Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-01-09


has by very nature, will, weaker and
loss responsible, than that of the nor
NAL person; and is therefore endowed
with cauacities which are weak for
moral knowledge.
Not only is this so. but the majority
of criminals show diseases. or tenden-
cies to disease in their nervous sys-
TENS. In the New York Court of Ses-
sions 1t was found that eighty per cent.
Of the crimIinlaIa he'd abnormal brains.
Fafty-fve per cent. of those who could
with difficulty distinguish colors, had
nervous diseases. 1t is well known
that weakness in the physical con-
clifton of a person almost invariably
weakens his power to resist evil. Thus
the general insensibility, and the de-
formity and disease of the nervous
system, tend to make the nature of the
criminal weak. A weak physical ma
ture means a weak will, weak judg
ment ard weak nature The ,crlmi-
nal is unstable and vacillating and, al
though there are nearly always pres
ent some good sentiments. they can
rlct he denended upon. One of the
mcst marked and Important character
| istlcs cf the criminal is his vanity,
which the eminent criminolo-ist Mac
Donald sayz, increases inversely with
merit" He is vain of his criminal
deeds, vain of his fame even though
it be a disgraceful fame, vain of his
dress, end vain of his skill in deceiv-
ing, plocring, and avoiding detection.
Anteccdent to his vanity is his ven
geance. Criminals are cruel, and en-
Joy to watch the suffering Of animals
ard sometimes even of people They
are rasziorate and easily excited.
| They fear death and. as rule believe
| in religion: l. e., religion which looks
to another world This is what might
| be expected. When the criminal fears
deah he begins 10 realize his cOndi-
| ticn, and so looks to another world for
justification. His inner state is one
cf warfare and expresses itself in the
| crimes he commits.
Thus, it seems that the only punish
ment which could be OF avail with such
a nature as is possessed by the crlmi
nal, would be those which would bring
him into a state of peace with himself
SO that he would become an organism
and he controlled by reason.
What do the present modes of pun
ishment do for the criminal? Before
assuming this it may be we'll 10 con-
slider the objects and kinds of punish
ments now employed.
The general sim CT all punishment
! is the prevention of crime. This
may be accomplished by the effects on
| the criminal end the effects on socie-
ty. The criminal will be affected to
this end, either by taking away his will
! to commit crime;-i. e. by reforming
him, CIR by taking away his power of
committing it; society will be affected
to this end, by inspiring terror of the
consequences in those who would COM
NIT crimes. end heJtred of them in
thoie who would not.
The two general modes Of punish
ment are Imprisonment and hanging.
Imprisonment aims to prevent crime
by the effects on the criminal: hang
ing, by the effect on society
After a person has been arrested his
first place Of confinement is usually in
the county Jail What are the results
upon the criminal here? Is he in any
way helped to control his life by rea-
son? Is the crime ratio lowered by
! this punishment. Remembering that
the person under consideration has
strong passions, that vanity and ven
geance are two of his leading elements,
THAT Ihis power to resist lis slight, what
must be the effects upon him if placed
in confinement where may be those OF
any age, sex, or degree of experience
| in the criminal life? 1t Is to him
school. He lis one of the freshmen.
Unless he adopt their language; unless
he agree with their thughits, he Is
rallied a,t and scoffed like amy college
boy. This, his vanity cannot endure.
So he strives to be their leader. Hav-
ing MO work provided for him, he Is
| left 10 work with his imagination.
| Thus he uses his mental energy in
sJdheming, devising plans for his es-
cape and means fer deceit until his i'm
aglnation becomes developed in such
undue proportions THAT he must be for
ever mentally deformed. Lack of la
bor also increases this defcrmity.
Doctora have found that there Is
an inUlmIate relation between physical
exercise and mental growth. If limb
is removed from a person. it is found
that 'Uhe part of the brain controlling
that limb celases to develop and fin
ALLY shrivels uD. What, then, must be