs of our minor pop
uation would diminish We offer it as a
proposition perfectly susceptible of dcmonsfra-
ton, that juvenile crime will always be in pro-
portion TO adult crime, and that this VIII al
ways increase or diminish in proportion to the
rigOr with which the laws are executed. Chil-
drcn. and especially American children, are
quick to learn both evil and good. None are
affected sooner than they are by II low stand
ard OF morality; and if they are expected to
initiate social virtues, why not also social
vices? 70 begin with them in onr reform
Otory efforts is to rely upon fallacy They
will be no better than the world into which
they are born, and in which they are destined
to live and move.