St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-10
THE HEREDiTY OF CRIME.

Whatever may be the economic value
of sentiment in the relations of men to
each other, will depend entirely on the
moderation of its use. Like every other
good quality with which men are en-
dowed, it is valuable in moderation and
hurtful in excess. Left to itself, I'M
guided by reason. sentiment produces
the silly girl, weeping at remote posi-
bilities Of evil to her unborn children.
Man without 1t becomes the cold Phari-
see, who passes with Indifference his
brother lying wounded on the highway.
In its mawkiSh form, it sends women
bearing flowers and delicacies to the
brutal murderer in his cell. In another
form, 1t undertakes to relieve criminals
from their responsibilities to the laws
of men, If not of God, by loading upon
an irresponsible ancestry the brutal i'm
pulses which made the man the unwiII-
Ing implement of their forces.
When we regard the extreme length
to which sentimentalists have gone in
aseriblng the criminal acts Of men to
the operation of the law of heredity, 1t is
as refreshing as polar breeze in July
to read the brisk. emphatic article of
DR.. ROUND in the current Forum, in
which he denies in toto that criminals
are the victims of heredity, and asserts
that the nearest approach to it is the
Influence OF the environment of the
child in its home life. Even this ne
discredits by the statement that his ex-
perience in the careful examination Of
criminals brings forcibly to his mind
the old adage as to ministers sons.
One of the pulling questions which
parents of family numerous enough TO
afford ample opportunities for observa-
ton ponder over, is where is the source
of the marked differences in the char
acter and mental forces of their chill
dren? A grandparent whose memory
covers couple of generations passed
away will look in vain among the
grandchildren for reproduction of any
ancestor. SimilaritieS of form and face
he may find, and tricks of thought or
speech, but in all those essential quail
ties which make up distinctive character
he will find nothing to warrant the
assumption that the character of an an-
cestor, or even prominent trait of that
character, is reproduced in the descend
ant. However reluctant he may be to
accept 1t, he cannot but feel the force
and admit the reasonableness of the
Buddhistic theory of reincarnation.
DR.. ROUND reverses his former opin-
ions and goes "squarely back to the
doctrine of Free Win as laid down by
our fathers" He says, 81 wish to be
understood distinctly and sQuarely to
hold the doctrine of moral responsibility
as applying to every sane individual, at
the same time making all allowances for
such physical conditions as may weaken
the will, and i'll some cases destroy it.
l do not believe for one moment that
crime is disease, nor by any necessity
the result of a disease; though l do be.
lieve that it may be the result of disease
in some instances" The doctor bases
his conclusions upon a systematic exam
ination of 700 criminals, and intending
to complete his examination with 800
more. Five hundred of those examined
had a clear motive and sane motive,
though a perfectly understood dishonest
one, and criminal one," and in their
acts showed intelligence directed by a
controllable will. He does not believe
that there are any physical indications
from which any conclusion Of criminality
can be drawn; neither the hand, nor
thumb, nor face nor head indicate by
any certain characteristics criminal
tendency in their possessors.
He believes that men are Grim inals
because they wish to be, and because
they think that in that vocation they can
gain livelihood with greater ease than
by any other. They are encouraged to
take the risks attendant upon their vo-
cations by the laXity of our criminal
prosecutions, which almost assure an
acquittal upon the relations, often too
cordial, which exist between themselves
and the politicians and the police.
not to mention the large chance of es-
Gaping detection. With this view of
the nature of the criminal, he draws the
lines of state action looking to his
reformation. The punishment of crime
should be certain. As prisoner, he
should be treated with severity, CON-
PEELED to work, and in working to learn
trade which will give him subsistence
when discharged. In his experience he
finds the great obstacle to this to lie In
he mixture of politics with prison
management, putting into it inefficient
and unframed men. With the prison
removed entirely from political control,
and conducted with view to removal
ing the habits Of criminal. he is con.
fident that the problem of criufe will
not be long deferred in its solution.