The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-31
1hs Epidemic of Crime.


child murder, aud not crime in general Aud
therefore seeks to prescribe special cause for
this specific class OF crime. And the special
cause that he assigns Is this: Man desires TO
live hereafter, not here, aud IL he believes he
will I OF live hereafter then he will murder
his wife and chiidTen-s all that he best loves,
ai q item commit suicide This 10 the sum
OF his three columns in the Sentinel OF last
Sunday.
1h,re sre, naturally, four impelling causes
to crime: Natural instinct, greed, necessity
AZ fanatioitm, a1d they operate probably
in about the order named. The first two
max the regular criminals that, like the
poor, We always have with us. The last two
ale operatsd on by occasional aud extra
neous circumstances, and cause epdemics Of
crime There is always for every crime an
incentive that appeals 20 tbs mind, aud
csutes ID TO give its consent 10,
and control the body and the mus
Giles in the commission of that
crime. And in looking for causes OF unusual
Ietults we must search within the domain
OF the natural operations of tbs human
mind when in unusual conditions. Now,
right here Mr.. Reeve and | diverge. He
cay g that the desire OF the human soul is to
live hereafter. not here. | say that the soul
the spiTit-the I am-takes no IN IRE cogni
zance OF the body than does tbs chrysslis cf
the cocoon that increases IL, nor does /! take
any more record of time, Question your
own toul; go down 10 the though, I'm.
polling Ego and question it-and tbs answer
will come back clear aud distinct, II ca N
estly desire 10 live aud dread arnihilatioo.
sm q self existing entirely, and IS each let
me live. with or without the body care
not but let me live aud maintain my idsn-
tiiy." IF o man die shall he live again.
las been asked by every one 10 all ages aud
in all conditions OF civilization. Aud II
negative answer, was given what would be
the result?
We will suppose two young men to stand
evenly in life, and in mlcdie age bath ii I'D
ttey bave met with the common lot OF hu-
msnity-failurs One OF these men believes
in future life, and the other does
not. Each CT them has around him young
family likely to sntfer for food and clothing.
Thete men ere exceptions 10 the rule. I'd
will reitber beg nor steal. From the depths
OF each ones soul comes up ths cry: Il earn
eety desire TO live. have not accom- plished
that of which l am capable. l have not ful-
filed my destiny. And these innocent
children that have brought into the world
What of them?' The one would say: 1T
kill these children now, while they ara
your and innocent, they would immeti-
stely be waited to realms of eternal bliss, aad
there they and can complete our career; bat
IL they continue 70 live here can see moth
ing before them but poverty, suffering aud
temptation; ard may be they may fall IL they
1--we ont their days, and 90 to eternal tor
sire to live, but this life Is all there il. L
have not lived the life l am capable o..
have not completed my destiny. Shall
end il now and go down 10 poserity as a
ia lure, or shsll try 1t sgain? And these
children that have brought into the world
They have the sane desire to live that
have. Shall l snnihilate them at the
very thrt shold OF life. before their capacity
has been testedP Now, searching within
The reasonable domain OF thong Mt Sr a cause
of action, which OF these would be most Ike
| ly TO commit suicide and child-murieFl AS
| | before cad, there Is always an incentive
for every crime and in the cases OF saiclde
and child murder have so far noted bat Gwo
causes-fanaticism, as in the Freeman case,
and poverty. In the former inslancs the
ianaticism il always religious. In the other
! case, the one we have before rs, which would
be most likely to end the suffering By muir
| der, he who believed he was sending his
children to endless bliss with etarnity Ia
which to work out their destiny? Or he who
believed he was annihilating them? liz Is
not ne cess ary for me to answer the question,
but leave it with each to answer for him
self.
For myself consider the question as mar
rowed by Mr. Reeve Unworthy of discussion.
That is TO say, do not believe Its discussion
can result in any go,d Let us look at
The facts We find that all kinds Of
crime. from pocket picking aud chicken
stealing up to wife and child murder. in.
! creased about 90 per cent IN 1854 over what
| ii was in 1888. Now there Is one general
cause for this increase In all grades OF crime
and ii would be just as well to ask why ne.
groes s,ole more chickens 10 1884 than they
did in 1888; for the answer would be tbs
tame: There were more negroes who could
not earn living by labor in 1884 than there
was in 1853. ADD chicken stealing il the
peculiar crime TO which the negro mind il
attracted. As was shown in nv last mar
der increased in the State in 1884 nearly D
per cent over 1888, and the inmate, of the
Slate prison in nearly the same ratio. Ia
the prison at Michigan City there was $40 in
1883 and 704 at the close of 1854. Aud you
msy gather the statistics from ell the State
snc county prisons in the United States,
and get also the number OF murders OF all
kinds, thel number OF suicides, and
the admission to insane asylums, and
you viii find that there has been an in.
cease in insanity aud in ell grades
of crime, from the highest to the lowest
very nearly corresponding with the ability
OF the wsge.workers to earn living by toll.
And crime will continue to increase Ia al
lis phases, of which child murder and sui
eide is one, SIS the ability OF the wage-worksrt
I, feed and cloihe their loved ones decreases
until the end conner. And waat will taa'
be? Study history, and you will ind il
studded with examples. The Helos suffered
600 years before they arose against theil
masters. The slaves OF Rome even longer
But the working people OF France onls
asked for bread or work about twenty d "a
years before they inaugurated the bloodies
revolution that history records. Aud right
here allow me to suggest thought to al
who have only thoughts specifically on thi
subject: The writers OF the day imputed,
and sensational preachers yet impute, the
bloody scenes OF the French revolution tC
to the fact that the people denied the exist
ence of God Now, the French are uni
versslly recognized as a peculiarly Tsllgioui
psople, that Is so far as forms and cefsmo
MES CO. and they tacitly accept of the fun
damental claims OF the Caristisn religion
More than this, they are naturally viyacious
enjoy life, and desire &C. live. Why Was i
then that this nation ali at once stultfisd it
history and natural proclivities and almos
Id and ~