Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-13
WOMEN AS THIEVES.
AQUESTiON NOW IN THE REALM or
SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION.

SSl-iN " ~ CiONooofSlN.
Women Steal Much Less Frequently Than
Men DO Differences In the Impulses
Which Actuate the Two-Frequently the
Woman steals Under a Mans Influence
The British Medical Journal afiirms
chat cases Of stealing by women who arc
more or less ElcptOmaniacs have become
OF late 50 numerous and Sodistressing that
it might be cxpcdient TO employ special
detcrrcuts, such as visible policemen In
the shops which principally invite this
kind Of scmidclirious action. Our contcm-
porury, after rejection, however, dismiss
es this suggestion rs impr1cticable, the
shophecf"r who rcSortcd To il being nearly
certain to lose all custom, and we rather
doubt, from the police records, whet her the
offen-.s is Increasing US much as the writer
fancics. Every form Of interesting crime
seems 20 increase nowadays because it ii
more commented on. Women of certain
kind have always been addicted to shop
lifting, and :heir inclination has always
attracted attention partly from its cx
trcine inconvenience to shopkeepcrs, whose
Very business compcls them to expose theii
goods to this risk and partly. we imagine
because men are so accustomed to trust III
the honesty Of women that this particular
alteration froql their usual habits excitcs
sense OF surprise Women have much
less opportunity Of stealing than men, as
they could hardly take to burglary, high
way robbery or the work OF the footpad,
women, We notice, being rarely accused
even OF snatching jewels or purses from
other women, though they can approach
them sotcloscly. They are, besides, We feel
sure, moro honest, Trey feel tine tempta
ton Of money less and the sense of its i'm
portancc and Of their own trusteostip IL
regard II ii much more
That il the universal OPINION Of the CON
tinrnt where women are implicitly trust
cd with the till, and we notice that the
practice is spreading here, so that charge
OF tic cash receipts Of shops is becoming
one of the BIOS, frequent of female employ
aents II they would get up their arith
metlc ii little more perfectly and be n little
less irritable whom northumberland un
der sIch circumstances display silent Oh
stinacy rather than irritation--they might
obtain 81 monopoly Of this sort of work
greatly 70 their own relief for tho occupa
ton suits them. and to that of the men
who St.tier both in health and spirits from
confinement in little glass boxes wher,
they can hardly stretch themselves ana
from ~ occupation which, though most
respectable, allows no scope for energy OF
for the exertlon of physical strength.
There are bold female swindlers, hut
they generally swind!e by using their ca
pacity Ior histrionics. The charges of EN-
beZzlement alleged against women are ex
traorulnarlly few, while their honesty Il.
servants, WHOM they must often be grev
ously tempted, is really marvellous The
ordinary well to do hOusemistreSs takes nc
more precautions against her maids thicv
Ing propenSitics than against her daugh
tcrs'. and If she is a shrew dilates upon cv
cry fault possible except this one Nine
times out of ten when a maid steals it il.
under the influence of some man outside
remark which experienced policemen say
Is true even OF the street girls, who are sc
frequently charged with the offense. Won
en-, in fact, steal much less frequently thai
men do
The fact, as contrasted with the Other
fact mentioned Hy orr medical contempt
rary-yiz, the addiction of some womeI
to shoplifting-saggcsts an inquiry of som,
intellectual interest. Is it possible that TIL,
aniinus furentii as the lawyers call it, the
actual motive for stealing. differs in the
sexes in kind rs we'll as in degree: We
have an idea that this may be true anl
that the wonan's desire to thicvc is ex
cited by a wish to possess the visible arti
Gle stolen, while the man s is aroused bv
craving for the pleasures or the idlencs.
which tho article stolen will purchase. He
ElpSS in y,-i,i N,
things. Only TN old and experienced re
ceiycr Of stolen goods could answer tn,
question with any exactness as regards tn
thieying classes, but among the cducatot
this is almost certainly the case.
Educated men cmbeZzlc, forge and swim
die often enough and indeed it takes som,
education to be successful iii those lines o.
yillainy, but they are rarely convicted o.
shoplifting, while that is the special of
Tense of educated women who take to thi.
description Of crime. The latter very rare
ly forge, which is remarkable, for, beins
less controlled by commercial opinion
they undoubtedly attach less opprobrun
to this form OF crime than men do, while
they are quite as competent to commit
foreeries, but they take things out of shops
the reason being that the things attract
them more than the abstract wish 70,
money does. We do not mean that they are
influenced by klcptomania more than nc1
arc. There is such an impulse and it i.
exceedingly strong in both sexes, as al!
men know who are familiar with ships
barracks, clubs or public schools, but it i.
not ungoVcrnablc-the belts of the soldier.
govern it very cffcctually-and it is con
stantly pleaded where it does not exist
True madness which takes that form
though it exists, is rare and is usually &C
companied by other recognizable signs.
But we fancy that with some womel.
there is a distinct pleasure in acquiring
things without paying for them, in part
independent of their money value t.
which there is nothing corresponding il.
the minds of males. There is something
of the spirit Of adycnturc in the effort az