The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-20

have found It easier to spare an unfaith-
full wife than an unwelcome princely
child whose life barred his ascent 10 the
throne. Othello was "a good man gone
wrong" while Richard was hOpelessly
bad from birth. The difference In the
natural temperament and acquired
training OF men Is very great, but Shake
speare's obvious moral Ia that from top
TO bottom Of society we shall find the dis
position to murder and steal varlously
expressed, because modified by temporal
ment and motive. The love OF good will
tempt some men to commit a cruel MUIR
der to getit; the love OF gold might tempt
another man 10 rob a bank, 90 rob his
employer by breach OF trust remorseless-
ly, but not tempt him to murder. The
love Of power might tempt some natures
to wade through a sea OF blood filled with
the wreck of the ruined homes OF thou
sands in order TO capture a crown; or II
might tempt them to acts of private
murder; and these same remorseless men
probably could not be tempted to any
acts OF public OF private crime for the
mere sake of pecuniary gain.
The cases of Marlborough and Crom-
well are pointed out, the crimes of the
first being the robbing and b%etraying
everybody who trusted him, and yet he
would probably never, under any cir
cumstances. have committed murder for
money or position. on the other hand,
Cromwell, who was not an avarlclous
man, did not hesitate to have a king be-
headed and assume the relgns Of govern
ment himself. In private life, says the
article, Marlborough's avarice would
probably made him a sharp and a swim
der, but neither Cromwell nor Napoleon
would ever have committed crime or shed
blood for money, Open to them the road
to the leadership of a great state, how
ever, and they would never have hest
tated to kill a king or dispense a parlla-
ment.
Concluding its interesting article, the
oregonlan says; ,
This difference in the temperament
and motives OF men Is TO be taken into
consideration when we wonder ut the
commission OF some crime Of exceptional
atroclty. Allowing for the difference Of
training, station and temperament, is It
any more remarkable that a low-browed,
ignorant, commonplace man should
cruelty morder a mother and child for
money than Ii is that a Macbeth or a
Richard should have murdered right and
left, without distinction OF age or sex, in
violation Of the rites OF hospitality and
the ties of klnshlp2 To n cheap, COM
monplace, stunted nature gold is a throne
worth committing murder to win; TO q
nature OF far higher intellectual force
and faculty gold is but q contemplate
prize, while power is the only thing
worth STOPPING to murder to obtain. The
psychology of crime Is limited at by
Shakespeare in his free recognition OF
the fact that the impulse to commit aw-
full murders Is not confined to those In a
garnet born and in kitchen bred, but re-
sides in far higher intellectual natures,
who, feeling the STRINGS OF the gift OF
leadership, do not hesitate to commit vile
and cruel murders in order to obtain and
enjoy power.
Were the impulse to murder confined
to those Of low and vicious habits mere
ly, and the classes who are brought up
amid criminal surroundings, there would
be no question about It's cause, and the
remedy could be more easily suggested.
1t is, however. found everywhere tn all
grades Of society and in selecting VIC
tins for Its attacks Is no respector of
persons,