The Portland daily press., 1883-11-28
Great Crimes.

1t seem to be true that heinous crimes are
more frequent than formerly all over the
land. Two recent events in New England
have called attention sharply to the fact
that even here there are those as capable of
brutal wickedness as there are anywhere.
Things are not worse here than elsewhere.
Anybody who reads the papers of the coun-
try must know that reports of crime form a
great part of the news that is daily spread
before the people. But day or two ago
the head lines at the top of six adjoining
columns in one of the New York morning
papers announced crime or suicide, which
lie rightly species of crime. And these did
not exhaust the days gleanings of hat
kind of news for there were several more
narrated in less conspicuous places. 1t is
not to be wondered at that men ask each
other after such revelations of deprayity
as the Kittery murder and the triple butch
cry In Laconia whether the world is growing
worse and people are lapsing into barbar-
ism.
1t is sometimes said that crimes are more
frequent than formerly because the popula-
ton is larger and Their are more lawless
people although the proportion of the law
less to the whole number is not greater.
And it is also said that crimes seem to be
more numerous because they are more GER
tainly reported aud the wrong doing of the
whole LAND is made known everywhere each
morning. Both these explanations are good
in degree but they are not satisfactory
Heinous crimes are more frequent than
formerly in States like Maine and New
tfampshire where the population has not
greatly increased, and anybody who reads
the papers of other sections of the country
knows very well that but small proportion
of the great crimes are reported In The pap
ers of his locality, even, although he is an
inhabitant of city which boasts metropoli-
tan enterprise in its journalism The fact
is thatscrimes are drug in the news mar
ket. II is overstocked 1t would be com
paratively easy to fill a page of the PRESS
every morning with criminal news If we
cared to Gull it from our exchanges.
The case as it is presents profound prob
lem for students of the social condition. For
SoiiO hOAsSu vi O1uOt tuOlC ID lccS restraint
of law, less general recognition of the obli-
cations of moral duty and good citizenship
than formerly existed. The reasons for
this are not altogether clear, but there
are some obvious facts which have relations
to the phenomenon. The population is far
less homogeneous than formerly. 1t is made
up of elements that do not mingle freely.
and consequently there il, with less acquain-
lance, less sense of responsibility on the part
of individuals for each other Men are left to
go their own way more freely then formerly,
and II any one is going to the bad the others
are inclined to think, and to say. it is none
of their affair. There is large proportion
of the youth of the community who do not
have any interested guidance in their cours-
es and they drift from one degree Of low
companionship to another. There is grow
ing up In every considerable COM
munity reckless class which joins
the ranks Of the immoral While it
is probably true that in some circles
men and women of suspected character
are less tolerated than formerly, it is quite
as true that they are better able to find a
tolerant society which viii ignore their
faults so long as they make no public dis
play OF their vices. And even if they be-
come shameless they will not want compan-
ionship. There is criminal class. and
there Is also class which has no moral re-
straint to prevent il from becoming enrolled
with the criminal class when passion and
occasion concur. Human nature 10 not
greatly changed from what it has been al
ways, and weak men left to themselves are
not able to hold their savage instincts in
subsection. Oppressed by the hard condi-
tons Of life, conditions which they may
have brought upon themselves, they become
revengeful and defiant of everything but
their own brutal will.