The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-03-10
is CRIME DECREASING,
English Observer Say There II . Change
Fer the Better.


p~r the Better.
There prevails comfortable belief that
the standing army Of crime Is steadily di-
minishing and that, with the aid Of school
boards and reformatories, we arc making
sure II slow progress In combating the en-
emies Of society who III our jails. Mr..
Douglass Morrison, in paper read before
the Statistical society, tells us that this be-
lief rests on no solid foundation, and that
when the facts are analyzed 1t becomes
highly doubtful whether there has been
more than nominal decrease Of crime.
There Is no doubt that the figures geperal-
ly quoted In support Of the view which ev-
cry one would fain believe do not substan-
tiate 1t. The explanation Of many of the
facts which seem at first sight to justify
optimism and self congratulation lies In q
movement which influences, consciously or
unconsciously, all persons administering
the criminal law-tho growth Of feeling
Of distrust Of the efficacy Of severe sen.
tences and of conviction as to their mis-.
chievousness In many cases and pity OF
tenderness toward large class Of Grim.
inals as tho victims Of circumstances.
1t has been said that Victor Hugo's pic.
.ture of Jean Vatican, the outcast with noble
Instincts, who tries again and again to ex
tricate himself from u coil Of misfortunes
and who again and again succumbs In the
struggle, profoundly influenced the admin,
istration Of the French criminal law, and
for many years that spirit Of pity and tol
Grafton WHICH tho French poet depi1ed in
"Les Miserables" has been everywhere In
the air, and nowhere more than here. II
IL therefore right to caution the public
-. Il.
number of offenders detained In prison In
consequence Of n wise mitigation of the Sc.
verify of the criminal law with CORE
spending decrease in the amount Of crime.
1t is Just possible, however, that in avoid.
ing one extreme MIR. Morrison has pushed
his point too far, and has given counte,
nance TO n despondent view as little justi.
fed as the optimism which he condemns.
In interpreting the only available figures
the increased vigilance of the police is an
element scarcely to he overrated A
scarcely less important element Is that OF
publicity. Every offense is noted. The
chances Of detection are probably greatly
increased in these days, when every house
hold becomes aware Of the person want
ed" for any crime of magnitude. To know
that crime generally Is increasing or de.
mean no more than that certain offenses
against police regulations have increased
or diminished. The morality of the coun.
try may he steadily rising though the con
victions for breaches Of the education acts
are increasing. n
There is q sensible diminution of certain
ofYenses most indicative Of icentious
spirit Property is respected moro than il
.A.<vt
and productive of others--for example, re.
ceiving stolen goods In some towns-bid
fair to disappear. On the other hand, there
is no sign Of reduction in certain Other
crimes which appear to come In the train
of material prosperity. The report wo get
Is both Of good and Of evil OF the real
causes of crime and of the extent to which
it can be prevented by practicable meas
ures Mr. Morrison's figures tell one littl,
that is positive More than =, 900 years ag,
Euripides expounded the theory Of TIN
| criminal ne under which Lombroso, Mar
TO and Ferri have lately labored. Th
Greek writer puts into the mouth Of on
of his characters the reflection that, where
as land naturally barren may yield goo,
| harvest If the season be good and fertil,
land bc sterile If the season be unkindly
men are always what they are--the goot
always good, even in the pinch OF hard cir
cumstances, the bad always bad-the Grim
inal-nc certain 70 be in the dock, however
carefully the chaplain and the philanthro
pist look after him. What truth there IL
in this view, how far the standing army OF
crime consists of this element, how far OF
people not much worse disposed but less
lucky than Others statisticians do not tel
us. Perhaps they never will But in tha
direction lies the interest Of the present
and still more that of the future, -Londor
Times.