The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-10-24

III - y
DIR. Lombroso, to whom Max Nor
dau has inscribed his remarkable
book, Degeneration will be re-
membered as the man who under
took to show by study OF the
eyes, noses, boards, ears and other
features of the Panama Canal
swindlers which Of them were born
criminals. and which merely ''crim-
inaloids,'' as he calls them. He
says, for instance, that a very heavy
beard is seldom found in born
criminals, and it is by such evil
dence as this that he attempted to
show that certain Of the accused
were criminals by birth, while
others were merely ''criminalolds,"
and had supposedly some choice
between honesty and dishonesty.
There is very marked tendency
among certain writer's to exagger-
ate the influence of heredity IN
criminals, but it is, nevertheless,
certain enough that the criminal
tendency is transmitted, and that
under temptation it will be devel-
oped unless it has been counter
acted bv education. It is not nee
essary. however, to concede that
there is really such a thing as
ga born criminal" TO concede
that is to concede absolute ire
sponsibility, and that can exist
onlv where reason is wholly sus
pended. 1t is true that some men
are more reasonable than others,
and, being SO, more responsible
for their actions, more nearly cap
able of self-control: and it is also
conceded that this difference is
due in very great measure to cir
cumstances of ancestry, OF breed
ing. of intellectual education, OF
moral cultivation. Without a
doubt, the true theory of crime is
expressed in the very old saying
that mo one suddenly becomes
base 1t is undoubtedly fact
that when person predisposed tc
crime Gas all men are more Oh
less has yielded to his predisposi-
ton. and reached particular
stage of responsibility in con
sequence, no severity Of punish
ment and no certainty that it vii
be inflicted can exert the least III
huence in preventing him from
committing the crimes incident tt
the mental condition to which HI
has reduced himself by failure t.
control his criminal tendencies II
the earliest stages. The NANTES
tations Of crime are varied; GRIM
itself is one. 1t is condition o
mind resulting from self-indul
gence, marked by increasing ire
sponsibility. Under Lombroso'
theory, the criminal generally i
irresponsible from birth. If tina
were so. he would at once NANTES
it in more or less marked insanity
But no one is born without tn
possibilities Of acquiring self-cor
troll through education unles
he is a born idiot. We ma
concede all that Lombroso claims
as far as results are concerned
we may admit that, when
man has failed to control himse
in things the law does not try
reach. the law will be utterly un;
BILE to control him by any threa
ened severity of punishment: bu
conceding this, we still have a fir
hold on the common sense vie
that all criminals who are NJ
lunatics are responsible for the
crimes. Minneapolis Times.
God is dead God to many pc
pie. He does not know anythir
about them they think. He do
not care for them. He has I
plans for their future in this wor
or the next, so far as they a
aware. He has no defences pr
pared for them: no safeguards t
them in peril; no refreshments
the way: no especial and individu
duties for them to discharge. 1
has no extraordinary power to /
terpose for them. He has no his
and holy purpose to prosecu
through them. that they realis
70 them God is the same as dea
They have a form of belief in e.
but they deny the power there
They decline the name but tn
share the sin of the atheist. TE
title literally means. not one W
denies God" but one who
without Cod in the wor
Don't be virtual atheist, believe
Be sure that your God is livi
God.-The North and West.
The cheerful live longest in Ii