Show j j I U. U S. S Murder Output I t HOWEVER much the United States may I fall faU behind other nations in some branches branches of endeavor no other land can produce produce produce pro- pro duce murders the way we do Consider some of the castes cases cases that h have ve figured in the news news' during the last few days A California boy of 21 a awaits aits trial for forthe forthe the murder of five boys A. A Michigan A-Michigan lad of 15 1 admits that he clubbed dubbed a school teacher to death because she scolded him for misbehaving misbehaving having laving in one of her classes A middle-aged middle man is being held in New Jersey for killing a A murderess murderess murder murder- small boy on impulse flapper tess ess kills an Ohio man Those are just a few You could extend the list almost indefinitely It is a ddll day that does not find some new record of cruelty anger anger and unbalanced revenge I What does it all aU mean anyhow Is lawlessness law- law an infection that is going to sweep our Jour country despite all of our efforts to stop lit it Probably not It is easy to be too pessimistic pessimistic pessi pessi- about the matter easy to rush to the conclusion that we are all going to the bowWows bowwows bow- bow Wows as fast as we can But the whole business is worth careful thought nevertheless It is an invaluable object object ob oh- lesson in mn's mans long study of his own soul Our hope of progress rests largely on our ability J to understand ourselves and know our possibilities s for good and for evil These dreary tragic stories of rage and death ar are worth our thou thoughtful consideration We are fond of saying that the human soul has boundless possibilities for heroism s sacrifice and achievement and th that t is quite true But it also has almost boundless possibilities possibilities in the other direction If man is capable of ascending to the heights he is also capable of going down to the lowest depths The end of this old age-old series of crimes wont won't come tomorrow or the day after It will not come until the very nature of the race has chan changed ed We can devise new laws Jaws build stronger police systems and rearrange our criminal r procedure all we we please pl ase the brut brutal l unrestrained caveman will still linger near th the surface ready to break out now and again fo foa for fora a long long time This doesn't mean that we need to de de- de- de The race can make absolutely anything any any- thing out of itself that it desires But th the solution is still distant Any element in bur bu bur daily life that helps to give us self control independence and a wider horizon will help i it along and conversely every plea for th the removal of individual restraints and the destruction de de- of won hard-won moral standards wi will delay it |