IN HIGHER PEOPLES 173 



tions thru international travel, commerce, and 

 treaties have reduced very much the occasion for 

 loyalty — at least, the occasion for local loyalty. 



The old savage style of loyalty is still to be seen 

 in the spirit shown by certain groups of lawless 

 and near-lawless individuals who engage in 

 wrong-doing and then stand by each other as the 

 only way of enabling the gang to escape detection. 

 A member of a gang of criminals who ** squeals" 

 or ** snitches" on the rest is, from the standpoint 

 of the gang, an evil individual — a criminal. But 

 from the higher standpoint of society, he is an up- 

 right citizen. He does just what he should do. 



The ''loyalty" often shown by children in re- 

 fusing to "snitch" on one of their number who is 

 guilty of wrong-doing is the same kind of "loy- 

 alty" exactly as that which is so highly praised 

 by law-breakers everywhere. Any one who aids in 

 concealing crime or disorder by refusing or neg- 

 lecting to give information regarding such wrong- 

 doing assists in making wrong-doing easier, and 

 is, hence, to a certain extent responsible for it. 

 Boys and girls who shield one of their number in 

 disorder cannot escape a share of the guilt. They 

 are acting under a mistaken sense of loyalty. 

 They are promoting disorder. The obligation of 

 friendship does not extend to the protection of a 

 friend in crime. There would never be any ap- 

 prehension of criminals if everybody who knew of 

 the crime were "loyal" to the criminal. 



