The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-03-10
RDUCATIox ANDCRInE.
A Document OF Interest TO our LegislH'
tors and school boards.

"Educatlon and Crime" compiled byJ.P.
Wickersham, L. D., who for fifteen years
has been the Superintendent Of Public In
struction in Pennsylvania. lie was made
Chairman Of the committee appointed by
the National Educational Association to
investigate the subject embraced in his
pamphlet, and his report has been adopted
and published by tho Bureau Of Education
at Washington,
We have seldom read pamphlet oil ten
pages filed with more suggestive matter
lisa document that ought to be sent
broadcast throughout the land. 1t is GER
tainly one Of the most powerful and con.
vincing arguments in favor Of popular
education as means Of diminishing crime
that has ever appeared in print. We have
only space 10 state some Of the conclusions
reached from the statistics furnished in
this pamphlet. They show that about one
sixth OF all the crime in the country Is
committed by persons wholly illiterate.
They further show that about one.third Of
1t is committed by persons practically il
literatc. Further, that the proportion OF
criminals among the iliterate is almost ten
times as great as among those who have
been instructed in the elements Of u com
mon school education or beyond.
It seems that statistics show that in New
York city there is one crime to a fraction
over three persons among the illiteratc
while among those not iliteAte there i:
one crime to about twenty.seven per
sons; or, in other words, the chances FOL
crime among those who cannot read and
write are nine times as great as among the
rest OF the people. New York State Stats
tics show that seven per cent Of the people
commit thirty.one per cent OF the crimes
and that a person not able to read and
write is six times US apt to commit
crime rs one who can read and write.
In Massachusetts it appears that amougthe
illiterate population one out Of every twenty
committed crime; while among those who
had greater or less degree OF education
there was one crime TO about l2G persons,
In Illinois 1t was found that one person out
Of every 1877 OF the ilitcratc Of the State
was in prison, while Of those with more or
less education there was only one to 5GG.
Quoting from E, D. NIansfelds report
to the Bureau Of Education on "the rela-
ton between education and crime" it ap-
appears that one-third OF all criminals are
totally uneducated, and that four.ffths are
practically uneduCated. Also that the pro-
portion OF criminals from the illitcrate
classes is ut least ten fold as great us the
proportion from those having some eduCa.
ton.
No inquiry into the relation OF education
and crime can be complete without taking
into consideration the effect OF education
upon erring or neglected children, as shown
by its results in our houses Of refuge,
schools of reform and homes for the friend
less. II the worst Of children gathered
into institutions Of this character-child-
rem who, il left to themselves would almost
certainly follow life of crime and end
their days in prison-can be made by cdu-
cation and favorable surroundings, in large
proportion, useful citizens, no one can
doubt that most effective mode OF pre-
venting crime has been discovered. 1t may
seem marvellous to those who have not
given attention to the subject, but the re-
suits OF reiOrmatories for the young lead to
the conclusion that il the population now
filling our penitentiaries and prisons had
been properly cared for and educated when
young, at least thrOe.iourths Of them would
have been saved 10 society and themselves.
Let the plain facts be stated. Says this re-
port ave have before us table carefully
compiled by the best authorities, contained
in the proceedings OF convention Of mana.
gers and superintendent Of houses Of refuge
and schools of reform, held in the city Of
New York in May, 1857. This table shows,
among other things, the whole number OF
inmates, their average age, the average
period OF detention, and the per cent OF re.
formed in some seventeen institutions OF
the class represented, located in eleven
different States. The whole number OF
children admitted was 20,65S, their aver.
age l21 years, the average period OF Ceten.
nj ttNyn Al.
eentage Of reformed serenty;fre. Seventy
five per cent Of these incorrigibly bad
children, these young criminals, reformed
in twenty months! Such is the official
record.
The late Dr.. E. @. Wines, in his work on
the "State Prisons and Child Saving Insti.
tutions," estimates that OF the 1900 chill.
dren now in the reformatories OF the coun.
try 90 per cent Mt least will be trained into
good citizens. "Some would claim" he
says, "75 or so per cent, but statistics do
not bear them out" "Perhaps," he adds,
"the percentage OF worthy citizens trained
up among the whole $4,000 in preventive
and reformatory schools would be as high
as IS per cent"
The State public School Of Michigan is
known all over the country. It's object is
"to save children who arc in danger Of be.
coming criminal before they have actually
become such." 1t is a school for paupcr
and vagrant children, children OF evil ton.
denotes, and children whose circumstances
and surroundings would almost certainly
keep them in ignorance and lead them into
vice. Hear the cautious statement Of
results rs contained in the report OF the
superintendent for 1878: Considering
hesays, "tho heredity OF these children
and the influences which surround most
Of them previousto entering the institution,
i am myself surprised at the results
There is no doubt that large majority Of
them, left where they were, would have
become criminals or chronic paupers; but
1t looks now as though 50 or 90 per cent
would become respectable II not ideal Citi.
zens. Coming years can alone determine
what the complete results will be-" In A
paper prepared two years later tho super.
intendent says Enough is known 10 sat.
isfy us that there are very few OF the chill.
dren who go through the school who will
not provo as good in morals and life ms Tho
average children in the community, /
conld not plaCe the loss aS LON M < No,