, 1876-07-01


tort was put forth to prevent the pro.
dnc''oa Of vice anl crime that is now
almost uScI"'sy y put forth to cure them,
they would almost wholly disappear in
Il generation, 1t proper conditions of
generation and CESSATION of children
were observed, criminals would cease to
he produccd Tho idcn Of reforming
mahNnd, hya system of arbitrary re-
wnrd and punishment, Is hrutnIning;
a"d has lis source in ignorance and bar
boriNm The motive of tear as Il cause
of action i, a low and base one. and ap.
pIlcablc only to brut,e. Society alone is
rcspNusibIc Tor all the human hrucs it
has prodnccd; Ind the duty of society
to these unfortunate victims of bad pre-
natal conditions, is to provide for them
on the same principle that it provides
for the idiot, the insane, the deaf or
blind, and surround them with the
highest conditions their eases will ad-
nit Of, which was denied them prena.
tally and made thcm victims as they
are.
Among the causes which produce
criminals, may be me toned, alcohol in
its various mixtures, tobacco and other
narcotics, and othcr unnatural and vicin.
ting stinUlonts; bGt especially, the en-
shaved condition of women, many Of
whom are made to pandcr to the lusts
Of vicatcd men. The children of all
such commerce are necessarily vicious.
To be morally insane, by no means i'm.
pics that the subject has no perception
Of right and wrong; for he may have
the clcarcst determinations of right and
wrong; but ut the same time lack the
impulse, passion, or prompting of con
science to impcl him 10 the right in
preference to the wrong and is impclled
by stronger and perverted passions in
the opposite direction. 1t is the Office of
the intellect to perceive and determine
right and wrong, and Of conscience to
prompt to do the night in preference to
the wrong; conscience has no more to
do in deciding right or wrong than re-
sentiment las, but either, II possessed in
proper strength, is aroused, and prompts
to action in accordance with the pcrccp-
tions Of the intellect And the man
who has but weak development, or no
development Of conscience, I call NOR
ally insane; though he may possess one
of the brightest intellects Of the age.
Brutality and vice in man by no
means imply mental imbecility or igno-
rance in all cases; for some of the
brightest intellccts in the world, have
been coupled with an almost entire lack
Of conscience and with perverted and
violated passions and appetites.
Sin Is the violation Of the laws of our
beng, and is always followed by the nee
cssary penalty; and the race, through
Ignorance, has sunk deeply in transgres-
siors and consequent degradation and
mans only way out OF it IS through
scientific knowledge and return to obc-
dicnce to the laws of his being, but
never through fear of arbitamry punish.
mcnt here or hereafter, However, so
long ms the people will put the morally
insane IN places Of public trust and re-
sponsibility, it might be advantageous
to the people, to hold the hangmans rope
over their heads to keep the wretches in
order, though it would do no good as to
reforming them, for they are but moral
abortions. The better place to put them
would be in the asylums for the morally
insane. f. II. NJ.