The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-05-18

ates a belief that, if he should be over
taken in crime, the court would dear
with him lightly. He knows ana
presumes upon the fact that the court
will not be apt to give him a road
sentence, that to commit him to a
hospital would be too expensive to
the State, and tina he will not likely
be confined in a Jail where he would
infect others with his disease germs.
The court is completely baffled by
such offenders. The most troublesome
cocaine-dealer in Winston-Salem has
no arms; he and his wife are now
serving sentences for handling CO.
caine and his mother was recently
tried twice in one weeks time for the
same offense and was let go with a
fine because Of her advanced age.
The most persistent Blind Tiger" in
Winston-Salem is, IN fact, stone blind; |
and another, scarcely less persistent,
has no legs. 1 have in mind four other
incorrigible retailers, each of whom
is in an advanced stage of tubercu-
losos, and another nearly dead with
heart disease. His associates also
presume upon the fact that the court
will be light on the unhealthy Of
fender. This is particularly true Of
violations of the liquor and drug
laws. They furnish the cocaine and
liquor to the unhealthy person, share
the profits with him in his brief hour
Of prosperity, then help pay his law
| yer's fee and his fine and costs in his
inevitable hour of adversely in the
criminal court. In one case a negro
on his death-bed with tuberculosis
was arrested time and again for re-
failing liquor for other parties. He
was too i'll to be brought to trial; SO
he continued to dispense liquor and,
probably, tubercle bacilli to his GUS
tOlnerS. A physician, called to see a
colOred man, found him in an ad-
vanced stage of tuberculosis. A few
days later the patient sent to him for
a certificate hat he was not able to
attend court. Upon inquiry it was
found hat the colored man had been
arrested for beating his wife, and the
physician very properly said that, if
he was able to beat his wife, he was
able also to attend court and take the
consequences.
Sins of The Father.
The ill-health of the fathers is
visited upon the children as crimes.
In this I do not refer to inheritance
OF crime. In fact, the inheritance of
! criminal traits or even criminal ten
denotes is still an open question. DR..
Edith E. Spaulding, of the Reforma-
tory for Women, South birmingham,
Mass, after studying a thousand cases
could find no proof of hereditary
criminal traits as such, and felt that
Cal C1u1 OUSCIN d%lOl ClSCW1OIo WOulu
bring forward evidence rather against
; than in favor Of the theory of here
l dity. And DR.. Haldor Sneve of the
5 University of Minnesota is of the
opinion that crime as such is not
l transmitted from ancestors through
: the germ plasm. But DR.. Winfield
Scott Hall Of Northwestern University
says: THAT a criminal father should
beget a child predestined to crimi-
e nality is a foregone conclusion. The
+ father exerts a hereditary influence
equal to all the previous ancestors in
: the paternal line" And the direct
e inheritance Of disease is scarcely less
fession is willing to commit itself nc
further han the statement that there
is transmission of tendency to certain
q diseases. Be the direct inheritance
e Of crime and disease as it may, it is
still unchallenged that there is in.
heritance of certain physical charac.
teristics and that these with certain
n developmenta1 influences and environ
ment lead to crime. The heritage O.
q the children Of unhealthy parents il
often mental and physical inferiority
d bad example and environment, wan
lack Of discipline. DR.. Woods Hutch
II lnson says that probably half GU
y criminals are born SO and most of tn
E others are made SO by a hygien
IL and social surroundings in childhood
+ 1t is hard enough. for the mental O
physical degenerate to escape anti
III social conduct under the best sur
g roundings. But place such a one
unfortified by education or discipline
o. with bad associates in the midst @
squalid surroundings, and nothing bu
ne the grace of God can keep him fcor
n becoming a criminal.
pm am not willing to say that iii
ne health is the sole cause Of crime j
g. any given cause; but I do say with
=, out hesitation that it is one Of tn
US links in the chain Of causation in
large percentage of cases. Furthe,
er largely q medical ~
IL The new doctor is demanding to b
regarded in a different light-as
preventer instead of a curer, as a