The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-04-04

ter of the descendants of q wo,,,,,,
who was confirmed drunkard opd
who died early in the last centrry
The five or six generations of her =,
rect posterity numbered at that time
eight hundred and thirty-four ner-
sons. He ascertained the records nc
seven hundred and nine; of tbese oro
hunored ana seven were of illegiti-
mate birth; one hundred and s,xtv-
two were professional beggars. s;xt,,
four inmates of aims houses; one hun.
dred and eighty-one prostitutes: SOW
enty-siX convicted Of serious cripos
and seven were condemned for n,,,r
der. The cost of this family to societ,
was over one million, two hundred
thousand dollars.
hlchard Dugdale carefully traced
the descendants of woman naned
Ada Juke. The family and it's va
rious branches inhabited a certain
county in New York Of twelve hun
dred direct descendants nearly ono
thousand were shown to be criminals
prostitutes, paupers, inebriates, or in
sane. These degenerates had cost tho
state one million, three hunded thou
sand dollars-an expensive family
Rev. o. McColloch has traced the
life histories Of seventeen hundred and
'ifty degenerate criminals and pau
pers, descendants of one Ben Ishmael,
who lived in Kentucky in 1890. Among
this brood of criminals and paupers
there were one hundred and twenty
one prostitutes. The Rev. DR.. Stock
en- OF Berlin traced eight hundred
and thirty-four descendants of two
sisters who died in 1925. Among them
were 7G criminals, one hundred
and sixty-four prostitutes, one hun
dred and six illegitimate children,
seventeen pimps, one hundred and
forty-two beggars. and sixty-four pau
pers.
It has been estimated by Sichart.
director Of Prisons in Wurtemburg.
that over twenty-five per cent. of the
prison population of Ger,n;.ny, comes
from degenerate ancestry. Vergilis
Claims thirty-two per cent. for Italian
criminals. These are some of the
facts that lead me to question the
soundness Of modern methods OF. deal.
ing with crime, and 1 am fully salts
fed that any one who will make q
careful study of the subject will be
forced to the conclusion, that while
environment, culture and education
are of inestimable worth in the for
nation of character and the promo
tion of superior citizenship, these in
fucnces are extended only upon the
normal classes in society, while the
criminal element is affected to a very
small extent; that the State should
l1ay more attention to the prevention
than to the punishment of crime. As
matter of sclf-protcction the govern
ment should promptly sterilize all con-
iirmed criminals. Their progeny, be-
ing only an expense and danger to
society, should be prohibited.
This means, which believe is the
only scientific way to control the
growth of crime, is beginning to re-
ceive serious consideration and Wis
consin. Indiana and California have
recently adopted laws which conform
to this idea. This is probabl the
first attempt that has ever been made
by government to deal with crime
from rational physiological stand
point. If the experiment proves of
value, which it will do If properly
executed, the universal adoption will
probably follow but not for long
time. Such radical changes in public
opinion are slow to mature. Conser-
vative thinkers would hesitate to put
into practice method which, while
Of proven efficiency in the betterment
Of animal types, is too humiliating q
OrOcn1urc fo onpl,, IN tho b,o,o, 90: