Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-07-16

while, which il certainly would not be,
else there would be an end Of punish
ment for crime.
perintendsnt BYRNEs Of the New
York police believes that health and
population increase and crime decreases
as men and women improve in intelli-
gsnce. Referring to the statement that
the average Of human life has increased
eighteen months in the last two decades,
Superintendent BYRNEs asserts that in
the same period, the average OF crime
in New York city has decreased IS per
cent. This is somewhat startling, but
the superintendent goes on TO explain
thus:
"The increase Of human life is the logi-
cal result Of the Increase OF human iutelli-
geuCe. People are learning better the laws
of health. The decrease Of crime is the no
less logical result of the same thing. PeO-
pie are learning better the laws OF sense.
Honesty is she best policy As people be-
come more Intelligent they study harder TO
ind out what the best policy is and they
are more likely TO recOg nize il when they
find 40 thus, an increase in intelligence can
noe possibly fail TO bring a decrease IN
Timc. But all criminals, even now. ere
not intelligent With a majority OF them
the argument that have Just advanced has
no weight Whatever. So, in the second
place. we come % a practical reason. When
a man becomes a professional THIEF or
habitually vicious 10 is safe 70 say that
something is wrong with his mind. us
condition is due TO one OF TWO
things. Either he has Inherited or me
from his prOgeuitorS. or has lived in an en-
virOnment which has discouraged honesty
and encouraged evil. Ia either case, as /
have said. something is wrong in his mind.
Now, there is no other influence 70 which a
weak mind is susceptible as fear. When
we teach all the criminals that ~ is danger
Gus TO commit crime-really dangerous, /
mean; that the chances OF escape are less
than half-theu we will have driven niue
tenths of them into enforced honesty. Per
haps we will not have reformed them, out
we will have scared them. Their criminal
tendencies will remain the same, but they
will be afraid % commit crime themselves
and the environment OF their children will
no be so likely 20 encourage crime as II
would be IL the parents were not afraid
The advance OF intelligence" the
superintendent asserts, has brought
with il an advance in the way Of max
ing people afraid" Ia other words with
the marked advancement of other
sciences, crlminology has been keeping
steady pace. The improvement mas
been less noticed but has been none the
less great. The Washington Post traces
the improvement Of mankind in morals:
II we begin at the dawn Of history and
trace the progress of mankind through the
ages, we find a continuous improvement in
morals. The best men of very ancient
days, men whose memory Is revered FOR
personal holiness, would be very bad men
If living now and doing Just as they did IN
their day We build prisons for men who
initiate too closely the social customs OF
the holy men of old. Leaving the more
remote period, and coming down 10 the
early centuries OF the Christian era, we
find the different sects Of the prOfessed fol-
lowers Of the Redeemer engaged in cruel
warfare with each other, sparing neither
age nor sex, nor hesitatiug at any crime.
Such crimes continued until comparatively
modern times, but the true spirit OF Chris
tianity gained ia strength and area of its
influence as intelligence increased, until
we find the Christian world so much in
harmony that all scots agree to disagree
and live, side by side, in peace, their chief
contention being 10 excel each other IN
good works.
AS our contemporary points out,
probably the main reason why so many
people believe the world is going back
ward instead Of forward, that crime is
increasing instead Of diminishing, Is
the fact that 10 these days all the do
ings Of the world are reported daily in
every locality that is reached by the
daily press This is radical change
from Old times, and the business of col
Letting aud disseminating news has
grown with a rapidity scarcely parall-
eled in any other occup patton. That the
record Of crime brought into every
home by the morning paper should ex-
cite horror is natural enough, and it is
not strange that such a record gives old
people the impression that crime is
vastly more prevalent than it was fifty
years ago. But despite the gloomy
fore boding Of the pessimiSts the world
Is getting 60 be a better world right
along year after year, and, although
the millennium is not vet in sight, we
have = steady increase of practical
philanthropy, a great growing of be-
nevolence, a wider and wider appreci-
alton Of the obligations incident to the
universal brotherhood of man.