New-York tribune., 1909-04-25
MIsDRECTED PHILANTHROPY.

nr. Harold X. Meyer. ore Of Chicago's foremost
sIienists emo has devoted years to ire study OF
The defective classes. including juvenile offenders.
convicted fel0ns. epeptics and the mentally un-
balanced. denoUnces some cherished and long es-
1sbllshed charities in indo-sing Professor Daven-
POTTS main He says
'Msd-ected philanthropy. Of all agencies. is most
70 blame for ttle degradation Of the human race
TIE reason for the physical and mental strength
q the peoples Of the Western world az the close Of
tie Middle Ages lay in the fact that for centuries
hey had made il = practice get rid Of the
'ouis. Trivial offences punishable With death
7 hard regime. Through Il double effect
vas produced. First. society was no longer
rensced by the offender second. by taking his life
il forever prevented his participation in the repro
dacton of his species thus relieving itself Of any
possibility OF menace from descendants that other
wise might inherit his malevoient characteristics.
Thus the httest survived
Nowadays the offender fined 10 the
workhogse 70 tie penitentiary- After he is
punished the laws require he IS allowed. often
helped. TO contract re-enter the family relation
r his wife has his tendencies the children cf the
family are half bad birth and they go help
ing 70 increase the ever growing number OF GRIM
nals"
ewh&: proportion Of the population Of the earth
would you say belongs the classes Of unde-
sirables?" was asked
There are the drunkardE." replied Dr. Meyer.
making a mental calculation, the criminals. tie
epileptics the juvenile ofTenders-well. including
the insane and scalavags, I would say, without
pretending offhend 10 be exact, that about per
cent Of the population belongs 10 the class that
might be denon1inated 'cuils' and subjected TO
colonization
With a population Of eighty million in the United
States Dr.. Meyers statement means that there
are one million six hundred thousand people in
mis- country who under the Davenport scheme,
ought 10 BE- segregated for the rest Of their lives
from their fellows and doomed TO die childless.
No one would contend shat the severe methods
~ the Middle Ages ought TO be restored. con-
tinued Dr. Meyer but the same results should be
accomplished. The colonization scheme OF Pro
lessor Davenport affords one means, but there is
another Indiana already has law providing for
such scientific treatment sterilization ot the con-
victed criminal that when he leaves the peni-
Tertiary his power to leave a line Of criminal de-
scendants is forever gone. The law seems to
work well The Secretary Of the Incfana State
Board Of Health came up here and told Us about
hundreds Of men being treated In Indiana
prisons.
The sterilization law mentioned by Dr. Meyer
applies only TO men prisoners II was enacted
four years ago by the Indiana Legislature The
treatment & prescrfbes mandatory the prison
authorities IN certain classes of crime. but IN
other cases the consent Of the feion must be OBJ
tzined before & can be applied.
That consent" said Dr. Heman Spaulding, Of
the Chicago Health Department. seems 10 be
easily obtained while the prisoner Is in q penitent
mood I have q report from the Indiana Board
CT health showing that the treatment has been
sasen 10 a. least 150 male prisoners in one penal
Institution alone In that state"
Il would like to a colony established 10
which ali the 'culs' might be sent continued
DR.. Meyer The only question would be as TO
who 6re the culls. but that could be settled by
scientific boards with injustice TO none. just 6s the
strict marriage laws OF Indiana settle the question
Of who shall and who shall not marry in that