The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-08-04
Education and Crime,


'cational Association ut Philadelphia in
@879 tho assertion was made that sixty
per cent. ofthc convicts in the prisons
OF Philadelphia were high school
graduates. This charge was fatty
denied, and;a committee was appoint
ed to investigate the matter. At the
meeting in Atlanta this committee
through its chairman Dr.. P. Wick
'ersham, Of Pennsylvania, submitted q
comprehensive report, exposing the
fulsity Of the charge, aud showing that
statistics amply provo that education
us the antiNOtc fur'cli,Hc. Out of 487
convicts in Philadelphia only six had
ever been to college and only seven
had attended high schools-none of
them long enough to graduate. For
1880, out of 463 convicts 13 wcro high
school pupils. but eight Of these had
nttenNed but one year. Out of over
hwo Thousand for the whole State, only
thirteen had received n high educa-
ton. The same rcfutation is found
in the statistics for other States, not
more than one convict in five hundred
iaving received liberal education.
The committee next considered the
eject of education on crime. The
iil!scratc form onc-thirtcenth Of the
population Of Pennsylvania, yet they
Mrni2o onc-siSIh of the criminals,
while, ad,ting'Tt those who can burely
&cad aud write. they furnish one-thira
cfa!l the convictS. Ap examination
Of statistics for tho whole country
shows that "the proportion Of crimi-
nails among the illitcratc is about ten
times as great as among those who
have been instructed in the elements
ofa common school education or be-
yond." In New York seven per cent.
of the population conMNit thirty-ono
per cent. Of the crimes.
DR.. Edward D. Mansfield reports to
the United States Bureau Of Educa-
tion that onc-third Of all criminals arc
totally uncducated, and that four
tifths are practically without ctluca-
ton. The Rev. Mr.. Brace, Of New
York, states that nearly one-third of
the crime is committed by the ilitcratc
--onc six-hundrcdth part Of the city's
population. DR.. Wines reports that
ia the North and West onc-thirl OF
the criminals are illitcratc, in very
small proportional illitcratc popula-
ton, while in the South t,Uo-thirds
are illiteratc.
In Great Britain, while 10000
criminals were ignorant, only five
thousand could read and write well,
and only two hundred and twenty
three had received superior cduca-
ton. In Belgium onc-half and in
Holland olc-third Of all tho criminals
are ilitelate.
Without going into all the report
the conclusion is here given. Mr..
Brace has the refornlatory schools of
New York and sweeps all the worst
parts of the city for pupils. After IL
course of several years they arc put
out III the country. "Not more than
three children out Of q thousand leave
his schools to become paupcrs and
criminals" Pennsylvania takes charge
OF all destitute orphans of deceased
soldiers. These arc generally on en-
tcring school very ignorant and un-
promising morally. or twelve thou
sand admitted nine thousand have al-
ready been discharged and put to
work, and Of these only two per cent.
have 'apscd into bad ways, while over
ninety per cent. have nude good men
and women. "Pennsvlvania has spent
III this good work nearly $1,000, 900;
but has mo T. than Saved this amount
from the lessened cost Of her poor
ho"seS. prisons ana pcnitcnfi0yies."
These statements show conclusiye,y
what education does in diminishing
crime. Schools work under great dis
advantages IN the face Of bad home in
tlucnce, but the effect is manifest never
.theless.