The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-11-30
Chino In England.

Colonel Sir Edmund r. Du Cane has
written q history of the punishment
aud prevention of crime In England.
Ho must have made a Thorough study
OF the matter, end have had opportu-
nifty to test his statistics, as he ia chair.
man OF commissioners OF prisons.
chairman of directors of prisons, in.
speotor-generai OF military prisons and
encouragement of prisons. His book
Is not one OF theory, bus II Ia q sum
ming up or what has boon done In
6rest Britain foc the improvement of
prisons and tho prevention OF crime,
iho hrst OBJECT Ia 70 remove the
causes of crime; tho second to cure.
III tho most eiiectual way, tho
crime shat exists. That part of thp
population that Is between % and 81
gears OF age AupplieS * very large nro-
poi ton OF the Inmates OF prisons. This
Is the "crimiual age" and In woman IL
begins aud ends later than in man.
The proportion Of men convicted OF
serious crimes, as compared with wo-
mon, Ia niue 10 one; in minor crimea
only four TO one. In regard 10 iuyeutIe
offenders, II Is found that IS DER cent.
OF criminals began to praclius dishon-
asty when under 10, and nearly all She
others when under %. So u IL cloar
that preventive measures, applied be
low these ages, might reasonably be
expected Co effect y great check In tha
development OF crime. Colonel Du
Cane gives the plans and regula-
lions OF English rotormntorieb and
industrial schoola, aud shows how the
plans work there and in Ireland; he
shows also tho scope Of tho work. for
the heneii, Of discharged prisoners,
de uiscussea tho old systam, nuey al
mcst given up, OF transportation, and
the present system OF penal serv.tnde,
which was derived IRON IL, and under
which the sentouooa for serious crime
have seriously diminished. Tho i'm
proyemontin prisonE, and tho Htlli un-
decided questions az prison govern
meat are considered ut longth; es-
pecinlly tho food O, prisoners and the
Kind o. instruction 10 bn givon ,bem.
Experience hes shown that The
Great Britain literary education
ms NOT the retormatory in
iluenoo on prisoners which wac
once expected FROM H., and that the
most powerful Influences arc iuorgl
aud industrial education, [Many par
sons Ia the United States HAYS come
o. the Same Ohnrlnsiop.l A srhednle
OF instruction ia reading, writing md
otithMeLic han been carefully mo-
perodi tho time given to II does not
exceed one hour each week, Ina
pnll retormatory syAtonl has worked
Wei, eed there ~ n etoady dacYeass iu
tbo PRISON population, e6owiug INA, a
has bean checked at IT, eo,,ros.
C1luntl Du Csue gives murh infor,ng
tiun valuable 10 those who make a
special study of crime. criminals and
prieons, and he tells curiuns fauts
about tho fluctus,ion of crime IN dit.
fer.ent months aud yesrs--facts which
Ind ate the causes OF II aud the niesns
OF dimin'Hhing Il, IL ~ not truo
.hnt the prison populauou
IL the largest Ia Niotes, when airploy
ment 10 haripr to fild sndihs Comfort
81 u prison A. desirable. Tbs number
Iotcriminnle tx spout thoa same In June
snup 9 mhet.lt increases from Juno %
uacoluou- aifi decreases FEM Decom.
Der to jane. Its Highest puint IL
rehnhed Ia Octoher, Its lowest ia Feb.
ruary, qua tho uinerence between tho
Two extremes le 1900. In certain years
Tue iucs OF crime run very hisn: ia
othor y.sfs tray run curiouslS INV.
There seem TO bs undiscovered social
lawa which strangely Influence crime.
anu tho irvestigstiops OF Colonel mi
Cans and men like him will 90 far 10
make su,h laws known, 10 Know
when criminal wears or criminal
munthe sro ~ hand would DO one step
toward avoiding their perils. Aud a
moral signal service may vet b. mr.
ra1usd that Will prevent any human
wrecks and . great loss Of character
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