The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-29
CArTTALIxING CRIME.


The New York sun continues Ia print
the narrative of his prison lifo written
by Julian Hawthorne. Yesterdays
chapter occupied two pages. and was
adorned with a fanciful sketch OF the
author sitting on his cot while an
other prisoner slipped him cigarette
papers through the bars The front
page showed Mr. Hawthorne in a hand
some fur overcoat, as he appeared be-
fore he was convicted for his fraudu-
! lent mining ventures. The whole was
q nauseating example OF capitalized
crime
When Mr.. Hawthorne was arrested
for selling stock in worthless mines,
public sympathy was largely with him
All OF us felt that it was little short
OF a national Disgrace for the son or
his father to be involved in such an
enterprise. Even when the evidence
against him warranted his conviction.
and even after he was sent 10 Atlanta,
he had public commiseration and pity
But whatever sympathy he may have
had he has lost by his frank effort
to make money OF his criminal record.
We presume OF course that he is hu-
inflated and humbled. 1t would be
difficult for the son of countless gen
erations OF Puritans to feel otherwise
But whatever may be his real emo
lions, he writes OF his incarceration as
Jack London would write Of unique
experience in the South Seas. We may
misjudgo the temper of his story, but
~,
indication OF repentance, grief or re-
erct
1t Is n thousand pities that news
papers print this class OF adventure. II
Is sim moro to be regretted that the
public demands it, For the average re-
spectacle newspaper tl!slikes to parade
crime or indecency It's editors have
their Ideals of the clean the reputable
and the elevating, and they arc Jealous
OF those ideals But let q newspaper. In
defense of Its views OF decent journal
ism. decline to print narratives OF
crime. divorce and scandal--and what
happens? 1t IS delugcd ,"ith letters
and with verbal Professionally has tie
newspaper nothing TO say of a scandal
which such such a paper paradcd?
why docs not the paper print the
ncws?' II is always so. Those news
papers, for Instance. which printed the
full testimony In the Thaw case (wo
did noD were far more In demand
than those which published an ox-
purgated version. In this particular
case, 1t IS safe TO say that the Suns
publications OF Hawthorne's prison
memoirs has materially Increased it's
Sunday circulation in certain quarters
! The result OF this public demand for
the morally unhealthy is that news
paper mas TO face the constant tcnpta-
/ ton OF enlarged circulation through
{ the publication OF what Its editors dis
like. IL II docs not Yield. il speedily
! finds ita territory invaded by news
papers which bar nothing that will
! pass the postal inspection. In the cir
( cnmstances, the newspaper has TO do
! tho best 1t can and must strive az far
as possible to improve the taste OF the
great reading public IL would serve.
| NothinG that could occur In journalism
would be more welcome 10 the re-
spectacle journals OF this country than
. a universal agreement TO put the ban
/ on capitalized crime, on suggestive
] indeccncy and on scandal.
60 ----=-==-=-===-=
Where is the fashioned home
whose floors were covered with rag
carpets?
-Fs,7l.za=@-s=zl-e--.-.s
Everybodys eatin' It, Eatin' what?
iTerAAx hash.