Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-09-12

geons who are operating on children
suffering from physical defects Of a
character which would, If uncorrected,
very possibly serve to ruin their future
lives. But when in connection with ac-
counts of this work the statement goes
through the land that the surgery is be-
Ing resorted to for the cure, or at least
for the prevention, Of crime an imposi
ton is practiced on the scientific ere
dulity of the people. There is q certain
sense IN which crime may be called a
disease but 1t is by way Of metaphor
rather than Of literal statement Of fact.
When one is emphasizing the fact that
a mans physique has much to do with
his way of life, or when one is denying
that 1t Is right to call men in all cases
corrupt at heart because of their evil or
criminal acts, without taking account of
their special physical sufferings and
maladjustment, the phrase answers its
purpose fairly we'll. But it does not
do as basis for argument. The LOm-
brosos and Nordaus and the whole
school that established he theory Of
crime and physical degeneracy succeed
ed only IN quickly reducing their theory
to an absurdity. OF course they have
plenty of disciples still, but the effective
work in studying crime at present is the
study of it on the social rather than on
the biological side. An interesting eX-
ample OF the transformation Of views
in q related field is seen in the works Of
G.. Archdall Reid, who a few years ago
attracted so much attention by holding
that the tendency to drunkenness was
due not to social conditions but to an
Unborn instinct; that the only way for
a race to overcome its drunkenness was
by the physical elimination through
natural selection of the drinkers, and
that prohibitory laws, If they had any
effect, merely served to delay the weed
ing out process and to make the evil
greater IN the end. In his latest work,
however, DR.. Reid has gone deeper into
his investigations of heredity, and he
tells US that except for the drink In
stinct there is no difference between So
cieties which can be referred to any
such factor as an Unborn race instinct.
And the same would hold good Of diff
ferences between classes of individuals.
Even as to the racial trait of drunken
ness DR.. Reid has given an explanation
in a foot note in which he practically
abandons his original position. In 9th
er words, his theory of the Unborn In
stinct has broken down in his own
hands. Talk of a crime instinct, or Of
a crime predisposition due to physical
characteristics or even to some specific
physical defect, ought not to he under
stood literally any more than talk Of a
racial Unborn instinct to drunkenness.
A small boy may suffer from some eye
trouble or other defect which throws
his life badly out Of balance. Accord
ing to circumstances he may then be
led into crime, or lead an unhappy and
troubled life without crime The cure
of his defect may adapt him much bet
ter for normally wholesome life among
his fellows. But the surgical operation,
however desirable, is not properly to be
spoken of as q direct eradication of
crime. It may Indeed keep the majority
of the youths who benefit by it from
falling into criminal ways, and then
again it may perhaps give some Of those
youths just that greater power Of self
control and clearness Of vision which
will make all the greater criminals Of
them in the end. That fact should not
be overlooked. In other words, the sur
gical operations are most excellent. But
the theory on which they are advocated
Is open to most serious suspicion.