The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-13
5elilaIe Criminals
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CBy Herbert simpson. Pm. d.


ise some portions Of this city, draws at
as connected with the female offender.
Women are more moral than men, and
crime among women b an anomaly. In
fact It would not be wrong TO state that
in a perfectly natural state there might
be criminal men. but not criminal women.
Yet there are criminal women just. as
there are criminal men, and they may be
classified the same as ordinary criminals
into occasional, habitual and born, with
this distinction that among occasional fe-
male criminals crimes by passion predom-
mate.
In our extremely defective criminal leg
islatoln we deal with female offenders the
same as men, which is wrong and unjust.
We have never paid attention in our
criminal law to the marked physiological
and psychological differences between the
two sexes. differences which condition a
distinct variety in their motives and ac-
lions. Its due to men like Lambroso,
Ferrero and Mario, and to noble women
like Nine. Tarnowsgy that this question
has received proper attention. I do not
psycho-physical details, but merely point
out q few salient facts.
In the first place while among men the
vast majority of criminals are born or
congenital criminals, among women occat
sional crime predominates. But 1t Is with
greater facility that the female occasion
al criminal becomes an habitual criminal
For the benefit OF educators and those
whose duty it Is to frame laws 1 will
here point out the physiological as well
as the psychical reason, and let them
note how absurd 1t Is to measure women
by the same standard by which we meas
ure men.
In all female criminals and In the mod
ern women, the cerebral cortex, particu-
larry in the psychical centers, Is less &C
tive than In the male. The irritation
consequent on a degeneration process Is
therefore neither so constant nor 50 last
ing, and leads moro easily to motor and
hyster1cal epilepsy, or to sexual anamo-
lies than to constitutional and hereditary
crime For a similar reason genius Is
more common in men than in women;
and the lower animals remain insensible
to narcotics, which intoxicate the human
species, and are not subject to delirium
or mania when attacked by fever. This
explains why criminality increases among
women with the march of civilization.
The female criminal is a kind of occa-
sional delinquent, presenting few charac-
teristics Of degeneration, little dullness,
ETC., but tending to multiply in proper
n Ha
Woman is weak, she reasons by i'm
pulse, If such 1t can be termed, and she
learns at best by experience It is this
that our modern tendency to eulogize Ehe
social sphere OF womn has been produc-
tive of bad results, especially in the de-
moralization of our women the breaking
up Of homes and degeneracy Of our chill
dren.
Let US consider briefly the causes of
variation in criminality among men and
women. There are firstly the physical
and psychical traditions of the race en-
bodied IN the organization of men and
women. The extreme but rather spas
modic energy of men favors outbursts of
violence. while the activities of women
are at a lower but more even level, and
their avocations have tended to develop
the conservative rather than the detrac-
tive instincts. Apart from this, even II
women were trained in violence, the
superior strength of men would still
make crimes IN women very hazardous
and dangerous. Under existing circum-
stances when a woman wants a crime
committed. she can usually find a man to
do It.
The domestic seclusion Of women Is an
unboubted factor in the determination of
the amount of womon's criminality. In
Spain, where women lead very domestic
lives, their criminality Is very low, and
the same may be said of Italy. As a
rule the proportion of female to male
offenders is one of the former to six of
the latter. But in countries like England.
Scotland and the United States. where
woman's sphere has been much enlarged
the proportion has increased to one fe-
male criminal to three male offenders.
1t may not be out of place, however,
to observe that this growing criminality
OF women is but the inevitable accident of
a helefcent transition. Crimdnality, we
must remember, is a natural element of
life, regulated by natural laws, and as
women come to touch life at more vari-
Gus points and to feel more its stress,
they will naturally develop the same
tendency to criminality as exists among
men, just as they are developing the
same disease, such as general paralysis.
Our efforts must be directed, not to the
vain attempt to repress the enegries Of
women. but to the larger task Of improv-
ing the conditions of life.
Born criminals among women are few
er than among men. But they are much
more ferocious. Incredible as ii seems. II
is true. The perversity of a bad woman
IS so great as to be incredible even to its
victims.
What is the explanation? Psychological
experiments show that abnormal women
are less sensitive to pain than men. and
compassion is the offspring Of sensitive
ness. II the one be wanting, SO will the
other be.
Women also have many traits in COM
mon with children. Their moral sense
is deficient. they are revengeful. jealous.
inclined 20 vengeances Of a refined cru
city.
In ordinary cases these defects are
neutralized by piety. maternity. want of
passion. sexual GOODNESS, by weakness
and an undeveloped intelligence But
when a morbid activity of the psychical
centers intensifes the bad qualities Of
woman and induces them to seek relief
in evil deeds; wehn piety and maternal
sentiments are wanting and in their place
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