The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-07


The Science and Art of Prevention.
The world learns most of it's lessons
from the severe and efficient task
master, experience. 1t is a sure but
harsh and Expensive schooling. The
individual has not sufficient foresight
and wisdom to keep him from running
into error-from which he has hard
work to extricate himself. He spends
as much energy in getting out of diff
Guilty as he does in positive aggressive
work. In the social life more time and
energy are devoted to the correction of
abuses and errors than in the work of
the positive advance of the race. The
movements of society are of a dual ma
ture, one a slowly ascending move
ment;' the other a rotary movement
along the line of ascent, part of the
time upward and part of the time down
ward. AS result of the ups and downs
of human life a little progress is re-
corded out of a great and wasteful
effort. The accumulated knowledge of
the ages is not sufficient to prevent
great human suffering and great hu-
man sacrifice.
If the social life could be controlled
by the wisdom and foresight of man,
if social judgments could be given in
advance of social experience, much of
the waste of human effort would be
eliminated. AS it is we have no law
until the contending interests of indi-
viduals make it necessary. We have
no relief until the pangs of hunger and
have no remedy for crime until it has
become a great factor of social disorder.
We have no relief from degeneration
until it begins to sap the foundation of
the social structure. We do not call the
physician until the disease has fasten-
ed itself upon the system. Thus we are
ever on the defensive rather than on
the aggressive. We spend most of our
lives in trying to cure evils rather than
to prevent them. Yet the world is
slowly learning that the old adage, IAN
ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure is really a scientific principle
1t is the scientific application of this
theory that makes the substantial
progress of society. Observe how care
full the physician is becoming about
diet, fresh air, and sanitary conditions.
Without doubt the medical science of
the future will be a science of preven-
ton rather than one of cure, for con-
slider how much more scientific it is to
keep people well than to combat dis
ease. The board of health is learning
that it is better to fight dirt, filth, and
unsanitary surroundings than it is to
stamp out an epidemic after it has
once gained foothold. So the science
of modern legislation is tending toward
the prevention of industrial and politi-
cal evils rather than their cure after
they become deep seated. Perhaps no
more striking illustration of the ten
dency of the times can be found than
church. Formerly it laid great stress
on the salvation of the sinner from i'm
pending doom in consequence of sin;
it now seeks to save the man from sim
ming. The great working theory of the
church is to care for the children and
youth to keep them from falling into
sin.
Everywhere we shall find, as society
develops foresight and consciousness
of power, it anticipates the future and
directs man away from the evil. 1t
tries to secure normal development
and thus prevent the occurrence of
social evils. While this is the vital
source of reform, We may do some
thing to cure the ills already existing.
We may do something to get the dis
OF Eanizeds back into the ranks of or
ganiZed society. The evII effects of alb
normality may be lessened But we
may stand forever at the gateway
through which the great stream of
poverty, pauperism, crime and degen-
eracy is constantly flowing onward,
and there attempt to relieve the suf-
fering, heal the sick, cure the pauper,
reform the criminal, and relieve the
defective, but we cannot stem the tide
of defective and degenerate human
life. 1t flows on, ever on, and though
workers may be many the stream
never grows less. 1t is only as we
go to the source and purify its waters
that we make any perceptible i'm
provement.
But society is learning the science
and the art of prevention. Consider
the treatment of the criminal Many
years ago the prison was a dungeon
into which criminals were hurled to
get them out of sight. No one cared
what became of them so long as they
were cruelty punished for their offense
against society. But the more they
were punished the more crime in
creased. Then John Howard threw
open the doors of the prisons OF
Europe and exposed to the gaze of
the public the horrors of the old
prison pens. From that time on the
of prison discipline spread. A
wholesome regime: good food. plenty
of labor, and reformatory agencies
prevailed. Much good was done, but
still the stream of crime flowed on.
Then it was discovered that the penal
because the OLD ana
young the novice and the hardened
criminal. were thrown together with
out classification, were but schools for
crime.
for first offenders By
it's means thousands just started on
the hard road of crime were rescued
and reformed. Yet this made but lit
tie perceptible effect on the amount OF
crime in the world.
This movement was followed by a
more efficient care or boys and girls IN
reform schools, work houses and in
dustrial homes. Yet stlll there was
something lacking. 1t was found that
the common Jail was but a preparatory
school foA crime. 1t furnished more
than other institutions
could care for A feeble effort has
been made to reform the jail, a work
that must be carried to completion II
penal reformation succeeds.
The indeterminate sentence. the pa
role system and the work of such as |
sociations as the Society for the
FriendIess have accomplished much in
furnishing a way for those who have
become criminals to get back into
positions in normal So
ciety. The work is great and has be-
come an essential factor in modern
neno1OgY.