Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-01-04
1.-THE Blot ON the
BruGn"

Omaha, Jan. $40 the Editor OF
The Bee: l have Just been reading
a little book entitled, THE Blot on
the Brain"
1t is a very scientific book, too big
to be distracted here, but the great
story it tells can be summed up in
a few words. 1t says. that just as
the hands or face can become
SCARED, so with the brain. Conduct
of life is directed or modified by
these scars. The author goes on to
show how these scarse are caused.
Suppose a man is struck a crush
ing blow on the head so that the
skull is fractured and bits Of the
hone are driven into the delicate
brain beneath The blood vessels
are torn and clots of blood collect.
If the blow does not kill the man
and no complications set in so that
he RECEIVERS. the clots OF blood are
absorbed, leaving a scar. If now
this calamity occurred on certain
! centers, the man may not be able
to talk or may be half blind in each
eye.
Or suppose the surgeon has to cut
| blood poison; certain definite
changes take place in the brain GER
ter which controls that arm or leg.
Again let a man pass through
| some very terrible experience, ply
! steal or mental 1t will produce def
mite changes in the brain and these
changes may kill him the same as a
blow on the head or entirely change
J his character. In other words it
will produce a blot on his brain, HIS
conduct towards his fellowmen will
! be more or less modified by that
blot. This is not sentiment but
science.
| have just finished reading your
| evening paper describing on the
| front page the execution of GRIM
| inal in Chicago before the other
| prisoners. Capital punishment
| should be abolished, not so much on
account of the victim as on account
! of the executioners. No man can
| deliberately kill his fellow man
| without putting a blot on his own
| brain and 1.-The damned spot will
| not out
I understand that we are to kill a
| man at Lincoln as soon as some pro-
fessional killer can finish few Jobs
| in New York. / DO not know what
| crime this man has committed;
whether he is white or black. But
| both are unimportant compared to
results to be accomplished. First,
will the murdered one be given back
to society? Second, will the con-
demned man have compensated So
| ciety in any way for his crime?
But the question is much larger
| than one individual case. The morn
| ing after the execution at least
| | 900 900 people will read all the fine
| details. True, with the vast major
| ity it will be given but passing no.
tice. But how about the thousands
| Of morons and people with blots on
their brains? They will feed on the
story for days. Not man will take
direct part in the execution but will
carry away an indelible spot on his
| brain. He will be a bit coaser. have
, less regard for human life and will
be Just a bit more vindictive.
Society has a perfect right to pro-
tect itself against criminals, but
science shows us how we are MAX
ing more criminals by our crude way
of handling the whole problem. ANY
number of potential criminals. who
are a menace to society, are walking
the streets of Omaha today. When
we become educated we Will protect
our women and girls by taking time
by the forelock.
In the meantime let us take one
stem in advance and teach men that
human life is sacred and that murder
is wrong, whether done by one man
or nv u. EDWIN c. HENRY.