P OP ULAR MIS CELL ANY. 



431 



as those of makers of puddings, butchers, 

 cobblers, tinkers, costard-mongers, hostlers, 

 or daubers.' " Such, the teller of the story 

 informs us, was gravely taught as the begin- 

 ning of servile labor. 



Experiments in Punishment. — The pres- 

 ent convict system of England is an out- 

 growth of the transportation system, which 

 it has supplanted. It has grown up by suc- 

 cessive alterations and improvements, made 

 in accordance with varying circumstances 

 and demands; and, to understand it fully, 

 it is necessary to know something of the 

 various experiments which have from time 

 to time been tried with different methods of 

 punishment. But, without going into this 

 part of the subject, we give below the con- 

 clusions of a writer in the "Nineteenth 

 Century" regarding the principles which 

 experience seems to have established. They 

 are : " 1. That a well-devised system of sec- 

 ondary punishment should provide for sub- 

 jecting those sentenced to it to a uniform 

 course of penal deterrent discipline. 2. 

 That every means possible should be adopt- 

 ed for developing and working on the high- 

 er feelings of the prisoners directly by 

 moral, religious, and secular instruction, 

 and indirectly by insuring industrv, good 

 conduct, and discipline, through appealing 

 to tlie hope of advantage or reward, as well 

 as by the fear of punishment. 3. That, 

 with a view to deterrence as well as refor- 

 mation, it is desirable that the first part of 

 every sentence should be undergone on the 

 separate system, as developed at Penton- 

 ville. 4. That, before discharging the con- 

 vict to a full or modified degree of liberty, 

 he should be subjected to further training, 

 in which he should be associated under 

 supervision, while at labor, but separated 

 at all other times. 5. That properly con- 

 structed prison-buildings, providing among 

 other things for this separation, are all- 

 important requisites for the success of the 

 system. 6. That employment should be 

 provided, and industry enforced or encour- 

 aged for all. 7. That care should be taken 

 to select and train a good staff of skilled 

 and responsible officials to supervise and 

 carry on the work of the convict establish- 

 ments, and means adopted to prevent their 

 work being hindered or defeated by the 

 prisoners being brought into close contact, 



on works or otherwise, with free men who 

 were under no such responsibilities. 8. 

 That those who on discharge are disposed 

 to follow honest courses should be guided 

 and assisted in their endeavors, and that a 

 careful watch should be kept over all till 

 they have reestablished their character." 



Anthropometric Observation. — The re- 

 port of the Anthropometric Committee of 

 the British Association showed that con- 

 siderable progress was made during the past 

 year in the matter of collecting valuable 

 statistical information. Returns had been 

 obtained, giving the birthplace, origin, and 

 sex, age, height and weight, strength of arm, 

 and eyesight, of pupils at Sundry public 



I schools, London policemen and letter-sorters, 

 workmen, rifle volunteers, soldiers, and crim- 

 inals. By this means the committee were 

 put in possession of nearly 12,000 original 

 observations on the main question of weight 

 and height in relation to age, in addition to 

 50,000 already collected. The committee 

 submitted a series of tables made up from 

 the information contained in the returns. 

 From these it was shown that the London 



' letter-sorters were the lowest in height, the 

 average heights between the ages of twenty 



I and thirty -five bemg 64 to 071 inches. The 

 letter-sorters were also at the bottom of the 



I weight table, their average weights in pounds 

 being 122-5 to 139-9. The metropolitan police 

 were at the head of both hsts : height 69*2 

 to 71-5 inches and weight 122-5 to 182-7 

 pounds. Other tables were given, showing 

 that the average height and weight vary with 

 the'social position and occupation of the peo- 

 ple, and that to obtain the typical proportions 

 of the British race it would be necessary to 

 measure a certain number of individuals of 

 each class. Taking the census of 1871, they 

 find that a model community — that is, a 

 community which would exhibit the typical 

 proportions of the British race — must consist 

 of 14-82 per cent, of the non-laboring class, 

 47-46 per cent, of the laboring class, and 

 37-72 per cent, of the artisan and operative 

 class. Ic is found that the full stature is 

 reached in the professional class at twenty- 

 one years, and in the artisan class between 

 twenty-five and thirty years. The growth 

 in weight does not cease with that of the 

 stature, but continues slowly in both classes 

 up to the thirtieth year. 



