Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-02-27
MURDER on rur INCREASE,

Chlcago's chict OF police MI y Mem,
has recently expressed himself 10 the
effect that the crime Of murder IS grow
Ing more common than formerly. "All
over the country" he said there
seems to be an abandonment to i'm
pulse. There Is fever Of unrest and
recklessness which comes from a lack
Of proper moral training
The chief did not hesitate to say that
the opponents Of moral teachings prac-
tioaliy are unable TO impress their IDEAS
OF obedience to the Decalogue' Few
murders, he thinks gre premeditated
Most OF them are due to lack Of moral
restraint
one cause Of the growth Of the terri
bic evil, to which the attention is
called. Is the tendency to regard those
VINO commit hldeous crimes as irrespon-
sible medical insanity" is new
form Of maiady that is likely to be
heard more o. as the occasion arises,
For Il a criminal can be legally sane
and medically insane It should be pos
sble to prove some kind of Insanity IN
every case where murder is charged,
unless, indeed, the accused happens to
be somebody without money and with
out influential friends
Disregard for human life Is sur.
Sign Of disease In nation. Not long
ago. at the Fordham College banquet,
n Judge Of the supreme court Of New
York. Morgan J. OBnen, took occasion
to say that there was danger Of the
overthrow OF the Republic by the
powers OF anarchy. He expressed APP
prehension that our splendid fabric Of
liberty may fall to rise no more" He
intimated that & may go down as re-
publican Rome did before the Yandal
and the Hun"
This, OF course. was ora
tory There may not be much
immediate cause for alarm But Il Is
quite certain that II the Hun and the
Vandal are permitted to hold sway; II
human NE is 10 be held cheap, II ylo-
lence IS to go unrestraIned, the "splen-
did fabric Of liberty" will soon be torn
and tattered. The unrestralned rule of
anarchy Is sure TO be followed by de.
huge,
But Il It is desired TO stem the tide
OF violence and give society an impulse
IN the opposite direction, e viii be nee
essary to go to the very root Of the
trouble. and apply the remedy there
Ana on that subject 1t may be well 10
quote Herbert Spencer. lie SAYS
Literature. journalism and art have
an been aiding IN this process Of re-
bnrbarisatlon. For q long time there
| have hOurished novel writer's who have
| rung the changes on narratives Of Grim,
and stories Of sanguinary deeds. Others
have been supplying boys and youths
with tales fun OF plotting and fighting
and bloodshed. millions of such having
| OF late years been circulated As indi'
! NAANNk NlNNh AANNAAA Wv eNANN "a itAAakti'
al feeling we have the immense popu
arlty OF Rudyard Kipling, IN whos'
writings one-tenth Of nominal Christ
uanity a. Joined with niue-tenths o.
real paganlsm, who idealizes the soldiei
and clories In triumphs OF brute force
and who IN depicting school life bring
10 the front the barbarlzing activities
and feelings and shows little respect
Tor a ciVilizlng culture. More anl
more the spirit OF conflict has been ex.
erclsed by athletic games Interest ~
which has been actively fostered. first
by the weekly press and now hy IN,
daily press and with Increase OF IN,
honOrs given 20 physical pr0wess Their,
has been decrease OF the hon0rs giver
20 mental powers. Meanwhile litera.
tnre and art have been aiding. Bookl
treating 81 battles, oonQuests and IN
men who conducted them have bceI
widely diniused and greedlly read. Per
iodlcals fun OF stories made lnterestin,
BY killing, with accompanying iuusira
tlons, have every month ministered I,
the love 81 destruction as have too IN,
weekly Illustrated Journals. In mi
places and IN an ways there has beel
! going on during the past 70 years a re