It  is  the  instrument  of  a  rough  discipline  whereby  a  nation  may  be
taught  its  moral  and  social  responsibilities.  It  supplies  a  proof
which  can  hardly  be  misunderstood  that  such  responsibilities  cannot
be  neglected  without  producing  most  serious  consequences.  And
even  as  the  plagues  and  famines  of  the  Middle  Ages  have  become
things  of  the  past,  in  consequence  of  a  more  intelligent  appreciation  of
the  natural  causes  which  led  to  them,  so  I  fully  believe,  an  intelligent
study  of  the  laws  of  social  science,  and  u  judicious  legislation  founded
upon  such  knowledge,  may  lead  to  a  diminution  in  the  amount  of
crime  in  this  and  other  countries,  which  would  leave  us  but  little
to  desire.  At  any  rate  there  are  simple  remedies  for  the  prevention
or  mitigation  of  the  evil,  which  have  been  suggested  from  time  to
time,  which  it  is  equally  foolish  and  sinful  to  neglect;  and  until
these  have  been  fairly  tried  it  is  idle  to  speak  of  the  possible  re-
pression of  crime  as  being  the  baseless  vision  of  the  enthusiast,  or
the  Utopian  dream  of  the  philanthropist.
338  Causes  of  Crime.
On  the  Same.    By  Thomas  Beqqs.
