Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-21
CRIME DECREASING,
ASSERTS WHITMAN
New York's District Attorney
Speaks at Church Ban
quet Here.

District Attorney Charles S. Whit
man. of New York, in speech before
the Newark Presbytery of the Pres
byterian Church of America, at a
banquet held last night in the Palace
ballroom, declared it was the duty of
every citizen to look after the morals
of the people of America.
He declared he believed I'VE of the
Presbyterian church have not done all
we might in this respect. 1 don't be-
lieve the great Presbyterian Church
has taken advantage of all the OPP
portunities it might. In these times.
when education is so fully and SO
freely given, when the boards of edu-
cation are doing all they can and
much more than has been done before
to fit the young people mentally for
the future the work is not wholly
done"
Continuing, Mr.. whitman said:
1.-THE citizens of this city, every
one are responsible for the moral
welfare of the young. The boy is 60
ing to be the man. He is going to
rule this city. He is going to be
called upon to meet more difficult
situations than you ever have had to
meet.
mot the child of the rich, but the
daughter of the poor, has to be pre-
pared for and aided In her choice.
She who is born to conditions for
which she in no conceivable way is
responsible, is she going to so the
way that other unfortunates before
have gone? Those conditions of the
past have not been because the people
of the churches did not care, but be-
cause they did not care to know about
them. Perhaps it is a more urgent
duty than to attend divine worship
on Sunday or prayer meeting on
Wednesday night thatI advocate.
"See to it in this city and in this
State that it shall be easier to go
right than to go wrong. You can do
it If you will. If 1t is not made so
in Newark, if 1t is not made SO in
New York, it Is not the fault of the
police, or the CRATER, or the criminal.
1t is the fault of the good citizens,
even church members, who have not
done their duty"
Concerning his own work In New
York Mr.. Whitman said the life was
not always pleasant ut is not agree
able" he said, ito spend your time
from morning to night and sometimes
from night almost until morning with
criminals, the friends of criminals
and criminals lawyers. Sometimes
you get feeling from the sordid at
mosphere in which you have got to
live that the whole world Is going
wrong.
ut is somewhat comforting to re-
fleet that where there are 10000 to
10000 cases of crime there are 3,0OO,0O0
people. Not a submerged tenth or a
submerged fiftieth even is to be
reckoned with. Somewhat less per-
centage is criminal in New York than
in the simple life, fresh air and open
Landscape of New England village.
"These things are getting better
every year. The papers tell us now
and then that there is a crime wave.
/ notice 1t is always when there is
nothing else to print. There is no
such thing as a crime wave. There
never was a time so bright in Its
promise for better things; never a
: lime more sane, more Christian, when
So much interest Is taken by the
average man and woman in the well
fare Of those who suffer and trans
gress.
''There is good deal printed that
is untrue, great deal said that is
due to a diseased Imagination. Maya
Zines, novels with a decadent trend
paint conditions as being far worse
than they are. Things are not get
ting worse, but becoming better. The
charitable and church societies are
taking more and more interest in the
poor, the unfortunate, the criminal