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Show ghIplaW SCORES ;. CIVIC INDOLENCE Neglect of Public Duty Causes Crime, Father F. A, Seifert Says. "The n.ost obvious of crime-breeding p. "lit ic al co nd it ions is the stale of civic ! stagnation wherein the'belter classes be- j come neglectful of their public duties," ' the liyv. Father F. A. Seifert. chaplain ; cf Reams St. Ann's orphanage, formerly . chaplain of the Michigan state prison at Marquette, said last night in an address before members of the Knights of Columbus Co-lumbus in the clubroom at th'e Hotel Utah. "When right-minded persons cease to exert their influence in the public life of the conmuin 'y. the wott elements of citizenship rapidly gain control and publico pub-lico offices are prostituted to the purpose pur-pose of personal gain. It is then that men lose respect for their public officers aud the laws which they represent. When allowed to remain unehe-cked, this condition con-dition ultimately .spreads through all ranks, until the whole community is honeycombed with the corruption t hat flowers in its leaders. Such a state of society not only offers no incentive to honesty, but places a positive premium on vice. Corruption and the spectacle of men growing rich through graft does not Inspire a lofty regard for the saeredness of property rights. "The causes of crime, are manifold. Briefly they may be classified as social and individual causes. Social causes are by fa! the most numerous. There can be no doubt (hat much of the degeneracy which afflicts present-day civilization does originate in the maladjustment of society. The influence of social conditions condi-tions on the individual, though too com- i plex for analysis here this evening, may be divided into three classes political, economic and moral."' I Father Seifert expressed the opinion j that alcoholic stimulants as a cause of i crime had been overstressed. "Most convicts con-victs who have used liquor at all will j attribute their whole misfortune to drink, thus thinking to evade responsibility for their crimes," ho said. After touching on the principal causes j of crime, Father Seifert described the life of the convicts. He declared that a. prison, was a place of punishment and j not a picnic, as some modern penologists 1 are advocating. "The purpose of con- j fining a man to prison is to punish him ' for his violation of the moral law, and j to deter him fromreneatinJ the offense," he said. "One of the chief purposes is to reform him, so that when, on expiration expira-tion of sentence, the great gates are lifted, lift-ed, lie may step forth with a conscience that is propelry adjusted and reestablish himself as a useful member of society." The speaker told many stories of prison life, humorous and sad, and strengthened his general assertions by outlining the history of some of the inmates of the Michigan prison. One prisoner, he said, makes violins in the long, quiet evenings, having recently sold one to a Chicago dealer for $300. Another is the inventor of a submarine lifeboat, for which he was offered ?500tV he said. Father Seifert was chaplain of 1 lie Michigan state prison for four years. He resigned to join the army, and was commissioned com-missioned a captain. He had charge of the military prison at Camp Sherman, and was also military censor of the war prison camp at Fort Douglas for three months. He was sent, overseas, and before be-fore returning to the United States visited vis-ited the principal prisons in Germany, Holland and France. |