Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-08-16
EDUCATION TO PREVENT CRIME.

The address of Gen. r. Brinkerhoff,
president of the National Prison Con-
gress at st. Paul, Mimi, was such a
view of the advance of crime in this
country and in the civilized world as
must give rise to very serious thought.
Not however to Encouragement but
quite the contrary. 1t is rather a call
to great enlargement Of the work of
the enlightened community to spread
enlightment, and to embrace larger
view of the duty in education that con-
sists in the mere imparting of infor-
nation, which may or may not he turn
ed into sound knowledge. The moral
element, it becomes plain must be con-
sidered in degree which as yet no
scheme Of schooling has comprehend
ed. 1t is alarming to read the bare
figures of the United States census in
respect to the increase of crime in pro-
portion to the population. In 1850 the
ratio of prisoners was one out of 3,442;
in 1860 one out of 1,647; in 1890 one out
of 757. In few states this ratio does
not hold, but upon the whole the swell
has been continuous, like tide that
has no ebb."
The president of the prison associa-
ton proceeded to outline consensus
OF opinion among the specialists of the
Prison Congress which begins funda-
mentally with the argument that "all
action in regard to the criminal should
not be the old ler talionis requirement
of an eye for an eye and tooth for a
tooth, but the protection of society,"
a principle which if universally adopt
EN- in action "would brush away a null
titude of evil practices and obliterate
mountains of vicious legislation 1t
leads to a system of graded prisons, of
separate prisons for women, of inter
mediate sentences, Except those for
life or in capital cases). Misdemean-
ants should be confined in warehouses
and not in county Jails, and recidiyists
(that is, repeated criminals) should
have cumulative sentences, and If
found incorrigible, should be sentenced
indefinitely with a maximum limit,
with privilege of parole for good con-
duct. In county jails there should be
an absolute separation of prisoners, so
that these places of confinement will
not be, as they are, schools for crime.
"Productive labor, as a moral and hy-
genie necessity, as well as in justice to
taxpayers, should dominate every pris-
on, and as reformatory influence, in
dustrial training is indispensable. The
prison officials should be as thoroughly
trained for their duties as are army
and navy officers, and their terms of
office should be as secure and their
compensation as liberal. In all pris-
ons moral and religious culture should
be the leading reformatory influences,
and prison school with competent in
structors, should be an indispensable
requirement. Partisan politics must
be absolutely eliminated from prison
management if high efficiency is to be
Expected under any system of prison
management"
These are principles accepted by all
prison reformers. From these General
Brinkerhoff went on to enlarge upon
the necessity and the character of the
education which shall apply to the cure
at the root. off society would deal
with it's children as it is possible to
deal with them, the present swelling
river of crime could be reduced to a
rivulet in single generation" BY the
logic of psychology, General Brinkel-
hoff is led to the assurance that the
public school system begins too late,
: and that "the first great advance must
be made in the direction of kinder
gartens," and he supports this convic-
ton by the work which has actually
been accomplished in San Francisco
by private kindergartens "under the
inspiration and supervision of one
heroic Christian woman" which have
practically reconstructed and civilized
some of the darkest wards Of that cos,
mopolitan city. More can be done in
the formation of character before six
years of age than in all the other years
of life combined, says General Brinker-
hoff. Going on to the other end of the
educational system, he regards as one
of the most encouraging signs Of the
times "the increasing number of chairs
of sociology in our colleges and uni.
versities, for every branch of sociology
is a part of the prison question" And
finally, the churches have duty in
this matter.
The influence of education beginning
with infancy and carried on thorough.
ly, may develop moral ideals that will
restrain or even prevent to a degree
the "anti-social man." but what it will
do with the trusts, the corruption of
legislation by selfish and money-seek.
ing interests, the shallow, short-sighted