The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-04-28
Criminal AnthrOpOlOgy.

The Congress of Criminal AnthropOlOgy
will hold it's meeting at Brussels in August
and September of the present year. The
careful and dispassionate study of criminals
from purely scientific standpoint is one Of
those distinguishing circumstances which
mark off modern from medieval and an
cient times. A rough and ready prOmpti-
tude was the chief characteristic of the be-
havior of all classes of persons towards
known criminals in almost all centuries and
countries before the dawn of modern SCI
ence. But it is now recognized that the
State and the public owe at least one duty,
even to criminals; namely, that of taking
the trouble to understand them. 1t is not
too much to say that every human being is
potential criminal. exactly as he is pO-
tential epileptic or potential lunatic. A
single blow on Shakspeare's skull at the age
OF five and twenty might, by fracturing its.
inner table, and causing certain amount
of pressure upon the brain, have deprived
us of Hamlet" and king Lear" and all
the other plays which have made the name
of Shakespeare household word in every
civilized country. An obstruction in one of
the blood vessels of Mr.. GladStOne's head
might have converted the bright and viva
ciouS old statesman of the last ten years
into mere crumbling imbecility. The
shape OF mans Uranium can alter his
character. The want of nOurishing food
can impair intelligence; poisonous atmOs-
phere may produce an irritable nervous sys-
TEN, and in the long run criminality or
lunacy. These are facts, not fancies and
fads. These are facts which science has
not only recognized. but verified again and
again. But if they be facts. they should be
taken into account by all sorts of persons
who have anything to do with criminals;
by the parents of children who commit
crime; by friends whose trusted companions
disappoint and deceive them; by judges and
iuries who have control of the liberty and
life of criminals. 1t must be admitted that
Justice is to be done even on behalf of those
who commit crimes. Nay. the very act of
crime so places man in antagOniSm against
all the rest of the world that the criminal
becomes at once entitled to certain
amount of help and defence against odds
that would otherwise he altogether too
overwhelming. The laws of most civilized
countries recognize this already. and in a
mere spirit of fairness assign to every I'M
aided criminal an advocate who can pre-
sumably put his case in the best possible
light. What the law already does in an
elementary KlnQ OF way, science, III nor
mere love of truth and justice. strives to-
get done as completely as possible. And in
order to bring about this advance in civiliza-
ton, she gathers facts from every quarter
of the globe; she cOllates them; she cOnsid-
ers and weighs them with careful accuracy.
and when she has done all these things,
she presents the facts to judges. clergy
men. fathers of families. friends. employ
ers of labor, and indeed all sorts and cOndi-
tons of men. in order that they may be-
come wiser. fairer. and more helpful per-
sons to criminals as we'll as to the rest Of
the wOrld.-The London Hospital