The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-05-16
The Rising Tide of Crime.

Ihc IhhSAhS AeS VI SAA---~
Mr.. George R. Stetson, q Statistical
writer of some reputation, does moi
content himrelf with simply asserting
that crime is on the increase. He IN
dustriously marshals an array OF facts
in support of his position, and looks
into the causes of the prevailing evils
of the age.
The tendency of civilized society is
to turn children over to the schools toi
their mental and moral education. I'm
happily the antagonism between the
various denominations renders it al
most impossible to adopt a simple
scheme of non-sectarian religious and
moral instruction in our schools.
When we come to civics it will be
found that our schools teach pupil
very little that tends to fit him for the
duties of citizenship. The drift of oul
eductional sysems is towards the abnor:
NAL development of the intellect, and
morality must necessarily suffer.
Our penal laws are the crudest that
could be devised. Until we have ma
tional penal code we may expect to see
a large floating population of criminals
moving from State to State, swarming
where Justice is least active and the
laws are least severe. The attitude OF
public sentiment towards criminals is
a disgrace to GENERALIZATION. 1t is un-
compromisingly harsh where small
offenders are concerned, and maudlin
where the big ones challenge attention.
There is growing up among us class
of professional criminals, vast broth
erhood, the members of which de-
light in their daring and dangerous en-
terprises.
But is crime actually increasing
Let US take the statement of the edi-
tor of the International Record OF
Charities and Corrections, Boston pu-
blication. The editor says:
In the first place, I want you to re-
member that in no land in the world
is crime so on the increase as in the
United States. With all our partrio-
tic pride, we have to confess that we
are going downward in the scale OF
public morals faster than any great
modern nation. In 1850 there were in
the prisons Of the United States near
ly 1000 prisoners, is 1860 there were
$4,000, in 1870 about $4,000 and in
1880 more than SO, 900 prisoners. That
is, in 1850 one in every 5000 people
was in prison, in 1860 one in every l.
800, in 1870 one in every 1000, and in
1880 one in every S37 Of our vast and
increasing population. During the
last six years the tide has not fallen.
In our own commonwealth, it has ris-
en- in about the same ratio. The last
report of our prison commissioners for
1885 puts the proportion of our pri-
soners to the entire population as ! to
SO, and for our county of Suffolk to
27s.
This is bad enough, but Mr.. Gal
ton, the distinguished writer on
"Heredity" and kindred subjects, ex-
presses the opinion that "the social
condition of Athens. taken as whole,
was as superior to ours, as we are su-
perior to Australian savages." But
we are not without company in our
march downward. Mr.. Stetson says
Crime in Germany and France is
said by the keenest native observers to
be not only statistically, butacctually,
in rapid augmentation. In Saxony.
"the number of criminals has increas-
ed hundred per cent in seven years,
while the growth of population was
but seven per cent. Criminals under
eighteen years have increased foun
hundred and thirty per cent. and child
criminals one hundred per cent. For
an example of laurel trailed in the
common sewer, Saxony may probably
challenge, at heavy odds, any spot OF
an equal area and POPULATION in the
whole world In the eight old pro-
vinces of Prussia, offenses against pro-
perty increased from 1871 to 1877 by
nearly fifty per cent. In Bavaria, for
seven years, ending 1879, impure vio-
lence increased by two hundred and
thirty-seven per cent; and in Wurtem-
burg, by two hundred and eighteen
per cent.
The earnest reformer will impatien-
tly ask for the causes of these evil con.
ditions. We have already mentioned
the abolition of family government,
and the imperfect training of the
schools. TO these must be added the
spread of agnosticism, the increasing
luxury, and materialistic tendency OF
modern thought, the weakening of the
marriage relation, intempsrance, un-
lust laws, and the unreasonable admin.
istration of the law.
In the foregoing we have merely
synopsized Mr.. Stetson's thoughtful
article, but even in this slender sum-
mary the legislator and the average ci-
tizen will find food for thought. The
author, whose views we have endea'
vored to present to our readers does not
put the case too strongly when he
says:
The great tide of materialism, skep'
ticism, and moral turpitude, rising in
Germany, has swept over and nearly
submerged France, invaded England
crossed the broad Atlantic, and is now
surging at our doors, sapping our life
blood and threatening to engulf the
continent. Its presence is felt in the
enfeeLled morality of the whole com
munity. How to stem this advancing
tide is not question for ministers and
moralists alone, but for every practical
man and woman in the land. 1t is 8
question of moral life or death, o1
crime or honesty, of security or inse
curity of property, of honor, of the
virtue of our sons and daughters, Of
our wives and mothers, of the sanctity
of the family and the home.
How shall we roll back this rising
tide of crime? There is no time to be
lost in dealing with this mighty ques
tion.-ANantd Constitution.
Many favors which God gives us
ravel out for want of hemming
tbroupl onr oup npfI1a N L fitness. fol