The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-19

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brought nine children into the world.
all criminals. Both sons became pro-
fessional criminals, and they had five
children, two of whom were imbeciles,
and thus became charges on the COM
munfty at large. The research into the
third generation was less definite. but
the origin of no less than Al inbeciles.
paupers and professional criminals.
was traced TO the II grandchildren Of
the original criminal pair, assuming
(Which is not OF absolute necessity a
TRUTH that the imbecile offspring Of
from the two criminals with whom the
search began sprang so persons within
three generations. No human being
can guess how long the miserable curse
will pursue this wretched family, or
how many will be damned by IL. Were
IL not for the providential dispensatfon
that criminality and profiigacy are sell
dom linked. every person on this EARTH
would. long ago. have been sin-tainted.
But this array proves the wisdom of
the London plan. BY destroying her
slums she is destroying their criminal
influence and their temptations, and
the splendid result Of this destruction
is written in letters of gold on her po-
lice records in the amazing decrease OF
crime here. This is modern progress
that Is progressive.
or course do not mean to say that
Whitechapel has been metamorphosed
into district where men and women
are invariably pure and holy. or even
that II now approaches the average
standard of morality and decency. So
far as I know. no curb has been placed
upon vfce-as distinguished from crime
there or elsewhere in London. and
Nth and drunkenness and petty dis
honesty are woefully prevalent. But
do mean to say that crime can no
longer WALL Whffochap OF -
watched and work it's will: 1t would
have been safer to commit murder on
the Strands brightest block 10 years
ago than 1t would be to commit MUIR
der on any street have seen in White
chapel now. In hundreds of spots
throughout the district the rough,
high board fences which always in
London surround a place where the
destruction of old buildings or the
construction of new ones is going on
meet the eye; and each one of these
fences means that some old slum is
being done away with. to be re-
placed by well-constructed buildings,
and wide. well-lighted streets. The
narrow, blind alleys. and mysterious.
threatening courts, of which old Lon
don was full, and of which hundreds
sun remain, can no longer be built
Splendid sanitary plans are required
for every new building that goes up.
L " IA.
A rev nights ago / inveigled a LON
dcner, still young, but staid and sober.
INTO taking me about through the part
or the y-Holborn-which he Knew
best during his school days, and after
ne had left college. during his bachelor
period, when, as gay young buck, he
found many a strange resort and par
ticlpated In many a street adventure.
We left the stage of Drury Lane on
the last pantomime night to do 1t, and
that neighborhood has been changed
but little. He stepped off confidently.
1uil or anticipations of the pleasure he
would derive from a visit to localities
which he had not visited for 10 years.
Then we passed through a new street.
He commented on 1t. Presently we
found that the whole neighborhood was
new. He began to peer puzzledly at
houses, and finally stopped
well, so far as / can see," said he.
this is where that alluring little court
of which told you opened off the main
street to lead to that delicious little
public house. but now it's an office
building"
And so 1t went for an hour. Occa-
sionally he ran across a building which
he knew. and he hailed IL gleefully as
an old friend In the midst of strangers
He had told me of many little streets
in Holborn. lined with fifteenth and six
ttchth century HOUSES, DullI OF umDer
ana plaster, each story rising broader
and broader. until the peked roofs al
most met-until two people could shake
hands from the upper stories across
the street Not one of those streets is
left. We found one row of the old
houses. but the other side of the street
had been torn away and the thorough
fare widened from IL to 40 feet. There
were almost tears in his eyes as we
gave up the search for the London he
used to know. 1t was the London that
was picturesque and interesting, the
London that exuded literature, that
created Dickens. the London that. de-.
lighted and fascinated tourists; but 1t
was the London that was fire-swept
and plague-ravished; the London that
was murder-stained and crime-cursed,
and IL exists no longer.
ANOTHER ALLY OF MORALITY.
One of the high officials in Scotland
Yard after commenting on these
things, added:
but a scarcely less vital enemy to
crime here has been our school board
laws. Little boys and girls are no
longer permitted to roam the streets at
must take the advantages of education
whether they want to or not, and their
parents must give them these advan-
tages whether they are so disposed or
no. .sI.
This is true, and adds another great
power to that of slum annihflation.
The school board laws are enforced
here with a rigor which is almost Rus
sian. They even work great hardships
occasionally, as was instanced in the
experience of the poor devil who was
recently driven. through lack of en-
ployment and distress, to kill his whole
family OF six and commit suicide. Dur
ing the winter just passed he had been
unable to provide his children with
clothes good enough to permit them to
appear at school. Thrice he was taken
before a magistrate because they had
not attended regularly. The first time
he was warned and dischargeds{t The
second time he was fined five 4shfifngs,
which he managed to pay with diff
Guilty; the third time he was fined ten
shillings which he could not pay at all.
so he was imprisoned for one month.
thus forcing him TO suffer keen dis
nj Ao~ Nd g..