The Irish standard., 1914-10-24
1HE CATHOLIC CHURCH
AND CRIMINAL STATISTICS
Habitual Offenders Pass From One
Section of Country to Another
and Change Name and
Religion.
Give Religion as Catholic When
Unable to Make Sign of
the Cross.
Sydney, Australia, "Press" Gives
Account of Manner in Which
Criminality is Wrongly
Charged Against
Catholics.

Charged Against
Catholics.
statisticians become, by expert
ence, men Of logical turn of mind,
and they are continually altering
their schedules in order to obtain
more reliable results. Years ago
they used to give the alleged re-
ligions Of persons arrested" Then.
finding that these figures included
many people whom the law declared
to be innocent, they altered the table
to the religions of persons convict
ed" Then they found that a des-
perate criminal, who committed a SER
ious offense, and received a long
sentence, counted but as one. while
q poor drunkard, whose lapses were
not like angels visits. "few and far
between" and who generally got
.'ave shillings OF "a hours" might be
on the records for 20 sentences. and
count as 20 offenders.
Obviously. this was unfair. Their
next attempt was to tabulate the re-
ligions Of individuals. When they
began this they soon found them
selves "up against" the impossible.
When Sandy Ferguson, Presbyterian,
finished his term in Sydney. and
found himself in Goulburn. he at
once became Michael O'Brien, be-
cause. II he came again under the
magistrates notice, his record would
earn for him long sentence. and be-
ing O'Brien, he. Of course. claimed
to be a Catholic. Frequently the jail
officials failed to identify him as
Ferguson, and, therefore, Presbyter-
ians and Catholics had one debt
against them for scamp who prob
ably never came under the influence
of either. But if they did identify
him. how was the statistician to class
ify him? The trouble was intensi-
fed when he became, as many OF
these "habituals" do, an Anglican, a
Methodist, or a Baptist. The statis-
ticians despaired of giving any fig
ures on which reliance could be
nlaced. and to the statistician useless
figures are anathema. Therefore,
they dropped the section.'
The marvel is that they were ever
recorded. When we see how unset
entific is the method for their collec-
ton, we can estimate their useless
ness. It must be apparent that peo-
ple who break the law do it from dis
obedience to or ignorance of the
teachings of anything worthy of the
name of religion. In order to charge
their delinquency against any par
ticular creed, one must show that at
some time or other that creed had a
chance to form the character of the
individual. Is that done? Let US
examine the process. To aid In the
Identification Of "habituals." finger
prints and measurements are taken
TO obtain any property or informa'
ton required, strict searches are
made. and, 1t is said, third degree
questions are asked. The mans
word is not worth a rap in any cate
CORY but one. He is asked what reli'
zion are you? And II he shakes his
head. he is told that "that won't do
you must be something. There Is
column for it which the conscien'
tious official must I'LL. and mo ques'
tfons are asked" as to the value Of
the answer. Now, why should
poor wretch who probably never bent
his knee in prayer. label himself af
a member of any faith? 1t is con
tempt Of religion to insist upon I'LL
fug in this column. Far be 1t from
us to deny him the right OF religious
instruction; but why not boldly say
mot instructed" just as we can say
s.unable to read or write" The grea'
majority of these miserable offenders
are almost uneducated, and have hae
no school but the "bad example" o.
their parents. and the sordidness o.
their surroundings. But 1t they ar
to be catalogued as Anglicans Of