Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-03-29

will be the result of abnormal develop
mcnt or of physical and psychiCal de-
generation. TO use trite smile.
crime is disease and. as in other
diseases, the sufferer is personally re-
sponsiblc for his condition in only
small proportion of cases.
How differently does society treat
physical and moral disease, For the
afflicted of the first class we have col
lcgcs, physicians, nurseries. sanitari-
ums. hospitals and lazarettos. For the
latter we have lawyers, juries, judges.
prisons. stripes and hanging.
"ln the worst stages of physical dis
ease the individual becomes n menace
and n danger to the community. With
perfect but nevertheless selfish Justice
the afflicted one is seized and incarcer-
ated in a lazaretto. Such fate is sad
enough and bad enough, yet i<-s vastly
different from the extreme example of
the morally diseased. He endangers the
life or takes the life of one of the com
munty. and his life is taken in pay
mcnt. Thus society as whole com
mts the very act for which II dooms
the poor wretch. If it be argued that
society kills, but does not murder. the
contention Is easily shown to be soph-
istry, for if man should kill a con-
victcd and condemned murderer. thus
committing the act which society has
elected itself to commit. such man
would still be adjudged guilty of MUIR
der. Yet if all the facts were consider
cd, including the most important one
that all morally diseased are also phys
ically imperfect and that the two af
flictions are intcrdependent, the world
would be aroused to the recognition Of
its great error. and society would he
compelled to admit that it should nc
more STAY the moral than the physical
lepcr. The day will. the day must
come when crime, like disease, will he
treated curativcly rather than punitive
ly. but that day is not yet, aud we live
in the present and must meet cOndi
tions as they are. How. then. shall We
criminals, we crooks fashion Oul
lives
II have pointed ont to you the grea'
error made by society: but. my friends
we ourselves have fallen into the sam,
mistake. and ii is of more importanc,
to us than to society. We also over
look the fact that our criminal propen
sites are born and bred in us. that W.
are not solely responsible for what W,
arc. that we are morally and ofttimc'
physically diseased and that we arr
congcnitally so. Yet such is our de
plorable condition. Moreover, no help
ing hand is outStretchcd toward us
The hand that bockons holds a scourge
and the index finger points the way II
prison. The world will not help us
We must help ourselves. How?
"Why not by cooperation. a in thi
society? Thus we erect a communit.
in sympathy with our position and con
dition, and by learning to live in tru'
harmony with all the members of thi
smaller. diseased community we can
not but progress in ourselves and il
our progeny toward a right to CLAIM
place in that wider world which
holds us now as enemies-eneme
without claim on Christian love.
I'm physical disease the most impor
tant step toward cure has been mad
when the presence Of the disturbance
is recosnzed and correctly diagnosti
Gated. SO it must be with crime. One
the individual crook realizes his tru
condition and the danger he is in be
cause of the unequal warfare which h
wages with the world, then surely h
Is better armed for the fray.
"To make an end of my preaching
then, | will advise the individual as
have advised the whole society pres
ent. Let each man. as | have done
study out his own heritage. Let hil
analyze his birth and birthright an
weigh the necessity of his leading
criminal life. Some Will find the hel
itage so slight that it will be not diff
cult to effect a cure in themselves an
to live honestly. These owe it to then
selves, to society at large. hut NOR
particularly to their children to striv
toward that end,
THE other extreme will be the ma
whose heritage and whose youthful az
sociations have been such that Grim
is inevitable. He is the moral lcpc
Let him remember that not the laz;
retto. but the hangman, will be hi
fate if society should discover his col
dition.
There is a law, however thar ever
man has the inherent right of self pre-
ervaton. The rule applies to the NOR:
leper as well as to the spotless virgil
The right being his. let him obtai
the means. Let him first acquire know
edge, the wisdom of the world, II
learning of hooks and, above all, IL
knowledge of himself. Let him b
ware how he commits n crime. If |
must defy the law. and it will be il
evitable that he must, let him plot al
plan, be patient and cautious. cunnil
and wary, so that having yielded
the impulse of crime when he can l
longer resist, he may yet defy detectiC
, and that punishment which blind iu
tce will mete out to him. Let him,
: short, live as live, a criminal by fore
of heritage and diseased moral center
born criminal, yet committing erin
so seldom, so carefully and so cunnin
ly that he may escape not alone pu
| ishment but even suspicion. Above &
p things, let him obey the one create
. duty of his being. Let him not becon
the father Of other criminals. Let h
I vice die with him. And may God pi
4 such men. as men do not"
, He ceased, and there was profoul