The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1894-11-29
CRIMES AND CRIMINALS.
Plain Truths from the Versatile
Pen of Sam P. Jones.
tdioness a Fruitful Cause of Recklessness
and Wrong Doing-Home Discipline Can
DO More to Lessen Crime Than
Prisons or Reformatories.
COPYRIGHT 1894. /

ago: Are not crimes and criminals
more diabolical to-day than ever in the
worlds history" replied: Grimes
and criminals are not more diabolical
perhaps, but they are more freq0ent to-
day, it seems to me, than in any age of
the worlds history"
The daily press of this country dis
closes to the gazing eyes Of men in their
columns daily such record of crime
as would startle any good man or inno-
cent woman as they read the glaring
headlines and abbreviated reports of
the shocking crimes committed within
the preceding twenty-four hours
Murder, rape, robbery, arson, for
gerry, felony upon felony, and so many
young men are guilty of these crimes.
These facts naturally make us look
after the cause.
declare 1t to be my honest convic-
tion that unless the boys from the ru-
raj districts and towns quit tloclling TO
the cities, rs that it is impossible for
Many more than half of them to oh
tain steady employment, and unless
the number of idle boys shall be de-
creased in the next few years, believe
crime will increase and these diabol-
ical acts will outnumber bv far any
record of the past.
1t Is not safe cor woman to be idle
1t is not safe for an old man TO idle.
Idleness and extravaganza practiced by
so many young men in our country will
as certainly end in crime as that effect
r. 10
safe who is not employed. When a
boys school days are over he must go TO
work or go to ruin.
This is true of the sons of mill;onaires
as well as the sons of paupers.
The boy who gets his own consent to
live idly has already taken the road to
ruin that forces upon them the diabolicai
crimes which are recorded by the press
of our country every morning and every
evening.
The question arises, how far are we
parents responsible for this state of
things on the part of our boys. The
boy who has led an indolent and extrav-
agant life until he is twenty-one years
of age has already formed habits and
acquired disposition that it will take
Herculean efforts to overcome.
The parent in trying to be the best
friend may find at last that he has
been the worst enemy of the boy.
If we could remove the force of habit
and reverse that tendency occasioned
by habit then we could repair the dam
ages and find relief, but habit to the
man is what the channel through
which the Mississippi river flows is to
it; first, the river cuts out its channel
and then runs in it's channel because
that was the only course left to it,.
He who can successfully mount up and
out of the channels which have been
cut by the habit of his life is giant
indeed, but few can do it.
When look at the list of habits and
the carelessness with which parents
help their children to make right hab-
its wonder sometimes that there are
not more wrecks along the shores than
we see
The habit of economy should be in
stilled into every child raised in an
American home. To live beyond ones
income is manifestly to head towards
the Jail or poorhouse.
Abnormal wants with meager means
for satisfying them are the doorways
to the penitentiary and gallows of our
country.
Crime can be diminished by fixing
the habit of industry upon our chill
dren and teaching them the worth of
an hour.
Lifetime is made by the hour and a
noble life must be full of work.
Crime may be diminished by en-
forcing discipline upon our children at
home.
An undisciplined child will sooner or
later regard no law because he seems
to know no law.
Crime may be diminished by teaching
a child that its integrity is the very
basis of its character.
Teach him that to dishonor is to de-
fraud, to tell lie is as bad as to steal,
to make promise and break it is as
hurtful to character as any crime in
the decalogue.
Crime may be diminished by the os-
tracism from decent society of those
who are on the highway of crime and
criminals.
A young lady who will tolerate in
her presence and in her parlor n boy
who is idle and indolent, who spends
money and does not earn money, who
eats the bread and meat and wears the
clothes of others without proper re-
turn, usually lends such a character a
helping hand on his way to the gallows
or to the penitentiary. 1t is the duty
of all who are virtuous and decent to
shun and always avoid those who are
thus given over to hardness of heart
and reprobacy of mind.
A line must be drawn strong and
clear between the virtuous and vicious,
between the honest and dishonest, be-
tween the teetotaler and the drunkard,
between the gambler and the laborer,
between the good and the bad, and he
who would efface such line is an
enemy to society and in copartnership
with those who are the manufacturers
of criminals of our country.
The most shocking feature of Ameri-
can life to-day is the clamor for re-
formatories for the young criminals in
etaad of shuftinp than III, in the peni.