Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1879-12-02
nonAL REsPoxsIsILIrx.
rEs..y No. 5. written By . .eAoo, eoy.l

49,
The question a. to what extent man
Is morally responsible for his acts Is .
broad one, and one that will admit Of
almost limitless discussion. The man Of
today Is to . great extent the product Of
many preceding generations, and when
the fact Is considered that bis acts. in
consequences. must necessarily be largely
Influenced by the acts Of his ancestors
ranging back perhaps q thousand years.
the question q to bis moral rssponsi.
bility for acts performed appears full Of
complications and unknown factors. II
there were q few men living. over whom
time and death have no power. whose
range Of vision could be extended back .
thousand years, these men would see In
the youthful John Smith Of today almost
the exact counterpart OF his ancestor
Smith, who trod the earth Ave hundred
years ago. They would recognize In
the Richard hoo Of, today similar
traits Of character 10 those which
we're peculiar to the Roe Of olden
times; would perhaps recognize old
Ros's tone OF voice, the same step. .
similar twinkle OF his eyes when spin.
ming . tough yarn to oredulous listeners.
and the same questionable habit Of spit.
ting through his teeth at q distant OBJ.
ject. The peculiar moral obliquity Of
the young hoodlum OF today. who 10
caught robbing the merchants I'LL. could
DO traced back through past centuries,
occasionally cropping out like some min.
ing ledge, until his prototype Of Ave
hundred years ago was reached. and
whose earthly career wis suddenly
brought to . close by the tightening Of
rope around his neck.
Who does not sometimes feel an al.
most Irresistible impulse to perform
some act, the impulse for which seems
to coms from some mysterious sourcef
Who does not know mon who try to ab.
stain from excessive use OF Intoxicating
liquor, bot owing to an irresistible i'm.
pulse which controls them periodically
become victims to their ~ungovernabls
sppstites1
These impulses and appetites are NO
doubt simply tho result Of Inheritance.
and the lons'sishted persons before
referred to can see where. hundreds OF
years ago, the ancestors Of these mon
periodically performed similar acts to
those which arc now performed by their
descendants because Of almost irrssisti.
bio impulses. The aus Of many
phenomenal traits Of mind such a. are
exhibited In mathematical prodigies,
great singers. poets and inventors could
be traced back to ancestors who pos.
sosssd similar mental tastes and habits.
but which are occasionally abnormally
developed In their offspring by some
unknown cause. Many persons who
obtain credit for the possession Of great
virtue, are virtuous only because Of nat.
ural disinolinstion to do that which 10
at variance With the strict rules OF pro-
pristy, while many persons who In their
Utmost heart honestly desire to lead
exemplary lives are forced to lower
walks simply because OF inherited tastes
and mental ir~resolution. "Ths spirit
in them Is willing, but the flesh is
weak"
II. then. mental and physical traits OF
character are transmitted from genera
ton to generation. modified . little only
by surrounding circumstances, such a.
food, climate, etc.. and the man Of to.
day ID but the man OF Ave hundred
years ago, with slight accidental varia.
lions. the question naturally arises, 10
not society wrong In it, treatment OF
what II 10 pleased TO call criminal GLASS.
est Society makes laws TO punish men
Who do not conform to some arbitrary
standard Of right, set up. oitentimss, by
those who know nothing a. to what 10.
hsrited dspraved tastes are, or how
strong the predisposition to run 10 Ger.
tain grooves 10, when that prsdisposi.
ton comes down through many genera.
tons. Laws are framed upon the prin.
oiple that every man 10 morally respon.
s;bls to society for violations Of law.
when the fact 10. men are often led into
criminal courses by almost irresistible
impulses. which they lack moral strength
to resist.
The operations OF our pensllaws show
oonolusively that punishment for viola.
lions Of law. sven when the punishment
10 extremely severe, does not prevent
crime. Many years ago In England the
penalty for sheep stealing was death. but
sheep stealing could mot DO prevented.
Death was also the penalty for counter.
letting money. but men became counter.
letters faster than the law could kill
them. and public policy. at last. com.
PEELED the abolition OF capital punish.
msnt for the offsuss. Englsnd's states.
men were compelled to recognise the
fact that men were born with inherited
predispositon for crime and that II .
consequence humanity demanded the
abolition Of extreme penalties for minor
offenses against law.
II, then. a. appears, man 10 not fully
morally for his acts. what
course ought society TO pursue with re-
gard to punishment Of offences against
It, and for its wi protection 2 The
criminal classes although swift to VIC.
late laws. seem to feel bound to obey
the Bible Injunction to "bs fruitful and
multiply and replsnish the EARTH" hence
there 10 no hope for Q dlmlnution Of the
criminal supply. Education may per.
haps tend somewhat to prevent the oom.
mission OF crime. bat even that PROPOSE.
ton 10 now disputed By many philan.
thropists. who point In proof Of their
denial to the many recent dsfalcadons.
Savings Bank Irregularities. and oorPo.
ration steals In the Eastern States oom-
mitted by educated men.
But the question involved In this
paper has grown 90 much upon the
In its discussion, both In impor.
tancs and In its complications, that he
feels incompetent to handle 1t, aud will
give way and leave the solu.
ton Of this most di6,oult problem TO
minds. and to persons Of more
extended experiences.