Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-15
PREVENTION OF CRIME.
Industrial Education of the Young Consid-
cred as a Means to That End.

cred a Means to That End.
To the Editor of The Dispatch:
have been an interested listener to the
proceedings of the Prison Congress, and
have heard many things that are of interest
to the general community. Many sug-
gestive thoughts also arise in my mind from
the proceedings will here refer only to
one or two things Rev. Thomas X.
Beecher, in his sermon on Sunday evening,
said there were leaders and followers in
crime, suggesting that it was a primary
duty to direct our efforts agains: the lead
ers. Another gentleman in the debate on
Monday morning referred to the statistics
of prisons, which he said conclusiveIy
prove that it is not ignorance that produces
criminals so much as idleness. In proof of
this he referred to statistics which prove
that the proportion of prisoners who can
read, write, ETC., is much larger than of
those who have a trade or useful employ
menS and he advocated industrial edu-
cation as a great means of prevention
of crime. Much of the prevailing crime he
ascribsd to a lack of the knowledge of
useful trade. As preventive of crime he
advocated teaching trades to all as part of
their education.
and assuming their correctness express q
fe. suggestive thoughts that occurred to
me- Industrial education is something
verv difficult in connection with the educa-
tional establishments now eXistiisz but we
have widely extended industrial establish
ments throughout the land, one part of
whose business it is to train and educat the
young into proficiency in those trades.
Every workshop is an industrial school,
and as such trains up the youth who enter
it into useful knowledge and employment,
enabling them to earn their support keep
ing them from idleness, and thus being
most potent factors in the prevention of
crime. Hence it may be seen that the
young should by all means be encouraged to
learn trades, that they may become useful,
productive and honorable members of So
ciety It is desirable that all men should
know some useful trade: these workshops
are the schools through which they should
be educated, and therefore the way through
them should be free and open to all who de-
sire to enter
But the actual state of things shows a
very different condition. Our trades unions
close the doors and make it as difficult as
possible for the youth of the land to learn
trades. The number of apprentices is
limited. A father of a large family of boys
would find it very difficult, if not impossi-
bic, to train all his sons in his own trade.
The unions adopt these restrictive rules
avowedly from selfish motives to prevent
competition, to keep up the standard of
wages, etc, but the consequence is that the
American workingman's son is barred out
of useful employment, and foreign work
man comes in and takes the place that
should be occupied by the native. Being
excluded from useful trades, what is the
ha oiol Ga1l -,
crowded, and great evils follow "Idleness,
which is the devils pillow" is enforced on
some, and they become a criminal class
Competition in commercial lines brings
wages down very low, and there is great |
temptation to resort to peculation to in |
crease the amount of compensation. It is |
undoubtedly selfish, and therefore an evil |
motive, which prevents many of these from |
learning and pursuing a useful trade. And |
a long course of evils follows in the train of |
that one evil.
Rev. Beecher said that the leaders and |
not the followers should be held responsible. |
the leaders of the trades unions
are largely and primarily culpable in this
respect, as it is, no doubt, due to their in
fuence that these obnoxious and pernicious
rules are adopted and enforced; rules |
adopted in selfshness, whose first effect is
to injure those for whose benefit thev are
pretended to be, excluding many of the
families of the workmen from becoming
skilled in the trade of their father, thus
driving them into unknown channels, for
which most of them are unified by heredity
and education. What commentary it
would be upon their system if the compul-
sorry idle of these families should eventually
fall into the hands of our visiting wardens
and receive from them that education in a
useful trade, which by all hereditary and
Just rights they should have received from
heir fathers? J. WHITEHEAD,
33 Western avenue, Allegheny.