Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-07-06
LET HIM BE NAMELEss.
A Method of PnniShrncnt ms Old ms
Mankind Itself.


Mankind Itself.
When men wish to punish one OF
their fellows in Il peculiar way, when
they desire particularly to show their
deep disapproval of some wrong he has
committed. they do not cast him into
prison; they do not even take his life;
they blot out his name. All other pun.
ishnicnts which men have devised from
the days Of darkest barbarsm to tho
present sink into comparative insignif.
0icnncc beside the subtle, senrchng,
complete penalty of the simple dictum,
Let him be nanrleSS."
In the chapel at Wcst Point there ia
q tablet I'm which names of the cOun-'
try's Revolutionary heroes arc gravcd
in gold. And there is one name all
but scored out with IL sinister bar OF
black, just enough of the letters show
Ing to enable one to trace the name,
Benedict Arnold" This was the ma.
TONS WHY OF crnsing the name of q
traitor
In the regular army The officer who
steals Is ostraciscd absolutely. Not
only Is he forbidden to have any com.
mcrce with other officers but they ara
forbidden to associate with him or to
recognize Him In any way. In his ma
tive place he is published as one not
fit to associate With gentlemen This
is the army's way of punishment for
those who have failed to measure
themselves closely 10 the standard of
an officer and Il gentlemen.
II LOT it,,r
is not new method of punishment. 1t
is as old as mankind itself, When Job.
wished to show his nlhorrcncc of n.
wicked man he said. Ellis rcmcm-
brance shall perish from The earth. anu
lie shall have no name In the street,;
David also said OF the tranSgrcssnrs
against divine and human laws, LET
them be dotted out Of The book of the
living Tic eternal fire and hrinl-
stone OF the carlicr-:ntl some of The
lntcr-stern religi0nists still leaves ok.
istencc for the culprt. But man
comes MS near TO dcerccng humiliation.
as he can when HI would have the re-
mcmbrancc of fellow being perish
from the earth ami would have him,
walk tlir streets namclcss and un.
hitN III anu ullrtcOSlllXCt.
10 the sensitive man, the man who
has reared Il structure based OH char
actcr AMI embracing culture und So
cinl standing, there must be poign-
ancy about this sort OF punishment
that searches the very depths Of.
The soul To such man the uuictudc,
the solution, OF II prison cell Is little
more thnn escape from the accusing
eyes of his fellows. No laws penalty
can add TO his mental suffering He Is
III n worse plight than Cain, for Cain
bore distinguishing brand Cain still
Ind Il name
Hale wrote about the man without Il
country. But what pen is capable of
| describing tile feelings, the suiIcrings,
OF Il man without il name? lie has
been blOtted out OF the book of the liv-
iifE, yet he lives. He. appears in the
streets. but without Il name. Ills re-
membranes has persisted from his
earth, yet he remembers, and in this
remembering while all others have for.
gotten Hes the chief sting. the dccpcst
thrust of the way men punish when
they say Let him be namelcss" To
be forgotten of men Willie one still
trchds the earth; To meet In the eyes
of former friends and acqlEintunccs no
glimpse of recognition; To he II cipher
where once one was Il figure of conse'
quencc-can human ingenuity devise
greater punishment than this ?-Chicu-
go Post