Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-11-30
EDUCATION AND CRIME.

We have before. us a pamphlet
bearing the above title, for which
we are indebted to Hon. John Ea-
ton, Commissioner of Education. It
gives some statistics bearing upon
the question suggested by the title.
There are persons who insist that
education does not prevent crime,
but they are few, we presume, and
the statistics obtained from the vari-
GUS prisons in the country does not
bear out the theory. In the year
1879, at time when there were 4o7
conyicts in the Eastern penitentiary
of Pennsylvania, of whom 81, or
more than Ii per cent. had never
been to school at all, Five of them
had attended college, 7 were said to
have attended public high schools, II
had attended private schools; 800
had attended public schools, 1863 of
whom had advanced as far as the
grammar grade, the average age at
which they had quit school being IA
wears. The statistics of the same
prison for 1880, show, that out of
463 convicts, IS only had attended
American high schools, and 8 Of
these had attended only one year
and single one had attended as long
as three years. The statistics of
prisons throughout the country will
doubtless make a worse showing
than this. There are, perhaps, not
one educated convict in 500 to be
found in the prisons of the country
to-day
The pamphlet before us, from
which we have CLEANED the fore
going facts, reaches the following
conclusions:
1. That about one-sixth of all the
crime in the country is committed
by persons wholly illiterate.
2, That about one-third of it is
committed by persons practically il-
literate.
3. That the proportion of criminals
among the illiterate is about ten
times as great as among those who
have been instructed in the elements
of q common school education.
These conclusions are based upon
careful calculations made from actual
statistics, and they may be regarded
as absolutely correct and trustwor>
thy. The statistics from the prisons
of foreign countries present the same
| array of stern facts. But these facts
are also in accordance with our own
observation. We can see it here in
Knoxville, and it will be observed in
every other city in the land, The
youth WHO attend school are
not those who give trouble
to the policemen of our
cities or the constabulary force
of the villages and the country. OF
course there are men of education
and youth who attend school, who
are sometimes guilty Of crime, but
the number is small compared with
| the illiterate classes.
! It is fact that school houses are
less expensive than iails and peniten-
tiaries, and where,,the schools are well
patronized the iails have fewer ten
ants. This being true, we believe
the State has the right to compel the
youth of the land to attend schoo.
for reasonable length of time every
year. Not only has the State
the right, but it is a duty. II
our premises are not correct, we
would thank any one to present
the facts and show us the contrary
If they are correct, then the con
clusion is irresistible. If ignorance
and illiteracy go hand in hand with
crime, then ignorance and illiteracy
should not be permitted, and it is
easier, cheaper and more humane te
prevent, if it can be done, by com,
pulsory education, than it is to per-
nit the youth of the land to become
criminals through neglect to use ths
preventative. It is wiser to forestal
and prevent the rayages of danger
GUS epidemic, by the use of precau
tionary measures, than to attempt tt
stamp it out after it has done itf
deadly work.
The peDitentiaries are beginning to ranf
among our most fourishing in titutions
The Warden OF the Iowa prision has jus