New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-18
FLIGHTY RURDERERS.
From The London Spectator.


What 4 prospect Is opened out by the phrase
Tightly murdcrers,' # il be really applicable at all
For ~ there not some danger that WIN the spread
of half education, 1t may hcrrd9e upon Iilc otnei
t,nes of murder, and become one of the moro com
tnou When murder IN done by one VINO Iends nus
Whole soul 90 the murdcr, and then suffers, as he
,rust do the strong remOr5e Ia winch su0ng
natures are liable after their strongest assertions OF
their oEn will, we know what IT'S Limits must Oe
But when murder is done by light-mnndtd man LOT
a light-mindcd purpose, and the compdncuons
hirR he foels afterward are rs light comparatively
na tLl motives of the crime. the prospect Is muCh
more terrible. For 10 suggests a poSsiollity that,
with the crowd--the growing croWd-Ot Impressions
to which children are suDec'eI IN "haJ Is clIled
cdu the roots Oh Lne CONVENTIONAL
morality may be so greatly "csAeheu tne men mo
might appear simply weak ana a,naDIo on "a super,
6clll acquaintance, ought stlll 10 DC Tauhed
anon gst the most dangerous enemies Whlca society
no. Only conceive the result OF any great lnuitiph-
cation Of weak characters, any one OF winch may
he thrown Of the track OF social morahty Dy tlo
r,.rest Jerk of a sudden yeXatOn or sense OF want
Is there nothing in the spread Oh nippt il3 no
cism on the hand, and the multlBDcatlon OF IN
ectual apologies and excuses TOT All sot Is OF ways
of looking at things on the other 10 iShder 10 very
difficult to engravc ON the minds or modern cilSrGn
The old awe of any violation Of the DecalOguel III
mon sin with all the lighter heart Tor Oeh6Vhg IN
no Judgment OF sin, they VIII certainty Somuhs
nm, with all the lighter hcart too, till at last tho
Instructive horror of 10 may greatly dWlndle, ana
calculation alone retain its full welght ia lettering
men from it, What we ieat Is gt,dnal lIll,5Ilns
away OF the special gravity Win Wmcb men nave
hitherto regarded the greater crimes, aho INC D4ur-
ring of All the moral distinctions between these
crimes and ordinary t2ultS.
tween hat which is grayely criminal ana that
which is immoral but not grayely criminal; but
then the first effect which the spread or the new
doubts about ythng, and the waning Of the one
instructive horrors, seems to produces is loss Oh
reverence for law. ana a growing uIsPosilloh 10
helrve that with sufficient resources the law can
he cyaded. OF course. both Guiteau and LEROY
knew perfectly well that II they succeeded In their
urur,ier and did not succeed in making their
r.cane they we're liable 10 capital punishment.
Rnf none the less, they dared It, and dared 1t ap-
parently with IA light heart, that Is, without even
seriously impressing themselves with the magni-
tude of their crime. And as intellectual lhpres,,
sions multiply in number, while the primary moral
imp-,ssiOus wane IN force, the criminal law VIII no
longer retain its old authority, but WIZ more ana
more tend to DO ranked with the clFlI law Oh tHo
land No doubt, while the punishment OF deash Is
retained for certain offences, these ouehces W VI
cortiuue To excite a certain horror when other
offences do not excite. The mere Liability 10 capltal
nuuisbment brands the whole class OF crimes Tor
which IL may be inflicted with brand OF us own.
EuL Though we fully admit this, ana nope tnat
we may never see capital punishment abolished for
the worst kind of murder, yet, none the less inc
rnrid growth of unsettng ideas, ana the rapid
d,minntiOn of moral breads Will tenq steadily 10
Jipintsh the awiuluess OF the criminal law and 10
ri,dnr dightv crimes Of a grave character more and
moro nrobabis When there Is not sufficient tOun-
nnon OF character TO make the utteTance OF false
Lood without some very clear aud specific tempta-
ton improbable, there can be hTle chance or any
nstinotye horror of moro serious crimes. Inc
man who pours ont hes only because they come
easily TO his lips Is not at all likely to reeol from
worse breaches of the moral law, except on tne
ground OF penal consequences. Indeed, we OeneVe
That broken-d down oharaGtera,-i.e, characters
without any determinate set for either good or evil
In tbem-are worse omens for the social future imam
absolutely bad characters themselves Tho latter,
of course are individually more terrible. DUB tn'''