Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-02
llso exceed in insanity, suicide. nervous

also exceed IN insanity, suicide, nerVOu
diseases, Juvenile criminals and aims
house paupers. There is no doubt, h
believes, that all these factors may b.
related in some way, but just how ha
not yet been definitely ascertained Ii
connection with the increase in crime
etc, he sets down the fact that Their,
has been in the same forty years a con
slant condensation If population, q:
illustrated III the increase of urban owe
rural population. Another factor giver
as a possible cause is that while tn,
consumption of wheat, coffee and othel
grains has increased per capita, the
consumption of malt liquors and sugar
has increased much more. This migh
be interpreted as a tendency toward
! less solid, less staple or more artificial
food, since the consumption of meat anG
potatoes has decreased.
The rapid development of society is
given as possibly one of the mair
causes of the increase of crime and alb
Eormality. 1t includes a great number
of new inventions, increased opportuni-
ties for travel and the enterprise of the
press. The haste of civilization. involv
ing many transition periods, puts an
abnormal strain on the nervous system
as compared with the muscular system
Thus the electric car. automobile and
the telephone make people exercise less
and think more. A reaction has set in
already thru the development of sys-
of wealth, with the luxuries of the table,
has tended to overeating. which, in con-
Erection with lack of exercise, has its
evil effects, and doubtless produces an
additional reaction on the nervous sys-
TEN. When the nerves are unstrung by
overpressure the will may become
weak, depression and pessimism set in
and loss of self-control follow. with it's
consequent abnormal actions leading on
to crime and other social evils.
In the statistics of crime some special
points may be noted. Youth. as COM
pared with adults. have committed more
crimes as society has developed. Sui
eide among children has rapidly in
creased; this might be regarded as
symptom of diseased precociousness.
The recent rapid development Of women
by entering more and more into the
work of men, transition involving
great strain, seems 10 have some I'M
welcome accompaniment. In Vienna,
for instance. general paralysis. a mans
disease, is increasing among women. In
Belgium insanity and suicide have been
growing relatively faster in women
than in men. In Austria ii has been
found that the criminal influx into cities
is relatively greater in women than in
men, and the effects of heredity are
greater on women than on men.
If we shake the tree the bad apples
fall first. So in periods of rush and
strain the weaknesses of human nature
become more apparent But this in
crease in evil may be only temporary
one, due to the necessary pressure of
adaptability to modern civilization. The
increase in crime, for instance, DIR.
says, is not necessarily a
proof that the world is growing worse.
Periods of decline in history show that
the world does not grow better in a
straight line upward.
1t is very plain that society needs to
adapt itself to the strain caused by
modern methods OF civilization. and
that in time profit Will come to the peo-
pie by a study of means to avoid them.
Pointing out such evils and the cause of
them is one fruitful way Of bringing
about remedial agencies.