The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-12-21

Store Co., Minneapolis, Mimi, gennral agents
| tor the northwest .1s--a
children among those of criminal
tendency, and believed that the good
of society demanded that children
should be removed from such influ-
ences before they became STEPPED in
crime. He further believed that in
all cases where the child was so dis
obedient and refractory that the
parent was no longer able to gov
ern it, it was the duty of the state
to step in and assume control, if the
best interests of society are to be pro-
tected. Truancy in our cities is a
matter which should be more closely
looked after.
| He thus discussed to considerable
length the question as to who were fit
persons to be entrusted with the
custody, maintenance and education
of children, advocating that those
who were not should be deprived of
the opportunity, and that decision
as to their fitness should be reached
through jury of their peers. But the
doctor would go further than this.
He believed with DR.. Holmes, that a
patient could always be cured
providing you called doctor soon
enough, but that in many cases
he should have been called two or
three hundred years before the pa
tient was born. He cited the care
which is taken in the breeding of
stock, and contrasted it with the lax
methods in vogue in the raising of
humanity. If there is anything in
! heredity, and he believed there was,
then something should be done to
prevent the bringing into the world
of children by the confirmed classes
of criminals, paupers, lunatics, etc.
The cure should be taken to the
fountain head, and until it was done,
he had little hopes that the ever
increasing army of criminals, pau
perS, lunatics, and feeble-minded
would be perceptibly diminished,
| for if the child is the victim
of heredity and environment, it is
| often bundle of selfiShnesS at the
| best. He then startled his audience
| by advocating disqualification as a
remedy for the solving of the problem.
He believed that it would come nearer
the ideal restraining factor than even
the death penalty, for there is not a
'viciously disposed person who would
not look upon this with horror, for
most if not all of these derive almost
all conscious pleasure from the indul-
gence of the sexual appetite, and con-
sequently regard it as the chief end of
being, or value of existence" That
there would be decided opposition to
such method of treatment in the at
tempt to solve this problem he had no
doubt, but believed that in time this
would be overcome, for ''why should
the criminal and the pauper be al
lowed to go on reproducing his de-
fective kind, the lunatic likewise, and
all mentally manned of whatever de-
gree, especially when by forfeiture of
liberty they fall under the custody of
the law"
AS might be expected, the paper was
provocative of discussion, and most
lively one followed, which was par
ticipated in by Revs. Beattie and
Prior, Drs. Andrews and Davis, and
Messrs. Cox, Willard, Currier, Holtz,
Pass and Comstock, and all shades of
opinions were brought forth, which we
have not space to comment upon. But
all agreed that some radical measure
must be resorted to to cure the evils
which confront society from the paths
marked out by DR.. James paper,
though perhaps none were prepared to
take as advanced ground as did he.
The next regular meeting of the
club will be held on Tuesday, January
Sth, 1895, when Mr.. A. G. Matter will
read paper on lessons From the
Strikes of 1894.