492 PLAIN FACTS FOR OLD AND YOUNG 



A Source of Crime.— AVlio can tell liow many of 

 the liars, thieves, drunkards, murderers, and prostitutes 

 of our day are less responsible for their crimes against 

 themselves, against society, and against Heaven, than 

 those who were instrumental in bringing them into the 

 world? Almost every village has its boy "who was 

 born drunk," a staggering, simpering, idiotic repre- 

 sentative of a drunken father, beastly intoxicated at 

 the very moment when he should have been most sober. 



An interesting study of this question has been 

 made public by Mr. Dugdale, a member of the Prison 

 Association of the State of New York. When visiting 

 the various jails o^ the State, he found in one, six crimi- 

 nals, between all of whom there was a family relation. 

 Upon further inquiry, he found that of the same 

 family there were twenty-nine relatives in the vicinity, 

 seventeen of whom were criminals. Still further inves- 

 tigation developed the following facts: 



A Bad Family.— Within seventy-five years, 1,200 

 persons have s^Drung from five sisters, several of whom 

 were illegitimate, and three of whom were known to 

 be unchaste, and who married men whose father was 

 an idle, thriftless hunter, a hard drinker, and licentious. 



Of this family, the history of about 709 was traced. 

 Of these, the facts set forth in the following incomplete 

 summary were found to be true: 



Paupers 280 



Years of pauperism 798 



Criminals 140 



Years of infamy , 750 



Thieves 60 



Murderers , 7 



Prostitutes and adulteresses 165 



Illegitimate children 91 



No. of persons contaminated by syphilitic disease . . . 480 



Cost to the State in various ways $1,308,000 



