Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-08-19
EMOTIONAL INSANITY
BY Il. AddingtOn Bruce

1Y7E hear a great deal nowadays about emo
~ tonal insanity, mostly in CONNECTION
w with crimes of violence. Jealous
lover shoots his rival. husband murders ms
wife, or wife her husband. The slayer is
arrested and counsel for the defense forthwith
pleads emotional insanity, All his the news
papers duly chronicle.
Oddly enough in the vast majority OF such
cases the sanity of the slayer has never been
called into question until the commission OF
the crime He or she has generally been re-
garded as being much like everybody else.
Certainly there have been none OF the claS-
sic pre-indcationS of paranola, manic depreS-
sive in sanity, epilepsy or other type of men
known to crop out unexpectedly. The LIE
history contains nothing like this; there is no
record of inherited psychopathic taint,
Accordingly many authorities on mental
al insanity among the actual insanities They
are inclined to regard the acts attributed to 1t
as evidences merely of personality unhablt-
uated to emotional control.
Which, of course, leaves the murderer or
murderess legally responsible for the Staying
he or she has done
Nevertheless, in practice the plea OF emo,
tional insanity often avails. Juries again and
again return verdictS of acquittal SO ire
quently, in fact, that the jury system is by
some severely criticized as promoting mlScar-
riageS of justice.
1t may very we'll be, however that in thus
frequently acquittng the alleged emotonally
insane jurymen are SubconsciouSly moved by
desire to force upon society clearer ap-
probation of where the responsibility for
murders from passion" really rests. Sane or
insane, there be no question that the pas
sionate ones are, almost without exception,
products of vicious conditions in their early
home life.
If children of the poor or of the moderately
Well-to-do they have been reared by parents
giving next to no thought to their moral train
ing If children of the wealthy, they suffer
from a pampering that breeds, in the cauStic
words of my friend, DR.. j, W. Courtney;
"Not the traits of character that are al or
nament to any period OF lite, but 5WlniSn SELF
Indulgence, spineleSS dependence upon luxury
of every sort, inSutferable SnobbiShneSS. fond
ness for vulgar ostentation-in a word, every
thing which tends to catapult the deVotce OF
the fleSh-potS along The parahoc route which
leads from shirt sleeves 10 shirt Sleeves
Or stated otherwise, the whole course Of
the early training is such IS TO weaken, not
strengthen, self-contrOl. 1t literally dooms the
unfortunate boy girl 10 grow 10 manhood
or Womanhood at the mercy Of emotion, prey
to his or her desires If life crisis occurs,
prompting murderous thoughts. action is Only
too likely to succeed thought. because re-
preston and self-maStery have never been
attained.
That is to say, when judging The guilt of
the "emOtionaly insane" we should in all
fairness hale their parents also to he bar of
justice, The slayers are what they are Because
their parents through ignorance or neglect or
unWise oVeraffaction, have mad3 .!2em SO
And beyond he slightest dourt, unless par
entS as a class become more 2rrrecialFe OF
their duties and opportunities than are many
parents OF today. we shall be forever plagued
and shocked BY the miSdeedS Of those whose
passionate impuSiveneSS culminatrS in murder.
copyright, 1ot9 by The Associated News
paperS)