Show 55 J I TIMELY TOPICS TOPICS' WHERE LAWS FAIL 5 The lo lower er house of ot the tho Oklahoma legislature has passed a bill bil prohibiting the use ulle In In that states state's public schools ot of any textbook teaching the materialistic mate mate- mateI I conception of ot history or the Darwinian Bible Bibie theory as M opposed to the teachings of ot the Holy This attempt to limit historical criticism S and nd abolish evolution by statute Is Js not ne new The average aver aver- age professor of ot any biological science at any un uni 1 in the world probably will remark that the success of ot the measure shows that Oklahoma's evolution evo Vo lution Is still sadly Incomplete But the case calls cans for tor a little quiet thought rather than for tor sharp retorts What Is the mat materialistic conception of ot history The Tho phrase could be defined In a ft Way vay that would t exclude all an historical writings save wonder tales and perhaps the turgid fables tables of ot Carlyle or In a a. way that would admit the baldest form of ot economic determinism It may be made to mean anything or nothing As to Darwin another difficulty rises risea One reverend gentleman In Now New ow York says that evolution and ana Christianity are not at all opposed to each oth other another reverend gentleman In the same city contradicts him Who is going to decide Investigations cannot be suppressed opinions cannot cannot can can- not be changed by statute The fathers of ot the American never showed more sound wisdom than when they decreed that the state should confine tontine con ton fine tine Itself to tn secular matters and let Jet all religious disputes and doctrines doctrines' alone The experience of ot centuries has shown that attempts to prescribe of ot any sort by law are wicked or futile or futile or b Chicago th Chicago Journal I S 'S VOCATIONS AND CRIME Statistics given hen out by Dr Amos Anos O. O Squire Sing Sings Sing's he head ad physician on the vocations of ot offenders committed to that prison during the last year show some interesting Contracts One man out of ot every seven se committed wa was a laborer The relatively high proportion among the unskilled of foreigners not yet et accustomed to American laws In Appears this his high contribution to the prison population Second Jn In number the chauffeurs who form about one fortieth ot of th the male working body of New York City contributed one-fourteenth one of ot the Sing Sing Intake The fault Is II not that chauffeurs turn often Into criminals but rather that Criminals have hae tome some a taste for trying their luck Juck or masquerading as taxicab drivers Other figures in Dr Squires Squire's table are arc not BO so easily explained Why should cooks cook have I. a a slight ht lead over waiters walters In this list or ty should el elec alec alec- c- c be less law-abiding law than carpenters Why should twenty one barbers go to Sing Sing when only ono one ono hat cleaner gets sent up Are actors acrobats Pullman port porters rl and night watchmen of on one mind about respect for the law As AI far tar as conce concerns s the stage this result will piao It Actors suffer like honest chauffeurs from the criminals weakness for tor adopting their profession when in need of ot an ostensible of means rt support There Fe eni m to be no callings that lead lary to crime There Are some where criminals like to insinuate themselves and some where the tu illiterate and unwise are found New New ew York Sun |