The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-16
Today
Advice Is One Thing.
How to Stop Crime.
Why Are Prisons?
Discovery 10 Not All.
BY ARTHUR BRIsBANR

ll--By ARTHUR BRISBANE--l
a tcopyrisht. 1881
Gandhi, leader Of India, advises
passive resistance" and his fol-
lowers burn, loot, and kill, as they
shout "Holy Gandhi." 1t is one
thing to start passive, peaceful
movement, another to KEEP it
/. peaceful. Tolstoi, in Russia, adj
vised non-resistance; and set mil
lions Of Russians thinking. But
when men think, they think
THEIR way, not always as
prophets advise. The Christian
nations that RECENTLY butchered
each other to the tune of many
millions Of men, and many hun
dreds Of millions Of dollars, are
supposed to be followers Of Him
who said:
"Ye have heard that it hath
been said, An eye for an eye. and
. tooth for q tooth.
"But ] say unto you. That We
resist not evil; but whosoever
shall smite thee on thy right
cheek. turn to him the other also"
The nation that stood aside from
the fighting, and smiled and built
up industry, was pagan Japan.
How arey you going to stop crime?
Can you do it by excessively Sc
we're punishment, by speedy trial,
sentence, and execution, in case of
murder? Could you do it by invent
ing new punishment? Probably
not.
One gentleman suggests that
men once convicted be branded
convict" on the forearm, indelibly
branded SO that it never can come
Of.
Il would be an advantage, says
the inventor Of the idea, because
everybody would know any man
for q convict as soon as he rolled
mp his sleeves. Employers could
always say, "Roll up your sleeves"
before giving a man a job.
The idea seems brilliant, but
what about compelling convicts to
;. REMAIN CONVICTS through
out their lives.
!, Branding Is an old idea. In the
Middle Ages in England, strikes
and such things were forbidden, Of
course. What is more, it was
against the law for a miserable
creature lacking work in his own
parish TO wander OF @e ~
Any workman caught wander
ing in search Of Job away from
his own parish was branded on the
cheek with a red-hot iron. That
probably did not do much good. In
fact, it undoubtedly hurried on the
days of labor unionism.
You can stop crime by changing
conditions, as you diminish igno-
rance by. increasing education.
There is truth in the statement
of an old woman whose son was
recently arrested for. murder:
"Taking boys into the army and
teaching them that it is all right
to kill other boys is a bad thing"
After every great war crime OF
all kinds increases. For war
makes it clear that killing is SIM
ple, easy, a quick way to solve
problems or get what you want.
That idea as to the advisability
Of killing can be rooted out by edu-
cation, kindness, and especially
OPPORTUNITY.
Four convicts, two serving life
terms for murder. were released
from the penitentiary at Jcffer-
son City, Mo-, "on their honor"
To spend Christmas with their
families. and sent off alone. un-
watched.
They all came back and an
nounced that q good time had
been enjoyed.
Some will say. "That is spoil
ing convicts with slushv senti.
mentality" Maybe. But will
such treatment make better men
or worse men of them? And
should prisons make them bet
ter or worse? Are they for
correction or for revenge
The French say that Jean Cou-
sin of Dieppe discovered America
IN 1888, ahead Of Columbus. Pos
sibly. but it doesn't matter.
Others discovered America long
n