Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-11
MINISTER ARRAIGNS
PRESENT PENAL SYSTEM
Growth of Parole System and Juvenile
Courts Are Praised by Rev.
William Horace
Day

II
William Horace Day last night In his
course on Jesus social principles he dealt
with the problem of crime as treated In
the words of the Master.
I'm the last twenty years homicide in
America increased from 1900 to S400 1t
grew 400 per cent while the population
increased 25 per cent. The 250,000 crimi-
nails in the country cost 5000, 900 year,
or twice as much as the whole education
al system Thanks to our able judiciary
Los Angeles sends as many to the peni-
tentiary as San Francisco. We may be
angels in name, but our deeds are devil
ish. Our problem of crime is one of the
most terrible social facts for which we
need the greatest wisdom.
1--WE spend money and time to check
this growing menace. We commonly have
two reasons for 1t. We wish to protect
society from recurrence of crime, and
we sometimes want to reform the crimi-
nal. We try to shut him up so he can't
commit crime and sometimes try to
change him so he will not want to COM
NIT crime.
"Our methods of handling the problem
are on the same lines; we either punish
or pardon. 1t is usually punishment,
though in rare cases the executive be-
lieves himself to be justified in releasing
the condemned on a pardon. Not seldom
that pardon is a dangerous interference
with social order and l wish the COVER
nor had not the power.
Crime as Jesus Saw 1t
"Crime is infraction of the law of the
land and is social. Sin is a breaking of
the law of God and is moral. The Lord
turned from the surface to the heart of
the matter and directed thought to the
foot In crirna which so far tran
scended the social one. 1t was the motive
at the center which counted most. From
within out of the heart of men, thefts,
murders, and all the rest, proceed he
said.
''While the modern state has been con-
tent to disregard the welfare of the
criminal in a mad struggle to find self
protection this clear eyes manifestation
of the Fathers heart was most concerned
about the result to the man himself even
though he be a law breaker. The Son
of Man is come to seek and to save that
which is lost he replied when men
found fault with his anxiety for the
men of the underworld. He and many of
our penalogists have become hopeless for
men, but he never lost his belief in the
of the worst Of men, He saw
the Fathers image behind the most de- |
graded mask of humanity. AS the sad
daughter of shame crouched at his feet |
he would not cast her off to punishment |
till she had first had chance to redeem
herself. 1t was a sort of probation sys-
tenn. Neither do I condemn thee go, sin
no more
'In forgiving sin he not only shocked |
The theologian but scandalized the Off
,ial Yet the shortest and best way both |
% protect society from the recurrence of
,rime and to save the criminal from his
,rime is to so lift him up in hope and in
lewness of heart that he can be forgiven.
Hearts Unchanged
'The failure with civil pardon is that
he heart of many such has not been
changed, and no doubt there are men in
he penitentiary today who, If we could
ynow the heart, would become valuable
,itizens as we'll as cease to be a charge
ipon the state. When the evil is the
mans heart has been overcome he was
new creature and was pardoned. In
hat hour the purposes of civil punish
nent were accomplished far more per-
ectly than by keeping him in cell. So
iety was protected and the man saved.
"The method by which Jesus overcame
vii is also in sharp contrast with the
MEASURE of the state. His way was per-
onal, not technical Instead of the
rushing force of penal machine, which
rutalizes and embitters the heart his
,lan was to overcome evil with good, and
he highest good which came from per-
onal contact. One of the tests of true
christian character was in the personal
interest men take in the imprisoned. How
Vany of us have ever visited the men in
all?
1--WE have hardly begun to try Jesus
way in criminology. but we are surely
eaded that way with surprising results.
he juvenile court, adult probation and
he parole systems all seek to take his
vay and substitute the personal for the
Mechanical, the way of faith for that
f despair. Instead of fifteen hundred
hildren sent to Whittier we are now
ending but two hundred. OF one hum
red adults on parole but two have had
o be sent to the penitentiary. If only
aodern America would learn OF Christ
hose would rise up and rejoice"