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Show Crime Can Never Be Stamped Out Until Society Has Made It Unprofitable By CLARENCE S. D ARROW, Prominent Criminal Lawyer. CRIME will largely disappear when society has become sufficieinh enlightened to equip every child so that he can earn a living b practicing a trade or profession. But scaring people into virtue doesn't work. Criminals are to be found almost wholly among those brought up in the streets, and their careers of crime generally begin be-gin in 3'outh. They drift into crime as naturally as others drift into colleges or professions. Crime becomes a profession because, they have no other profession. pro-fession. There are few doctors, lawyers, bankers, carpenters, bricklayer or even plumbers in jail, because it would not only be risky but foolish and unprofitable for them to run the chance of going to jail. Men go into crime first and last because of circumstances that surround their lives. Crime becomes their profession, for lack of any other. Since 75 per cent of children have neither the mental equipment nor the interest necessary for a high-school education, most of the large sums now spent on state education in high schools and colleges could profitably be diverted to the instruction of this lower stratum in trades and manual arts. As to Hickman, slayer of Marion Parker of Los Angeles, the youth has a clearly marked case of dementia praecox, and he should be put in an asylum for life, inasmuch as such persons are always dangerous and seldom cured, instead of being killed by the state. Hickman's answers to questions, as published in the newspapers, and the way he blew up are evidence that he is very far gone in dementia praecox. |