Ellsworth American., 1877-05-17
Was il Wholesome q?
10 tle Eiaor q Tie American

moral balance. Several have confessed to
me that, while they realized that constant
/ attendance upon the trial was not good,
the fascination of the place was too great
to be resisted Perhaps they and others
may be now in better condition to appre-
ciate few suggestions upon the subject.
Let rue begin by say ing what | do not
mean. and 50. keeping myself clear from
the taint of fauaticism or exaggeration.
/. do not cast the slightest imputation
upon those by whom the trial has been
conducted. Ca the contrary, sm glad to
have this opportunity of congratulating
them upon the ability, aud. so TO speak,
the degree Of moral cleanliness which have
marked the proceedings as a whole II
anything of the kind could be harmless TO
the ordinary mind, it would be this. The
state and County have resson to be pleased
with their officials.
.. | do not mean TO deny that many
parts of the trial were instructive and prof
titable. The testimony of the experts. If
may judge of them by those whom | had
the pleasure of meeting by the courtesy of
worth hearing. The same is no doubt
true of the closing arguments and the
charge
;. do no, forget that there are many
vino were personally interested in the t,Ial,
and perhaps some of character above
contamination 10y constant dealing wl;h
crime. To such. what say may not APP
ply.
4. | do not deny that the r>Sht Of the
trial concerns the welfare OF every member
Of The community. and tha; therefore all
should be intensely anxious to know that
Justice Is done. only wish that our ctti-
zens were half a anxious to see many
other laws than those concerning murder
strictly executed In this re ion.
>. DO not mean that everyone who at
tended this trial. either occasionally or
constantly, committed the unparlonable
sin. or that the community is ruined be-
yond hope by the excitement
But what do mean, and ask the wise to
consider calmly, i thi-,--that for crowds
Of people. old and young. to attend a muir
der trial for days together in the morbid
>tate OF excitement which has marked
them. there 10 feed hour after hour upon
The details Of violence and blood, To go
home only to ill the interveHiu. hours
with talking over 10 each other and the
children what they have heard, and so 10
make this murder the center OF their lives
ami thoughts for a fortnight, i demoral-
izing to the moral tone OF the community.
| admit that it is not an easy thing 10
prove this 10 those who are not sccu,tom-
ed to consider events from the moral view
| do not expect To be able 70 show any
startling outward crime or any very mark
"a change in public or private lite. The
effects OF moral influences are upon the
heart and only indirectly upon the life.
The lowering Of moral tone In a communi-
~ cannot be measuied like the fall in our
river. Ii can be Inferred, if at all. from
established facts and from well-known
principles OF moral law
II is an established fact that the reading
of accounts of crime is injuriou, to moral
tone. They are found TO appeal to the
same passions as those which produced the
crime itself. though. of course. generally
to a much lower degree. Not alway.
much lower, ,howevera as facts show. When
distinguished English novelist aepresen-
ted man, who wished to kill hi. wife, a
working himself up to the decisive point
by readin. volumes of reports of the Old
Bailey trials. il was hailed By the critics
a. mastery stroke of imitation of reality.
For, it is a fact in real life that those who
have committed or contemplate commit
ting crimes are fond of reading about such
things. When James L. Fields visited
Pomeroy. the childmurderer. he found
that before his crimes he had fed his mind
upon reports and stories OF murder and vi
olence. Piper, who killed Mabel Young
prefaced the act by reading novel which
pictured the life of Hlndoo assassins. OF
the literature asked for by those in jail
more than eighty per cent. is of this kind.
have lately received circular from
Society in Boston, branch of large or
ganization, which aims to stop the sale OF
such literature and offers 10 furnish am pie
statistics to show It's relation to real
crime.
or course. the cases have cited are ex-
treme ones. No one will say that all who
read the literature of crime will be swept
on TO their fate. But they do show the
tendency and the dInger. and establish the
fact that reading reports OF trials and sto-
ries of crime has an evil influence.
Now to our point. Let US suppose that
hundreds Of people, men and women
old and young, wbe have crowded Han
cock Hall for the last two weeks, had
spent that time in eagerly reading the re-
ports OF murder and violence. Would the
effect upon their imaginations and general
tone of mind have been wholesome: If
not, what shall We say now that the time
"as been spent where. by more direct con-
tact, the same things have been made more
vivid and real, and therefore more effect.
i've: The result must be. not. Of course
the direct production of crime. but deep
ening of that lowness and feebleness of
moral tone out of which crimes do spring,
as waves from the ocean. | am speaking
of the mass OF people and not OF special
individuals.
But it may be said. in reply to this, that
it is a good thing for the people to know
how trials are conducted. But this mur-
der case was preceded by nun Der of civ.
il cases. but no one seemed to care to
know how they were conducted. And as
a matter of fact, how maRy out of all these
crowds have gone with the motive of learn
ing about the institutions and methods of
law? Was it for this, that women walked
miles from neighboring towns? Was it
fnr this that nennta ha rdiv ahia IN s..nnart