The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-02

Is much humidity that the commission
Of crime is greatest.
LONELINESS CONTRIBUTES.
Another interesting fact is this: A
man or woman who lives much alone
Is. in so per cent. of the cases inves-
tignted much moro easily Influenced
by atmospheric changes than are 9TH
ers. So a person who has many trou-
bles and is constantly thinking OF
them, is much more susceptible TO any
sudden changing of the weather than
one who Is care free and light heart
ed. The clearing of q storm or a sim
gle literal ray Of sunshine would. In
hundreds of thousands of cases. have
prevented suicide and murder.
In regions like New York and Bos-
ton, where there are so many and
such sudden changes OF weather, the
climatic influence upon human char
acter and action is a factor of no lit
tie impo~ ance. There is an annual
rhymthmc rise and fall which affects
the animate nature. With the APP
proach Of spring and the increase of
temperature there is general aWak-
ening from the winters period or
comparative rest. With this awaken
ing every function Is excited to its
most vigorous action. This has pro-
found effect upon the whole organism,
which begins to work at higher ten
sion. Mind and body are more active
than at any other time Of the year
Upon the normal. healthy creature
this period of activity has only tho
most benign effect, but upon tho abb
normal creature Il acts as an incen-
| tive to unnatural acts. Hence during
| 1896 New York shows an average rec
| ord of over 1000 crimes per month
| during April, May, June and July, and
! the largest number of entries at the
! police station were made on the cloudy
! or rainy days of those months.
WHAT MR.. DUNN SAYS.
| In speaking of the peculiar effect OF
atmospheric conditions upon the human
! system. Weather Forecaster Dunn of
! New York who is among the best au-
| thorities in the world. gave as his OBJ
servations upon the subject of much in
! teresting data. lie says: During the
| passage ola storm, when the tempera-
| ture is excessive and the atmosphere
|
ture, such an atmospheric condition is
| bound to make more or less of an i'm
preston upon a certain class of persons
| of susceptible temperament. We all
recognize the fact that on some days
we feel energetic and capable of doing
almost anything, while on others there
| is a disinclination to work or make any
exertion. person feels what is COM
| Of ie irrit q blp
and the chances are, ill-natured.
OF course, different persons are differ
emily constituted. and are, in conse-
quence differently affected by outside
conditions. Those who are weak ment-
ally or physically are much more easily
affected by weather conditions than
others. In hot and muggy weather,
when there is an excessive amount OF
humidity in the atmosphere suicide is
very prevalent, while, on the other
hand, more murders are committed
where the air is either dry and hot or
dry and cool.
In summer. when a low barometer
prevails. all nature seems depressed
and melancholy ideas appear to per-
wade during humidity; in clear, brac-
ing atmosphere the animal part of man
another nature appear to be more
prevalent. A man who attempts to
commit a deliberate murder would plan
it on clear cold day rather than dur
ing suicide weather. Burglary would
also be planned and carried out when
the atmosphere is clear and bracing
rather than when it is heavy and de-
pressing. 1t seems a peculiar thing
that in summer time poison and the
bullet seem to be the favorite method
of both murder and self-destruction.
while in winter the rope and knife ap-
pear to be the most popular modes of
ending the existence of either self or
another"
EPIDEMICS OF CRIME.
Statistics of crime show beyond ques-
tiOn the truth of Mr. Dunns assertions
relative to the undoubted influences of
| climatic changes upon crime. Not
only are certain crimes more frequent
ly committed at certain seasons Of the
year, but in certain countries the eli
mate is especially conducive to such
crimes. For instance, in Southern
China, where warm or humid tenn
perature exists for the greater portion
of the year, there is less regard for
life than perhaps in any other portion
of the globe. Murders are every day
occurrences, suicides too common to
even pay attention to, while theft, rape
and all other crimes are innumerable
The history of crime shows that evil
doing is subject to epidemics as well
as diseases. We find cpidemics OF
suicides, epidemics of murders and epi-
denies of robberies. A careful study
| of the question reveals the fact that
these epidemiCs last until the weather
: changes, and an analogy between the
conditions of the weather and the FIRE.
| quency of crime cannot but impress