upon the
response of an organism to the kindlier and more humane and sympathetic
sentiments that to some extent at least inhere in the constitution of
man.

It is a common thing for prisoners, even during the longest term, to be
more solicitous about mother, child, wife, brother or friend than about
themselves. It is common for them to deny themselves privileges,
presents or favors to help other inmates. The consideration and kindness
shown by unfortunates to each other are surprising to those who have no
experience with this class of men. Often to find real sympathy you must
go to those who know what misery means. Pride and coldness are usually
due to lack of understanding, and life alone can bring understanding.
Every intelligent man engaged in efforts to improve and help either
criminals or children or any others, knows the need of an appeal to what
passes as the better nature. Help does not come so much from directly
inhibiting the bad as by extending the area of the higher emotions. To
pull up weeds in a garden without planting something in their place is a
foolish task. The human being is like the garden. Something must grow in
the soil. If weeds are pulled up and nothing planted Nature will grow
more weeds. Some feelings and emotions always possess every person. The
best that is incident to the machine should be found and this be
cultivated and extended until it dominates the man. Courts and prisons
have no machinery to cultivate the best in their victims; they are
always looking for the worst, aiding and promoting it until the prisoner
is driven to hopelessness and despair.

XXVI

THE DEFECTIVE AND INSANE

It is almost hopeless to bring any system or order out of the chaos that
prevails in the discussion of the insane, the defective, the moron, and
the feeble-minded. The world has so long believed that man is a
specially created animal and that he does wrong from free choice, that
much more time and investigation are necessary before sane and
scientific theories can be formulated on this subject.

It has been a great many years since any semi-intelligent man believed
that all sorts of physical abnormalities were due to one cause and could
be cured by one method, and yet the prevailing opinion now, even among
the fairly educated, is that all sorts of abnormal conduct are due to
one cause, perversity and wickedness, and should be treated with only
one prescription, punishment. Scientific men indeed h