The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-05-19
POPULAR APoLoGETlcs.
Adapted from the German OF Rev.
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
LXxXIII, Criminal Statistics.

LXXXlll. Criminal STATISTICS
Objection: Criminal statistics prove
that year in year out the same number
of crimes is committed, the same
number of matrimonles contracted
and dissolved; and the number OF
divorced women is more constant than
that of the widows who have lost their
husbands by death. Suicides increase
from winter to summer and decrease
from summer to winter.
Such and similar regularities prove
that human actions rest not on free
will but on natural law, on necessity.
To have proved this is the great
merit of the Italian crimonologist
Lombroso & 1909 and the Belgian
political economist Laveleye & 1922,
and others.
Answer: First Of all this regularity
of crimes is not by any means as
great as here claimed. There are
variations from 10 to 80 per cent
This being so, how can there be talk
of law and regularity? Of course
there are causes for such variations.
but these causes are not so much OF a
physical as of a moral nature. They
work therefore not mechanically, not
with a certain result, on man, but
through the mediation of free will.
For example, suicides, other things
being equal, are by far more frequent
among Protestants than Catholics
whereas the physical conditions OF
both denominations are hardly differ
ent. hence there must be moral OIL
free reason.
We gladly concede that man, though
free. does not always use his liberty
but is carried away by the stream OF
habit, the power of public opinion
the inclination Of humor, mood anC
passion.
For a more exhaustive treatise o
this side of the question we mus
refer the reader to the instructive
book of Rev. Dr. August Huber, Dit
Hemmnisse der Willensfreiheit-T
Hindrances to the Freedom OF th'
Nill-where the individual, social
and pathological hindrances are dis
cussed, and where moral statistics
the problem of crime, force, the sc
called moral insanity, Mysteries, mono
mania, melancholy, etc, are treated
as affecting the freedom of the will.
From all this the fact Of this agree
ment of action is sufficiently clear
especially if the irregularities, arisin!
from individual, free decision, ar,
equalized by their great number.
1t is moreover a big logical blunde
to- invert the correct sentence: ''Wha
happens necessarily, happens regu
larly" into: What happens regular
ly, happens necessarily" SOM
monastic people, for example, ris
regularly at four in the morning. Ar
they, therefore, not free in this usage
1t is correct to say: "A normal MAJ
has eyes," but it is not correct to say
Whatever has eyes is a normal man.
(Cf. Hammerstein, Gottesbeweise-
Proofs for the Existence of God
21O ff.).
Father Cathrein, S. j., in his mont
mental work, Observation-Disclosures
Philosophy-II. 645, writes: "Th
school of Lombroso has today lost it
credit, because it's assertions (crimina
type, criminal nature) are contrary t
facts. Already at the Criminal
Anthropological Congress at Pari
(1S89) and at Brussels (1S92) the vieI
OF Lombroso was almost UNIVERSAL
rejected as untenable. Also DR.. RI
dolph Virchow Ct 1902, one of tn
greatest authorities on this and sim
lar questions at the Medical Congress
in Rome Q894 condemned it, ais
Baer in the February Session (1S94
of the Berlin AnthropelogicalH Sc
ciety."