The Washington herald., 1915-07-28

he eorrects the defect. linen the boy becomes
normal.
! The incident was sustained by the force of the
appeal to the sympathies of the spectators They
were made to accept it because they were per.
suaded to wish strongly for the boys cure. But
! it is unlikely that more than a small percentage
! of the spectators stopped to ask whether there
lay in the incident the germ of truth.
| 1t significant, however, that the incident
should be used in play, and in a play too. that
appealed to the popular taste. 1t showed that a
matter deeply interesting the scientific mind had
public consciousness.
And it of comparatively little account
whether the cure for the unwholesome condition
were one kind of treatment or another.
| What of tremendous account was the
recognition that the condition was disease, sub
ject to cure, like nearly all recognized disease.
| The incident / recalled when l read in the
newspapers the other day about the boy who
had been cured of criminal tendencies in a prison
| in New York State and had been restored to
society.
Perhaps he cured.
| Perhaps he was only shamming.
| His experience during the next year two
may tell.
| If it shows that he has been shamming, who
can blame him.
| If it shows that he has been cured, we may
all rejoice.
| In no event can it show that the theory is
unsound for the failure of treatment in one in
| stance by no means proves the treatment to be
| false.
The most encouraging feature in the case is
that the theory has actually been tried.
| The trial suggests that may be starting on
really new method of dealing with criminals
About 100 years ago a revolution started in
dealing with the treatment of persons afflicted with
a certain kind OF disease, insanity.
1t is distressing to think of the way the in
sane used to be treated, with confinement, often
in dungeons, with abuse, with shameful indig-
mites
By many well-intentoned people they were
regarded possessed of the devil.
These people used to say OF the insane that
the devil was in them exactly many people
nowadays say that the devil is in criminals
Perhaps in this very expression may find
clue to the attitude of the world toward crime
and toward criminals.
What is this devil that used to be supposed
to possess the insane that is still supposed to
possess the criminals?
In medieval days it was the living emana-
ton from hell, either one devil, Satan himself
or many DEVILS demons of Satan.
Naturally people were tempted to war on
such monsters.
In dealing with the insane such people meant
not to punish the human beings that housed the
demons They meant to punish the demons.
And to punish the demons they had TO punish
the human beings.
To those afflicted they added more Affections
few men saw the wickedness of this proceed
ing, and the waste.
But they had to face the opposition of deep
rooted ideas, nourished with self-righteousness.
And there is feeling in the world more
nerce, more arrogant or stronger than wrong be-
lieving itself right and encounterng something
else that claims to be right.
The pioneers in advocating humane treatment
of the insane had to encounter bitter opposition,
including ridcule and charges of being themselves
insane.
The pioneers in advocating humane treatment
of the criminals are likely to encounter similar
treatment the world discovers that such
treatment means the cessation of punishment.
For people love punishment for others
And Now the Number Is Ten.
For the life of her Georgia cannot see why such
a bother should he made he diScI hot