National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-09-28
EDUCATION VS.. CRIME.

"dustrial schools for the young" In Or
der to procure the information in satisfac-
tory form for this pamphlet of 20S pages it
was found necessary to employ competent
person to visit and make personal examina-
ton of many of the schools and charities
| noticed therein, and the widow of Colonel
Herman Garfield, formerly of Ohio, and
fouDdress of the Garfield Home for colored
orphans lat Memphis, Tennessee, was Sc
lected for the purpose. She visited two
hundred and forty eight of the schools, re-
formatories, &c, and the body of the work
before us is record of her careful observa-
tons. Buckle, the most profoundly philo-
sophie of historians, asserts that the proper
functions of government are only two
| protection and the prevention of crime In
| all that does not pertain to the consumma-
ton ofthese objects he claims for all men the
largest possible liberty-that is, freedom to
the extent of their several powers. Whether
his limitation of government duty is held
by others to be too narrow or not, it will
not be denied that both national protection
| and prevention of crime-which is the
fullest personal protection-are mainly and
most cheaply secured through general in
telligence, and that the latter is due to such
education as is generally acknowledged to
be desirable in itself. AT this point then,
it would seem clear that it is the duty of
governments to provide, as far as may be
practicable, for the education of their peo-
pies; and in the easiest manner, by the in
struction Of the young.
There used to be different theory and
practice in countries the most enlightened.
Both were more or less due to seventies of
Theology which have faded slowly away
before the advance ofa more philosophic and
kindly light. II is found that il may not
be necessary to always cruelty thief to
get him Immediately into Paradise, and
that we have no moro right to make unne-
cessary waste Of human life and human
liberty, and in fact a thousand times less
right than OF the things which make life
and liberty enjoyable. Hence there has
arisen different method of treating crimI-
mails, and those who, from neglect and other
causes, may probably become such. In
the introduction of this " Circular Of Infor-
mation" it is stated that schools for orphans
were first established in this country at
Charleston, S. c., in 1890, and reformatory
schools began here in 1926, under the names
of houses of refuge. Later, institutions of
the latter kind were called reform schools,
and recently they have been called indus
trial schools Even by these changes of
name we omit to press upon the attention
&c Oh t1o IeCo c.,
cannot be so much TO blame often, as is
society itself.
1t would be of interest to give an outline |
of some of the numerous and various insti- |
tutions for the education of the young who |
have become deserved objects of regard to |
both public and private benevolent corpo- |
rations, because Of misfortunes not prevent
able by their experience, but this cannot
be done in the limits Of an ordinary article
Those who desire this should procure the
circular of the Bureau of Education.
To many, howeVsr, the most interesting
portion Of the circular will be the "Appen-
dix A." which throws q strong light upon
the effects Of ignorance as the parent of
crime, in "lssDrds and oficial reports con-
"cerninE the lineage Of the stock Of offend
Gers, paupers and unfortunatss in which |
Margaret, the Mosher Of Criminals ap-
"pears." AS Ar Is possible We shall let |
Mr.. Dugdale, the chairman Of the COM
"nitiee on jails and sources Of crime in |
Hudson river Counties" &C., who faith
fully followed. through records, the testi-
mopy Of physicians, and other sources Of |
information, the history of Margaret and |
her descendants, tell his own story Of the |
results, and make his own deductions.
1t appears that the Margaret spoken
of was an inhabitant of Ulster county, New
York, and had five sisters who have left |
records, one having lived virtuous life.
Some of the sisters were illegitimate. Mr..
Dugdale says:
"The ancestral breeding-spot in which this |
family has been nurtured nestles along the |
forest-covered margin of five lakes, so rocky as
to be at some parts inaccessible. Most Of the |
ancestors were squattsrI upon the soil, lived in |
log or stone houses similar to the slave novels |
all ages, sexes, relations and strangers bunk |
ing Unfortunately, and, when not producing |
Illicit relations, evolving an air OF suggestive
ness that fatally broke down habits of chastity |
Even to this day some of them occupy the self |
same novels built nearly a century ago.
Margaret had one bastard son, who is the |
grandfather and reat-grandfather of the dis
tinctly criminal line. Another sister had two |
nlegitimate sons, who do not appear to have |
had any children. A third sister had four,
three boys and one girl, the three oldest chill
dren being mulattoes, and the youngest, boy,
white"
In respect 10 the number of persons and |
classification which Mr.. Dugdales analysis
of the first catalogue of descendants of these
girls give, be says:
"The statistical analysis of the family, in
GLIDING the direct descendants ard those who
inter-married, as given in my first catalogue,
is as follows Total number, 709; males, 327;
females, 3l9; legitimate, 1877; illegitimate, 105:
of marriagsabls age, 474; unmarried adults,
40; married, 2l5; women who had bastards be-
fore marriage, "a; women who had bastaris
after marriage, ID; harlots, 1877; total number
of harlots, 164 not ascertained, IS; number
who were barren or impotent, 46; kept brothels,
IL; syphilitic, (notoriously,) 50; number who
acquired some property, %; number Of the
ceived outdoor relief, 142; number of years
individual relief, 734; number receiving aims
house relief, 81; number of years. Individual |
relief, 90; number of criminals, IS; number of
years imprisonment, 116; number OF offenses,
(indictable crimes,) lis.
win tne exception OF perhaps dozen in |
stances, the number of paupers and criminals |
is derived from the public records, and the |
figures are therefore very much below the |
truth, brcause the full records could not be
iound, large proportion Of them being de-
stroyed. As to the diseases, the information
mas Deen furnished BY several competent ply
sicians; and, as TO the illegitimacy, it rests on
the testimony of various witnesses, sometimes
the children or grandchildren, sometimes the |
brothers and sisters, sometimes other rela-
TONS"
sin determining how much of the career is
due to pure heredity, how much to subsequent
modifying effects, might answer in q general
way that where an Unbeatable disease or |
structural characteristic is organized during
the ante-natal period, as, for instance, consti-
tutional syphilis, idiocy or insanity, it does not