The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-22

healthy and normal people were put be-
fore him he could pick out the brain of
the criminal at once.
1.-The man who possesses the criminal
brain formation is made criminal by his
physical organization" he said. Just as
the artist and the musician get their
power of artistic creation from some brain
conformation that was born in them. so
the criminal gets his life tendency in the
same way. He is born a criminal, and he
does criminal things because he can't help
it.
But he ought TO be killed just the same.
Society has the right to protect itself
from such creatures. 1t kills the mad dog
that is irresponsible, but dangerous, for
the sake of seif-protection. 1t is rather
hard on the dog. but the good of the COM
munity demands its death. and so it Is
killed. And it is just the same with the
criminal. His life will benefit no one, not
even himself, and his death is a distinct
advantage. If you or | or any individual
We're alone with some desperate criminal
who threatened US with serious injury or
death we would not hesitate to kill him in
self-defense. The rightfulness, both legal
and moral, of such an action, is every
where recognized. And the right remains
just the same, whether II is an individual
or all society that is concerned.
The man with the criminal brain is a
hopeless case. As far as science knows
now nothing can be done for him that will
change the conformation of his brain and
as long as that remains as il is he will be a
criminal.
.'Ail of US, even the best of us, are born
with criminal tendencies. All children
are by nature thieves and liars. Some of
them are incapable of learning the differ
ence between right and wrong, of dis
tinguishing between that which will be
good for them and for society and that
which will result only in evil and injury
They are destitute of conscience and con-
science cannot be trained into them. They
become criminals, and the others. who
learn to subdue their evil tendencies, be-
come upright and honest citizens.
THE influence of heredity is probably
the most important factor In the making
of criminals From a criminal stock not
much else but criminals can be expected
TO spring. And that this is 80 has been
proven time and again by the family his
tory of criminals. But there are other
factors that can be counted upon just as
surely, though they operate with less fire.
quency Habitual drunkenness on the
part of the parents is pretty sure to result
in mental or moral degeneracy.
Natures tendency 10 vary is another
factor that must be taken into account. A
child with six toes, or child that becomes
q giant or a dwarf. may be born of parents
that are perfectly normal and have an an
cestry that is normal. 1t is simply that
nature has produced freak. Moral
monsters sometimes come into the world
in the same way. Their ancestry may be
sound and good, and the influences sur
rounding them all that is necessary TO
make good men. And vet they viii be
criminals of the extreme type. They are
freaks OF nature.
.Deeming may be one of these unaccount-
able freaks or he may come of criminal
stock, with long line OF smaller or greater
criminals composing his ancestry. But
whatever the cause. he seems TO be one of
those who are born criminals. and who
lie and steal and murder because they
can't help it. There IS only one way for
society to protect itself against such as he,
and that IS TO put them 70 death"