The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-08-10
eY n. AoplNoToN BRUCE.
Author OF The Riddle OF Personality"
Psychology and Parenthood.' etc.

The modern science OF criminology has estab-
Iished some facts which ought 70 be known py
every citizen.
They are facts of especial importance to par
ents for they leave no doubt that the problem
OF delinquency and crime would be almost en-
tirely solved IL parents as class gave tneir
children the proper home influences.
Close students of the crime problem no longer
hold the old notion that criminals are born, not
made At most. the best authorities are agreed,
not more than / or per cent. OF all criminals
are so constituted by birth that they TAKE 10
crime as naturally and inevitably as a duck
takes TO water.
or the rest a certain Experimentation Of
nebriates and of weak-minded persons-are
known To inherit defects which predispose them
10 crime, UNLESS SUBJECTED IN EARLY
LIFE TO TRAINING WHICH ENABLES
THEM TO OVERCOME THEIR INHERITED
DEFECTS.
That training can do this-that, in short En-
lvIRONMENT AND NOT HEREDITY Is the
chief factor in determining the kind OF life a
man shall lead-has been conclusively demon
strated by many experiments.
Perhaps most impressive are the results OF
| the activities OF the Children's Aid Society OF
New York, which for more than half century
has been carrying on practical experiments In
MAN CULTURE
The wards OF this society. numbering far into
| the thousands. have been typical slum children
Many OF them have been the children OF no
toriously criminal or vicious parents Some
1
| inal ancestors.
Yet taken from their degrading surroundings
and put into good homes. they have in the vast
majority Of grown TO be splendid mer
and women.
| According 10 statistics carefully compiled b,
officials OF the society, nearly 80 PER CENT
are known to have done well. and only ONE
QUARTER OF PER CENT are known L
have committed crimes.
! Some died in early life, some had to be re
turned to New York. and some IA per cen
| ran away from the homes in which they hat
| been placed. and were lost sight OF.
Even assuming that all OF those who had e
be returned. and all of those who ran away
lapsed into evil habits. we still have In these
statistics convincing proof that 1T is THE
| TRAINING RECEIVED IN EARLY LIFE
WHICH COUNTS FOR MOST IN THE CAUS
Other factors assuredly enter in. notably the
degree OF neglect or attention that Is paid 10
a child's physical condition.
Investigation has proved that poorly nourish
I cd children are more likely to 20 wrong than
well nourished ones So are children suffer
| ing from certain remedial physical defects
This is because the strain In these defects
put on their nervous system gives rise TO an alb.
normal restlessness and enfeebes their will
power.
| Many juvenile delinquent supposedly be.
longing to the born criminal" type has grown
to respectable manhood when given glasses
for the relief OF eye-strain.
Others have been equally benefited by an OBJ
Grafton for the removal OF adenod growths
Not that the eyeglasses or the surgeon =
knife worked miracles OF reform What they
did was simply 10 put the young delinquent into
condition to respond to reformative training
Training is always the essential thlng-and a
training which includes. over and above disci.
pine and exbortation, the force q q good par
entail example