Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-15
EDUCATION CURE
FOR CRIMINAL
TENDENCIES
Expert Tells Prison Association
Care for Morals of Young Is
Very important.


address before the American Prison
| association here, DR.. Daniel Phelan, of
| Kingston. Canada, president of the
! American Association of Prison Sur
geons, affirmed that most of the crimes
committed were directly due to a lack
of education The lack of care and
| clared, was the chief cause of crimi-
nails
/ DR.. Phelan said:
Generally, people think of education
as a certain filing of the mind with
knowledge, loading of the brain with
requirements, consisting of reading,
writing, calculation history geography,
! literature, languages. philosophy and
| all manner Of sciences to a lesser or
greater. degree, The more Of this
knowledge the mind contains the bet
ter educated is the person-such is the
prevailing idea But all this is only
small part Of the real education. 1t is
merely supplying the implements re-
quired in the great work of general ed
ucation.
"An education consists in something
far more and of far greater importance
than the mere adjoining the mind with
the delights of knowledge. 1t means
the training of the physical powers the
cultivation OF the mental qualities, the
molding of the moral sense. the shap-
| ing of the will, and the incubation of
| lofty principles such as make for good
citizenship. 1t is this kind Of education
to which l refer when l ask your atten-
ton to its influence in the humanita
rian and civilizing work of improving
conditions
Educate Young Imperative.
| I'VE all know that the impressions
made on the young mind are the most
lasting and WELD the greatest influence
in the shaping of the future life of the
| individual. 1t is generally conceded that
the only way the state can deter per-
manently the malefactor from the COM
mission of his evil deeds is by educat-
ing him, for the weakness OF the will
power of the youth who is afflicted with
evil tendencies can be strengthened by
training and suitable education, the
main purpose of which is not to en-
! tighten the mind by means of a prof.
cheney in certain studies; rather is it to
prepare the individual to live in socie-
ty, to awaken in him favorable ten
denotes to action, intellectual incen-
tives to goodness and the highest sen
timents of moral obligation.
The germs Of moral insanity and
also of crime are no doubt developed
early in life, as the youth passes
| through nervous and irritable state
incident to his growth and develop
ment, and is consequently more emo
tional impulsive and wilIful during that
! critical period. Early education should
! therefore, be directed toward correcting
the inherited and anti-social impulses
"A very large number of the offenses
that are most severely punished by the
! state are to be traced to the lack of
proper education, to conditions of
sqUalid want, to temptations arising
from privations and exposure, in all of
which the state should be greatly in
terested
The state has it in its power to
greatly improve conditions: to establish
means by which proper instruction may
be given on certain lines and suitable
training given to the mind, the will and
i the moral senses.
1T is true that the youth will turn
to evil by natural tendency, if untu-
! tored and unCultivated for it is easy for
him TO do wrong. But bend the sapling
in the direction Of rectitude and noble
inspira ton and it will be very difficult,
when It becomes d tree, to turn it in
any other direction.
Seek For Causes.
| "It must be admitted that the moral
health OF the people requires as much
care and attention as their physical all
ments. IT is absolutely necessary,
| therefore that in both cases the ends
which lead to these favorable condi-
| tons must be sought, as are the germs
of a specified disease If any permanent
results are to be obtained. Early train
| ing Of the young and making of them
good and worthy subjects ought to be
the aim Of those who seek the greater
good"
That prison life does not produce in
sanity, but only serves to bring TO the
surface the insanity which is already
latent in the criminal, was the state
ment made by Or. Paul e. Bowers, ply
stefan in charge of the Indiana state
prison. in an address.
The speaker scoffed at the general
| idea that prisoners are frequently
driven to insanity by brooding over
their condition, by remorse and fierce
/ introspection. He declared that those
/ prisoners of superior mentality who
sense their position most keenly sell
/ dom, if ever, go insane, whereas the
prisoners of low order Of intelli-