Evening journal., 1888-08-23
AR= EMsEzzLsMgNTs INcRgAslNer
Society Largely to Blame for the Down
fall of "A Weak Man

fall of Weak Man.
The New York Herald mas compiled list
Of tho embezzlements during the past year.
and from this list it reaches the conclusion
that defalcations are on the increase and
that the confidence Of the employer is being
abused more and more. Its ground for this
Inference is that the embezzements and the
number of embezzlers of 1888 are so much
greater than those of 1878. This may be true,
and yet IL does not follow that dishonesty
among employees is increasing. The ratio of
this class Of crimes may be no larger in 1858
than in 1878, although the number of en-
bezzlements in the later year may exceed
those in the earlier. Because We have more
capital employed in business, more business
institutions, moro positions Of trust to be
flleL The monetary transactions have
largely increased and also the number of en-
ployes. With this growth in business comes
growth in crime, because the field of opera
tions for dishonest employees has been 50
greatly extended.
A good deal Of this augmented crime can
be traced, first, to the employers themselves.
and, second, to the false standards Of life
Society is largely to blame for the downfall
Of weak man. 1t has erected meretricious
standards of quality, and those who seek and
obtain admission into that society must live
up 30 these meretricious standards or else
they will be ignored. A weak dependent
man, one that seeks for any kind of social
distinction, no matter how puerile it may
be, is utterly crushed il society ignores
him He must be recognized. And this
feeling OF despair is the first step toward
his personal destruction. If he should have
an extravaganza wife and family who
also have the craze for social recogni-
1...s ILL a..
cara enough money TO maintain the show, he
begins to appropriate small sums from his
employer in the hope that by specializing or
| gambling he can make good deal more. He
may not mean to steal in the beginning But
be generally loses, and then the descent in the
down grade commences. After the first poe
ulation the remainder come easy. and before
he Knows it he is an embezzlor to the extent
Of thousands Of dollars. There are some
clerks who steal merely because they like to
steal, but these are in the minority They
should not be considered in Analysing the
causes that underlie.the desire to embezzle.
Employers are TO blame in this class Of
cases, not primarily, perhaps, for the embez-
zlers generally belong to the trusted class OF
employees who get good salaries. But they
are to blame for failure to prosecute because
| friends or relatives make up the deficit.
! When this is done the matter is dropped and
the embezzler, having felt no disgrace, docs
not appreciate the full extent Of his crime.
The employer who does this does himself no
benefit, but does positive harm to society.
| Every dishonest clerk or official should be
| punished not only because he has done that
which merits some kind of penalty, but be-
cause lie has violated a statute People who
violate laws with impunity, by and by begin
to lose their respect for the law.
There is yet another consideration. Every
time that a clerk is discovered in dishonest
action he should be punished as a warning to
others who may contemplate wrong doing.
Employers err again by putting young men
in placo = of responsibility and then paying
them moager salaries. It is human nature tc
err. And the man who holds position OF
some Importance will in time consider him
self also to be of some Importance. When
this mental condition is reached he must live
better, dress better, and ENJOY life in all its
phases more completely. This takes money
II his employer does not give it to him for
services rendered, the clerk finally appropri
ates in little sums the money Of his EN-
ployer. There is one peculiar fact about thi.
peculating, and that is chat none Of the en-
bezzlers seem to realize that in tho end their
deeds viii BY discovered. Detroit Free
Press.