Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-27
FRENZY TO GET
RICHES SAID TO
PRODUCE CRIME
CRIMINAL TORNADO RESULT
OF DESP0ILlNG OTHERS
CRITIC SAYS EVIL MORE POTENT
FACTOR THAN VIRTUE
Writer Declares He Believes World Is
Not Really Growing Worse, but
Better, Because of KnOwl-
edge Increasing
nY IInNEL A. SHELDON

no standStil IN nature nor ia human
affairs.
Oninion on this question is formed by
every person from the standpoint OF his
observations and temperament. Ihe
story of the statue that was gold on
one side and brass on the other is aptly
illustrative Whoever approached on
the gold side said 1t was gold, and on
the other that 1t was brass. so II Is
in respect to whether mankind in gen.
eraI are ascending or descending NOR
ally and Intellectually, all depends on
which side the question is approached
and the intelligence and state of mind
of the individual in forming judgment.
In the river is a current proceeding
In a general direction, but in it also,
and often. are eddies and apparent
reverse currents, occasioned by some
local and temporary cause. 50 IN the
sea are counter currents, but in neither
case do they permanently change the
course of the main volume
There are eddies, bac6sets and coun-
ter currents in the human sea, and an
accurate judgment as to general ten
dency cannot be reached except
through survey of the whole field and
comprehending forces that influence
destiny in human affairs. Opinion will
not be supported by facts that are
founded on what here and there, ana
now and then appear nor on what
happens in a day, or year. Ihe MS
tory of the human race is an interest
ing and instructive study that should
extend through centuries in order to
discover what the general tendency mas
been, is, and what it probably VIII be
in the future.
There are ups and downs, advances
and retrogressions in the worlds move
ment. Nature everywhere makes SIM
liar displays in the world of matter;
in the weather, which alternates from
good to bad and vice versa in produc-
ing successfully light and darkness,
cold and heat, cyclones and Gains. 10
Judge of the general character Of CHI
mate, observations should extend
through all the seasons, and, BETTER
through a series of years.
Optimists and PessImists
There are optimists and pessimists;
the one class is prone to see naught
but sunshine and happiness, and the
other darkness and misery. These dit-
ferences result largely from unlike
temperaments and probably from diff
ferent environments and consequently
from divergent standpoints of obssr-
vation and methods of reasoning.
There is a widely entertained opin-
ion that in these days and in this
country crimes are more numerous
than in the past, and OF greater va
riety. If that We're true, it would not
be indubitable proof the country Is
moving backward and downward. 1t
is well to investigate, to discover
whether after all such is the fact, or
only in appearance. In the United
States, population has phenomenally
increased during the last three or tour
decades. Are crimes more numerous
in proportion to population? The
,l,4f In,
complex business and social affairs be-
come. the more frequently crimes are
committed. This is shown by the
greater preponderance of crimes in
cities over those committed in rural
districts The changes in population
and in those of business and social
conditions have made it necessary 10
enlarge the list of statutory crimes,
extend the surveillance of government,
and more rigidly to enforce respect to
the laws. There are epidemlcs Of
crime as of disease through unsanitary
conditions that produce unhealthful
microbes, which affict communities
until the microbes are destroyed or
have lived out their allotted term OF
existence.
in this country during the last forty
years have bten favorable to the de-
velopment of human greed and new
and lower ideals as to what are the
highest achievements; in fact what
constitutes the richest life. These Ideals
tend to make people more tolerant OF
acts that cannot be defended on the
principles of the moral code.
Do we not in these days hear more
about acts that indicate depravtty than
did those of a generation or two ago
when there was no telegraph and few
newspapers? Not much more than halt
a century ago people heard compara-
lively little of what occurred beyond
their immediate neighborhoods News
from the outside was chiefly borne by
neighbor to neighbor, as the newspaper
was but an infrequent visitor.
News Spreads Rapidly
Today a very large percentage Of the
American people have the news of what
occurred in the previous tWenty-four
hours in the nation and in much of the
outside world laid on their breakfast
tables. The newspapers are industrious
In gathering news because ii is the
most profitable feature of their work
The mass of the people are more In
terested in what is occurring in the
world from day to day than in any
thing else the newspapers contain, and
there has come to be an uncontrolled
IL not uncomfortable passion for read
ing of whatever is exciting or fantas-
tic. InlS may D6 C4dIdcleIlHSQ DIS dl-
most an age of craze for news. Peo-
ple would be disappointed If the news
papers did not contain accounts OF
crimes committed, prizefghts, rowing
matches, ball games, horse races, rail-
road wrecks, or that someone in a posi-
tion of trust had gone wrong. The late
Joseph Medill, editor of the Chicago
Tribune, at the last moment is reported
to have said: II want to die as I have
lived, inquiring, What is the neWs?'
AS has been said. there are eddies
and reverse currents in the moral anC
social ideals of people, brought abou
by changes in conditions; among then
is a great material prosperity, which
affords a certain pleasure, but divert'
thought from other and higher matters
and rarely, if ever, makes people
morally better. Crimes are not les
frequent when increase of wealth il
extraordinary, especially when an un
due proportion falls into the hands o
The few through the aid of vicious pub
lie policies, or is acquired through tn
empioyment of surreptitious or immora
business methods.
II is undeniable that crimes Of on
kind or another are more numerous il
the apex and substratum than amoni
fhe intermediate classes. They are diff
ferent in character; in the one clas
fhev may be less brutal than in th
other. but not less heinous in the eff
feet upon the general happiness and th'
moral atmosphere. IT must be admit
tea that IN the last third Of century