896 



THE AMERICAN NA TURALIST. [Vol. ^CXXVIIL 



The Criminal Classes." ^ — Rev. D. R. Miller, D.D., has been 

 chaplain of the Ohio Penitentiary and superintendent of the Girls' 

 Industrial Home of Ohio. In "The Criminal Classes. Causes and 

 Cures " he has collected material of various sorts connected with his- 

 .service in these positions. 



At the beginning, near the middle, and near the end of the volume, 

 are chapters briefly treating in a general way the extent of crime, its 

 cost to the community, causes of crime, and methods for the preven- 

 tion of crime. These discussions are somewhat vague and common- 

 place and are not fully adjusted to the results of recent scientific 

 study. This sentence from the chapter on " Innate and Psychologi- 

 cal Causes " may serve as an illustration of the nonagreement with 

 conceptions of present day physiological psychology : " Regarding 

 moral conduct, in this class there seem to be indications of a broken 

 or missing link between the brain tissues and the moral monitor." 

 There are evidences also of lack of familiarity on the part of the 

 author with recent literature in penology. For instance, he writes. 

 As agencies in the prevention of crime and the reformation of young 

 crmunals, too much importance cannot well be attached to the pri-, 

 vate and public institutions denominated ' Child-saving institutions,^ 

 ' Schools for the little ones,' and ' Homes for children.'" He then 

 fails to mention the movement now in force in many parts of this 

 country, which recognizes that care for children in institutions has. 

 not generally prepared them well for life outside of institutions, and 

 which substitutes for the institutional method the methods of pro- 

 bation and placing out, that is, the supervision of the rearing of 

 dehnquent and dependent children, while they live as members of 

 " other families. Many of the figures on which arguments 



ire giveh without dates but as taken from books and 



based ; 



reports 



On the whole these general chaptei 



give an adequate summary of facts known and 

 theories held to-day on the topics which they treat. 



A fevv chapters oflfer meagre outlines of the careers of noted crimi- 

 nals. Others give brief accounts of the lives and crimes of Ohio 

 pref''''^'"" f introduction, however," as Dr. Miller says in the 



pre ace, " of these narratives, sketches, and illustrations, special care 

 beca7'''"-^''-^''"^^'^ sensational details of the crimes alleged 



ecause it is the opinion of the author that all such details ser\'e as 



