Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-11-20

V&SlKF|
DIR. G. FRANK LYDSTON.
criminology. he is one Of the pioneers
among American anthropologists To him
such men as Hunter Mcguire, the most
noted criminologist Of the south, and 9TH
ers of equal fame and reputation have
appealed for assistance in knotty questions,
mainly of local import, but bearing i'm
portantly on the general subject Of crime.
Among them and nearly all criminologists
he has observed a tendency of thought
which convinces him that they regard the
whole question from distorted and incor-
rect standpoint. He Gays:
Modern criminal anthropology, while
giving duo credit to moral persuasion in
the correction Of crime, IL paying its atten-
ton chiefly tn the body, in the belief that
II bodily defects and physical depravity be
corrected the mental organization will do
something In taking care Of itself.
"Within recent years there has been an
attempt to reduce tho crime question 70 n
purely physical basis fear the pendu-
lum of progress has swung too far in a ma-
terial direction, and that halt should be
made for the purpose of reviewing the
work already done and Sitting the chat
from the wheat We are too much con-
cerned with the criminal of today, or the
cure Of the individual criminal. rather than
with the very remote conditions which
produce criminality In his descendants. rs
well as in many individuals who are more
or less remotely related to his criminal
stock.
"Now, the most important advances in
criminology have been developed by the
study Of the physical peculiarities. Tho
propositions desire to advance are theec
That the criminal class Is the product Of
certain influences Of heredity, congcnital
and acquired disease and unfavorable sur
roundtngs, involving pernicious teaching
and example. The result of these influ-
ences 10 q class Of persons Of low grade Of
Development, physically and mentally, with
defective understanding of their true re-
lations to the social system in which they
live. These subjects are characterized
upon the average by certain anomalies Of
Developments that constitute the 30 called
stigmata of degeneracy.
But mere deformity, as % many claim,
counts for nothing unless associated with
imperection of general development. When
deformity IL acquired, It is Of no moment
unless associated with injury to the brain
or nervous system.
ut IL society, not the mere existence Of
physical degeneracy, which makes crime.
Society manufactures its own criminals
and then winks at the violation of its own
laws In higher places. The self contamina-
ton OF society begins at the marriage IL
cense window. The criminal, the insane,
h<a hn A.
drunkard are 1egalized to 60 on producing
their kind. The prospective criminal once
born, what does society do to prevent him
from becoming D criminal Practically
nothing.
1.-THE child Of poor but honest parents Is
allowed to run the streets and contract evil
habits OK vicious associations. The child
with hereditarily criminal propensities Is
allowed to follow the same course. The
diseased, degenerate child whose parents
are unable to care for it is allowed to be
exposed to all manner Of vicissitudes, and
unless fortunate enough to be cut off by
death at an early period eventually be-
comes burden upon the community. So
ciety Furnishes vicious child after q crim-
inal act has been performed, but society
does little to prevent the fostering of crime
The principal remedy for the condi-
tions that tend to manufacture criminals
out Of young children consists in making
them wards of the state whenever 1t shall
be shown that their parents are unable or
unwilling to care for and educate them
properly, or where 1t ehall lie ehown that
children are vicious, either personally or
| in association, and, above all, in cases in
which children are of criminal percentage.
The first duty Of the state to the degenerate
Is to mako him healthy individual and
give him the physical capacity necessary 70
| enable him to become N useful citizen.
| Moral persuasion alone has failed. Give
Us . new regime Of social and medical Sci
ence as . basis- Then the Developments OF
tho so called degenerate class will be re.
| tar1ed.'
Professor Pellman, an eminent crimi.
nologist Of Bonn university, Germany, has
recently completed Investigations that tend
| to confirm the theory that criminal pro-
clivities are hereditary. He cites the case
| of Frau Ada Jurke, who was born in 1910.
| She died Mt the age Of 60, and for the last
| 20 yenrs of her inglorious life was q drunk
| ard, thief and . tramp. Her descendants
have numbered e34, of whom zoo have
been traced by Professor Pellman in local
vpcords from youth to death
| OF the 700 he found that lo6 were horn
out Of wedlock- There were l4e who wers
begRars, and 81 more who lived from
charity. OF the women, ISL lived disrepu
table lives Seventy-six members Of the
family were convicts, Of whom seven wers
sentenced for murder. The remainder werv
more or less addicted to excessive tippling.
Altogether the German @vant estimate.
that Frau Ada Jurke and her descendants
have cost the state-that IL. the taxpayer
no less than el25, Ga, 900 for malnss
nancs, &C.