New-York tribune., 1892-01-03

O,o Of tbo most important and striking papers
read at the last meeting Ci the Nauoh'N iII>oi
Association in pittSburg waS the report ol "'e
Criminal Law Reform Committee, written ana
read by the chairman, Professor Nayand' dean
of tho Yale Law School. It discussed what Is real
~ the most urgent problem in pcnology to-day
tho ouestion Of child-SavinS lcglS alton. IL be-
Gins hv recognizing the good work done by those
who are irving to reform the criminal But no
Intelligent man needs to be told that oven II all
criminals could be reformed, which i far
from being the case the real problem OF crime
remains unSolved Until some intelligent eilortS
are m1de 10 prevent it. II is Of little use to
multiply our reformarory agencies, 50 long as we
Manufacture criminals at a rate only limited by
rhc amount Of raw material at our disposal
And vet that is exactly what we are dong
For consider the facts: The a5OdeS~ we can
hardly call them homcS-of criminals, vagrants,
and tho great army Of shifre>S and vicious peo-
po from whose ranks criminals come, swarm
with children, who mbbe impurity and whISkey
with their mothcrs milk. In the welghiy
words Of the report, '' the tirSr words 10 when
their calS are accustomed are blaSphcmous and
obscene The foul air which they breathe Is
made fouler by the infamous orgies of which
they aye involuntary witnesses. Reared IN these
sinister surroundings all the evil within them
/, developed with marvellous rlpidlty. Very
early in life. taught by instinct or example, or
both. they learn the power of combination. They
group themselves into little gangs with Signlii-
can't Ncwga'e names, with oaths passwords, and
a rendezvous" And 80, step by step they IN
eyitably pass through all the grades Of Grim
inal education until At last, while they are yet in
their teens they are graduated rs criminal
toughS" crucI, cunning, and lnUTgbc.
More hopeless paglnS in every sense OF tho
word" adds the report, " cannot be found in the
rice fields of India, or under the burning sun Of
Africa. There iS il is true, one difference.
Al other paganS worship some form of divinity"
Now then, what shall he done 70 remedy Ibis
state of affairs, which 50 seriously monaceS the
stability OF our social order? Compulsory edu-
cation was thought a few years ago 10 be the
panaoca bur even if We could get all these chill
drcn 10 school, the training they would get there
would be moro than offs by the training they
get AT home And in point Of fact, no education
tha. the State could enforce would be as com
pnsory as the education OF their surroundings.
Reform schools? No; for they are for those
not preventive. but remedial some system Of
police regulation designed to keep. children of
the streets? II could not bc enforced, and even
if it could. ii would only result in keeping the
children at home where they would learn evil
quite a> rapidly.
There remains in the opinion Of tho commit |
tee only one efficient course-such legislation on !
the par, of the State n Will take all thcsc chill |
drcn ont Of the control of their parents and
guardians The legal point Is made that parent, |
have no natural property in their children. From |
The limo Of IT, birth the infant is a subject of
the State. and the parents are simply lis guar
danS Any rights they have come 10 them, not !
hy the course of nature. bu' from the state |
which can. therefore, step in when they fail to
do their duty. That it should thus interfere in
the case Of The children of criminals and the |
vicious is the conclusion of the committee. AL |
ready tentative legislation in that direction has
been enacted by Indiana Michigan and Connect |
cut In Indiana 4 Board of ChdrcnS Guar |
dians' has been created, which may take under .
its protcction children undar fifteen years Of age |
who are under vicious Influences. But this law |
is pcrmissivc and therefore Of little clTcc.. Make !
all such statutes compulsory; substitute " shal''
for may" is the suggestion of the committee
and something Will be done which will really |
strike at the root of the evil
Whether the people of this country arc
prepared to adopt this radical theory of State
control Of children is y little doubtful But the |
arguments in favor of in are strong. and no
other method of breaking up our schools of |
crime seems TO offer any promise of success.