The times., 1901-04-20

Annual Election Of OG,cers Fred
erick j. KinEsbury, of Connecti-
cut, Chosen Presidcnt-Interestin
Paper on Treatment of Criminals.
The American Social Science Associa-
ltiun closed last night what has been prob
ably its most successful convention. All
meetings were well attended, and every
paper read was OF more than usual merit
Among those who presented addresses
were many of the leading authorities in
their branches, and the discussions from
the floor participated in by leading think
I ers, were lively and interesting.
The best treatment of criminals" was
the subject of paper read at the even
ing session. The paper was by H. r.
Rrockway, of Elmira, n. Y, one of the
best known prison managers in the Uni
ted States. The writer charged that the
old method of inhicting punishment was
based upon the illogical supposition that
all law Is supremely just. The present
tendency" he said, lis toward making
the punishment fit the criminal, rather
| than the law"
The writer then INDUCED in an analy-
sis of crime, concluding that crime is
that which is harmful to the social order,
negative rather than positive. Speaking
from his experience as prison manager,
| he said that criminals are, taken as
| whole, remarkably similar in the color
| of their eyes shape of head, length of
| arm, lack of chest measure and lung
capacity The leading traits he had OBJ
| served to be the same in prisoners OBJ
served in Porto Rican prisons. OF all
prisoners, the far greater number he
found to be very young. Only per cent
were well educated and not one had
complete college training.
Crimes as a rule, he said. were COM
mitted without any deliberation, impul-
siveIy. and without consideration. Lapses
| from goodness could be attributed to an
epileptiform disease of mind. He did not
believe that preceding the commission Of
crime there was in any appreciable num-
ber of cases, much conflict between the
! impulse for good or the impulse for bad
The paper then took up the moral atti-
tude of criminals, analyzing it closely, and
| indicating as a conclusion that criminals
do not respond to any of the general in
| iuences for good or the ideals which ap-
peal to the average man. AS a rule, it
was stated, the criminal could best be
lifted up from his condition by a promise
| of an immediate and tangible good. The
| writer suggested that because of the i'm
| possibility of determining at q trial the
moral responsibility of a culprit. the de-
termination of the punishment-length
| and kind-shoud lie with the prison au-
| thorities, who have the best opportunity
to Judge the individual. II
THE culture field of crime" stated the
! writer, lis the great mass of imisdemean-
ants, and the shiftless methods of treat
ing those produce a large class of hard
ened criminals. A more thorough treat
I
to protect the public. This class of evil
doer seems now TO have more than the
average opportunity to escape punish
ment. Fr =
Touching upon the method of reclaim
ing criminals, the writer said that all
methods. must be based uponia habit ref
ormation, and not upon merely emotional
promises to be good orfHturn over a
new leaf" RetributOry treatment of Grim
inals, he said. laying stress upon pain as
punishment. WAS too large a factor in
the sentences imposed today by judges.
Looking forward, he said that the fu-
ture promised great progress. Future
criminals, he said, would fnd themselves.
after the con2nission of crime always un-
der such restraint that they could not
esa.i,.--ss,5- wrong. Tne method or reforr.la-
tion, he said, would be the educational
method The indeterminate sentence sys- !
TEN, with the adjunct of the parole. |
would be in universal use. he said.
The human organism of the culprit,
he continued, lis to be studied as the |
basis of his crime; the body as we'll as |
the mind is to be developed; the entire life i
OF the prisoner is TO be directed. and he |
is not to be left TO himself There is to |
be afforded no time or opportunity for |
the criminal to revert even in his thought /!
to the old vicious habits.
Food will be of the best kind, so that !
the mind and body may be thoroughly /
nOurished. The training will be on the |
line of development of the civic virtues, |
and the natural social qualities of nor |
NAL man. 1T will be prison community |
The chief concern will be to fit the pris- |
oners to earn subsistence"
The association elected officers for |
the ensuing year during the morning |
session. Oscar ). Straus. of New YORK, /
who was in the diplomatic service /
of this country for many years, was
Kingsbury, of Connecticut, as first vice I.
president. Other vice presidents were /
chosen as follows: S. e. Baldwin, New Ha-
ven, Conn: Francis Wayland, New Haven. /
Conn; Daniel c. Gilman, Baltimore, Md; /
William 7. Harris, Washington, d. G; /
Carroll ID. Wright, Washington, d. c.; j. /
White, Berlin, Germany; John Eaton, !
browne, B a71its H% Brooklyn. n. y; Mrs Caroline
II. Dali, Washington, D; C.; Charles A /
Peabody, New York City; DR.. Grace +.
Peckham Murray, New York City; Dr. II. /
Holbrook Curtis, New York City; the Rev. /
+. G.. Peabody, Cambridge, Mass; Prof. |
George L. Raymond, L. II. d., Washing |
ton. d. c.; Mrs Virginia y. Mckelway, !
Brooklyn N Y; {. a. Wood, Marion, |
S. C. r g. Sanborn. Concord, Mass. J. |
w. Foster. Washington, d. G.
other officers chosen We're: Secretary, |
Frederick Stanley Root: treasurer, w {. !
LeGendre; directors, Col. Jacob l.. /
Greene, Hartford, Conn: w. A. Giles, |
Chicago; Edwin T. Potter. Newport, r. |
l.: Eugene Smith, New York; Charles |
Bulky Hubbel. Booker T. Washington, |
Seymour Dexter, Elmira, n. y; E. H |
Avery, Auburn, N Y; ST. Clair Nickel |
way, Brooklyn, and w. NJ. f. Round |
Massachusetts.
The following were designated chair
men and secretaries in charge of the !
various sections: Jurisprudence Francis |
Wayland, chairman; Prof. Isaac Russell /
secretary; health, Surgeon General Stern
berg. chairman, Elmer Lee secretary; |
education and art, the Rev. Joseph An
dersOn, chairman, S. T. Dutton, secreta- |
ry; social economy John Graham Brooks, |
The department of finance was dropped
The association took up it's work under
the department of social economy, OF |
which f. b. Sanborn, of Concord Mass
is chairman. The chairman. delivered the |
opening address on Home Building and !
Land Owning by the Industrial Glasses
of the United States" Among those who
had most felt the need Of homes, the |
speaker mentioned the. negro, and eX-
planned how this situation arose out OF
the conditions that preceded slavery. MI
SanbOrn quoted statistics showing that |
the ownership of land by. negroes had
increased in latter years. He spoke OF
the aid which had been given to the
poorer classes desiring TO acquire land
by the cooperative banks, throughout
the Middle West especially.
The speaker said that one out of every
three persons in Massachusetts had de-
pOSits i'm banks of this character After
AN exhaustive treatment of the develop