Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-01-12
GEOGRAPHY OF CRIME.
Murder q Product Of Lack of Civ.
ilization.
The Restraining Influence Of Religious
Sentiment Countries Where the
Most Murders Are
Committed.

Murder, geographically considered,
is the product of lack of civilization,
writes Prof Oettinger in his Moral
Statistics" Whenever a state of gov
ernment is in state of disorganization
the people become demoralized, educa-
tional and religious progress is at a
s4andstill, and murder is bound to in
crease. 1t is essential to lay great
stress on the religious feeling of
community, because comparatively few
murders occur in Turkey, n country
deranged and unsettled in its af-
fairs, wherein a large proportion
of the people are lacking in civiliza-
tion and culture. But the Islam faith
is productive of a certain religious
sentiment in these uneducated masses
which prevents murder, the greatest
crime against human and divine laws.
Compared with Turkey, Greece, once
the seat of civilization, but now de-
moraliZed and degraded by Turkish in
fiuence, without the prohibitive power
of the Mohammedan religion. .manifests
the truth of this assertion by rolling up,
in a population of less than 1000, 900
people, 316 murders. and 473 felonious
manned for every $500 souls. This
number overshadows demoralized Ire
land, where for number of years the
most terrible agrarian crimes, muir
ders, arson, etc, have been committed,
the outcome of the atrocious feeling
between landowners and the peas
antry
Another country with a large per
centage is Spain, and an increase in
bloodshed goes hand in hand with it's
gradual decline. A glance at the Grim
inal statistics of the United States
demonstrates that murder reaches its
highest percentage among the unedu-
Gated class, who can neither write nor
read. In the state of Texas, for ex-
ample, one murder occurs to every
eight thousand five hundred inhabi-
tants. In Illinois this percentage is
considerably lowered, one murder be-
ing quoted for every fifty thousand.
Germany of late years shows an in
crease of murder cases and assaults,
born out of socialistic tendencies. The
murder percentage of Great Britain is
comparatively small, with the excep-
ton of London and Ireland, and per-
sonal safety in England and Scotland
is commended on all sides. Even few
thefts are committed in the level por-
tions. France, Sweden, Denmark, Bel
gium, Holland and Switzerland record
murder statistics similar to those of Ger
many. No substantial data can be
obtained about Russia, but the strik
ing increase in political murders, sig
l. Al sl-s - s-%.<.
era, needs no comment. No state in
the world rolls up more revolutionary
attacks and crimes at the present time
than Russia During the year 1ss6-s7,
the last authentic report that could be
obtained, three thousand persons were
deported to Siberia for life.
AS with suicide and murder, it is with
theft,geographically speaking. Lack of
culture and civilization is synonymous
with increased theft and dishonesty,
not so much on account of the immoral
and depraved condition of the people as
because of lack of protection. Theft in
Sweden and Norway, in Denmark and
the extreme north is exceedingly rare.
The oriental and southeastern states
show an alarming amount of theft, and
l.
Balkan states and Hungary contain
the most crooks.
Fraud.in all itsvarious denominations,
ranging from high-grade swindle in
its manifold phases down to small
shady transactions which hover be-
tween dishonest practices and techni-
cal evasions of the law, has it's home
principally in the large cities of the
world. London is perfect mecca for
swindlers, while throughout England,
with the exception of London, busi-
ness dealings are characterized by
sound principles of honesty. Compar-
atively little fraud is practiced in the
northern and western states, as Swe-
den, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
Holland, Belgium, France and Switzer-
land rank favorably in this respect. In
Germany striking decline is noticea-
BILE in fraudulent transactions. The
same conditions-lack of civilization
and education-which prevail with
other crimes pertain to fraud Spain,
Italy, Greece, Turkey, and, above all,
Pnccio laod %ha live