Newark post., 1913-08-20
THE CAUSE OF CRIME.

tlcle by I'll. Fleldlng-Hall on tne |
causation Of crime. All who wish
to understand why men so persist
entity oppose their own interests by
habitual criminality, all who would
why punishment makes
criminals worse instead of reform
ing them should get that number
of that magazine and read the ar
ticle in full. AS there is not space
for it here | will give some OF the
leading points.
Mr.. Fielding-Hall has been a
magistrate, a judge, and a govern
or of the largest Jail in the world,
that at Rangoon, India. He has
dealt with criminals more than
most men. He notes that ii crime
is individual, purely, it is strange
that it follows general laws OF IN
crease, decrease and average. He
notes that "the infamous penal
laws Of hundred years ago, IN
England, did not stop crime. Flog-
ging did not stop garrotlng, 1t
ceased for other causes. " Contln-
uing the writer notes that the fam
inc during a certain period III a
province where he was stationed
was followed by remarkable IN
crease in crime. Thefts doubled
while other crimes such as cheat
ing and fraudulent dealings with
money decreased. Here, he says,
was a general cause. Had the rain
fallen as usual there would have
been no famine, no increase IN
theft. The men guilty did not
have it in their power to controi
the rains. But thefts of food did
not increase and the government
provided work and paid enough
70 feed the workers. Yet the gen
eral lack Of prosperity increased
the thefts and decreased forgery
and fraud. There was little money
moving, so many renamed Vlrtu-
ous who would have been IN prison
had it rained. But the men who
did not commit fraud would have
stolen had they really been desper-
ately wicked at heart. The fact
seems to be they were not evil al
heart; they committed fraud when
the strain was great, that IS, they
did when it rained and fraud was
easy, with lots Of business dong.
The thieves remained honest when
# rained and stole when there was
little doing. Extra strain, not evil
heartedness, caused the crime.
Now if this is true Of half the
criminals, where, aside from pol
itical crimes, can the line DC
drawn? If it is true OF half OF
them why not for most of them!
But has not man free wlllY Ger
tainlv he has. He is free as t(
what he shall wish and free as t(
will, as far as wishing can be call
ed will. But the will which en-
ables a man to do thing he wishes
to do; for example to resist tempt
alton depends upon something
more than wish. Leave chill.
alone with a jar of jam and 1t vii
wish to obey it's mother but i
won't unless it's strength OF BRAIN
which is a result Of training, nour
ishment, health, is equal to the
strain of holding wish superior
to an impulse. The wish comes
from the heart; the impulse iron
the palate and stomach. II there
be not physical backing for th'
wish the stomach will beat 1t ant
get the jam. The author OF the ar
ticle says: "What does Will mean
Where there's a will there S
way' what does that mean Does
will mean wish? If, for instance
YOU are poor and stupid can any
quantity of wish make you rlch
If YOU have no ear can 1t make you
musician? Will, then, means
more than wish. >, 1,
To the desire must be added .h'
ability; actual or potential. WIN
out the ability the wish avall
nothing. Is the criminal not so De
cause he wishes to be so? The au
thor answers "No, and no ana NJ
again. No more wicked fallac9
was ever foisted upon credulou'
world than this. No one at any
period of the world ever wished u
be criminal. Every one instinct
lively hates and fears crime, every
one is honest by nature, it is inner
ent in the soul. | have never me
a criminal who did no hate hl'
crime even more than his condemn
ers hate it. The apparent excep
tion is when the man does not con
slider his act a crime, he has klllec
because his victim exasperated mn
TO it; he has robbed society De-
ca,,se society made war upon nm
The offender hates his CRIME: