Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1878-09-25
The Prevalence Of Crime.
IBossi.r Bauner.l

me over Tue VaIlI pupPIS VI Jul
leading cities, must have been struck
with the prevalence of crime which
their pages show. In New York,
Boston, Chicago, st. Louis, Chcin
natl, and other large cities, crime is
fearfully on the increase; indeed, this
il true OF the entire North and West,
and partially So, We presume OF the
South, although the papers OF the
latter section do not reveal a fifth
OF the crime which abounds in the
other sections. Swindling. deialca.
tons, roGbcries, murders, seduc.
tons, and other crimes are so con.
stan,ly described IN the daily papers
that they hive ceased tn attract
public attentions, unless there be
some unusually psgrayaiins circum
stances connected with them.
Now, there must bc cause for
this avalanche of crime; there must
I've some radically defective tcndcn
cies in society itself, or in the laws
made To govern society, which rem
ders this increase of crime so con.
spicnous. Heavy penalties do not
seem to have any pcrccpilbls effect
upon the law dciying classes. and
we are, therefore, persuaded to be.
lIevc that the cause lies much deep
or than the surface. We may he
oldtogyish, but III our view two Of
the main causes of this dcplora-
bic state is. ttNt-thc CioMing dis
regard among the masses, particu.
larly OF our large cities, OF all rell-
gious restraint; and secondly, The
widespread publicity given to all
species of crime 10y the public press
OF the country.
That the first Of these causes has
produced aud is constantly produc
ing bitter fruit cannot be denied.
The old fashioned belief in the Bible;
III it's promises and threateninSs; in
it's incentives TO u VirtuouS life and
in its thrcatcnimgs TO virtuous one,
are the most wholesome restraints
which ever have been or over will
bc thrown around society. Mere
civilization cannot supply tlIcll
place: for civilization without rcli
sioH only produces more refined
types of crime. No human enact
mcnts, however severe, can ever
take the place of the Divine com
lnands Thou shalt not KILL" and in
the threatrnings of future rctrlbu
ton suspended above the head OF
the murderer, these simple com
man,ls area more powerful restraint
than any human enactment fixing
the death penalty to murder. Tn,
looseness with which mcu hold tt
any religious faith is traccablc, il
our opinion, to the Stree thought,
the 'highcr law" principle inculcatct
from 10 many platforms and pulpitS
When tho Bible became too old
fashioned tor the clcrgymen of al
vanccd thought, who love to preach
to itching ears, and when they bc
Gin to substitute new gospel better
adapted to the refined sensibilities
of their hearers, at that moment the
moral plague which now nthicts Us
began 10 iastcn itself in the heart
of the people, and it has continued
TO spread, becoming more and more
malignant as tho years passed by
The late war produced state OF so
cicty favorable To the rapid develop
mcnt OF the disease already contrac
ted, aud the mistakes and crimes VI
the governing party in the nation
since the war has heightened ont
this period and added tncl to the
flame already too fierce, until how I;
universal harvest of crime is being
rcaped the whole land over.
In the second place, the public
press OF the country, ~ giving no
only publicity. but distinguish,
and detailed publicity, to crime il
it's most repulsive forus, has famil
iarized the people with all kinds q
iniquity, and poised the minds o
the young with impure thoughts
and inspired them with unhOly ambi
tons, not only sapping the founda
ton of all piety. but fittia, man,
for a career of lawlessness aud crime
1T Is said, public journals ARE how
papers and not vehicles to conve,
moral truths to tue people. Gran
all this, does not the newspape
owe something to society," If Al
editor should come iu,o u gentle
mans family aud entertain his son
and daughters by the shocking dc
ITALIA of q murder or divorce o
some more immoral suit at Law
would he not be unceremonicnsl
expelled from the house! And sc
the effect of sneil detailed stat,