CONCLUSION.
The reader will have formed his own conclusion. He may conclude that the
author has a sentimental affection for the criminal and would have all
disturbers of the public peace treated with more compassion than the
hard-working and honest labourer. But that reader will have jumped to
his conclusion from his preconceived prejudices. The reformation of the
criminal is no chimera, it has been undertaken for thirty years and
every year has seen better results. The results for 1903 (86 per cent.
of reforms) ought to convince the most sceptic that the reformation of
the criminal is the true aim for society to pursue.
Another reader may ask why, if all these results are so good, does not
the Government adopt some such system as the Elmira one instead of
continuing the present obsolete penal system. The New York State
Government experiences a difficulty in finding, for their reformatory
staff, men who will undertake their work with a real sense of mission.
Nor is this the only difficulty. If New Zealand is going to undertake
the reformation of its criminals and to restore them to society as
honest and industrious persons, society itself must be prepared to drop
its prejudices and suspicions and receive the men at their present
worth, and not forever stamp them as outcasts. Nothing less, then, is
required than an earnest desire among all classes to recover those among
men who have fallen into villainy and vice and to receive back among
their ranks all those who, having responded to the efforts made on their
behalf, can make a claim upon the confidence and good-will of society.
But the reformation of the criminal is not the only obligation laid upon
society, there is also the education of the child. It is frequently
being stated that criminals are on the increase; it has been shown that
this increase is not a national one, it must be then that for some
reason the practice of virtue is becoming more and more difficult,
whereas that of vice is becoming increasingly easier. Recruits are
steadily joining the ranks of crime, and when one sees that, as a result
of their home and school training, the rising generation is developing
all the characteristics of the criminal, a somewhat alarming conclusion
very strongly suggests itself. Society has the criminals that it
deserves. It may fail to recover those who have entered upon a criminal
career, or it may be actually guilty of manufacturing criminals. What
are we doing? New Zealand has this hope, that its traditions do not
fetter it, and its institutions are young and plastic.
THE END.
+------------------------------------------------------+
| Transcriber's Note: |
| |
| Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the |
| original document have been preserved. |
| |
| Typographical errors corrected in the text: |
| |
| Page 12 Gcd changed to God |
| Page 12 criminoligists changed to criminologists |
| Page 14 violaters changed to violators |
| Page 20 effrontry changed to effrontery |
| Page 24 tpyes changed to types |
| Page 34 healty changed to healthy |
| Page 35 alcholic changed to alcoholic |
| Page 46 physichological changed to physicological |
| Page 74 maxium changed to maximum |
| Page 80 Obviviously changed to Obviously |
| Page 93 removed duplicate word "and" |
| Page 98 Chappel changed to Chapple |
| Page 98 celebate changed to celibate |
| Page 104 exacttitude changed to exactitude |
| Page 111 Chappel's changed to Chapple's |
| Page 116 syphillis changed to syphilis |
| Page 121 unkown changed to unknown |
| Page 128 aguments changed to arguments |
| Page 133 consideraly changed to considerably |
| Page 134 Charle's Reades changed to Charles Reade's |
| Page 137 removed duplicate word "of" |
| Page 140 approbious changed to opprobious |
| Page 141 abont changed to about |
| Page 143 demonstate changed to demonstrate |
| Page 144 kindergartem changed to kindergarten |
| Page 148 betweeen changed to between |
| Page 151 removed duplicate word "the" |
| Page 163 destinction changed to distinction |
| Page 178 defficient changed to deficient |
| Page 180 prophylasic changed to prophylactic |
| Page 181 lins changed to lines |
| Page 184 indiffererence changed to indifference |
| Page 186 stone-masonery changed to stone-masonry |
+------------------------------------------------------+