The Dominion. SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1916. NATIONAL MORALS: BRITISH AND GERMAN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2764, 6 May 1916, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1916. NATIONAL MORALS: BRITISH AND GERMAN

Recent British prison statistics disclose a remarkable, decreaso in crihio largely duo to the war. It is neccssary t-o get a little beneath the surface of things in order to prove the relationship of cause, and effect between the war and the closing of prisons, but the expert investigators are 'quite satisfiecl that tho two tilings are- closely connected, and their reasoning as quite • convincing. Let us first set forth' tho facts. . It was- recently officially announced that'.Warwick Prison is to be closed, ow'ing to' the large decreaso in the number of prisoners and the need of economy in public expenditure. No less than a -score- of-gaols have, been shut up, wholly or partly, and there has been. &'reduction.- of £100,000— that is about 12 per cen^.—in tho prison estimates for the current year. The war . cannot claim credit, for the whole of this improvement in the, nation's morals, for there has been a steady decrease in crime ' in the United -Kingdom since the year .1904., Between , the years 1904-5 and 1913-14 the total convictions fell from 586 per-100,000 of the population to 369. For the year ending March 31, 1915, which included the first seven months of the war, there, was another great drop to 281 pei 100,000, and- it is stated that the sta-. ti?,tics for the year which ended in March last will show; still another' large decrease. How are these very: striking facts to be explained 1. The Commissioners of Prisons put forward three main'causes to account for them, namely: (1) The drafting ■intcj the Army of a considerable part of ttle section of the population from which the criminal classes ordinarily come; (2) the new demands for labour and the greater facilities for making a livelihood -by honfcst means; (3) the restriction of the salo* of liquor. < ,

. What is to happen when the war is over 1 Is the better state of things for which the great upheaval is so largely" responsible to pass away with the return of peace? These questions deserve the close attentipn of lawmakers, clergy, and social formers. It would be a tragic confession of political and moral impotence if the present, opportunity for the inauguration of a vigorous and', well-planned campaign against vice and crime were lost. The war has made the nation accustomed to see things done on a big scale, and has v caused us to abandon many traditional .. Is it too much' to hope that the problems of poverty, and crime will be grappled with in a 'large and coura'geous manner? Tho people have been shaken out of their old ruts, and never was there a bet■ter chance of striking an effectual blow at some of the widespread evils which have lessened tho physical strength and blemished the moral character of the nation. Something ought to be done to prevent the men who have been taken from the slums of the large cities of tho ; United Kingdom, and, have gone through the wholesome discipline of - a soldier's training and experience, from drifting back into that" vicious environment which is so largely responsible for the creation of criminals. A special correspondent ! of the London Times, referring,to tho benefits of soldiering, says that the whole life of Great Britain seems to be in process of being disciplined to something sterner and more sober than it was, and it is not unreasonable to expect that there will bo something of a harder libre in the whole people. He believes—and with good reason—that the young men who have been taken from the slums and served their time in the Army and the trenches wil' come back better men; that many of those' who have been saved from a criminal lifo by the ease, with which they havo been able to make a comfortable living honestly, will learn'that honesty is the best policy, and act accordingly; and that the younger generation now growing up is be'ing subjected on the whole to fewer demoralising influences than have heretofore a large • proportion of . city youths. All this is to the good, and a great step forward will be made if effective measures 1 can be devised to prevent a reversion to the old stato of things. ' : How is it that the war should I cause a marked decrease in crime in I Britain, and have tho very opposite effect'in Germany? It would ill bc- | come us to gloat over this fact in any Pharisaical spirit. As a nation wo arc no better than wo ought to : be, and the greater sins of ot-hor

; people do not diminish the seriousi ncss of our own. When we consider the moral state of Germany, we, aught constantly to. bear in mind that ivo are not a, nation of saints. The Amsterdam correspondent of tho •Sii-nduy Z'mc-s'recently stated -that the increase in erime and immorality in. Germany has become so marked even German journalists have given up tho farce of trying to hido

the truth. The Berlin Kreiuzeilmig say's: —" ' The people are living a life of such repulsive immorality iliul indecency, so shameless in its open ostentation and depravity, that.soldiers returning homo turn their heads away in horror, ' e.iul ask themselves why they should sacrifice their lives for 'such <i people. Did these heroes know more of tho secret of vlmt is really going on, they would see that, dark a's the picture is on the surface, it is far blacker underneath.

For some time tho Berliner 'Eager Matt endeavoured to uphold the impression that the war hacl caused a moral regeneration in Germany, but it is now compelled to admit tlmfc tlio stato of affairs is appalling. It states that news of murders of tho most revolting description conies from all parts of the Empire, and that convictions of all kinds of swindling operations occur daily. Another newspaper _ deplores the "abandoned immorality"' of tho general public. "Plays are produced so nauseating, in their depravity and lasciviousness that they may well fill our soldiors, purified in the fire'of war, with disgust at th'is decay oi tho national morals." At the recent meeting of the. General Synod of Bei'lin, Dit. Weber declared . that conditions in the* Rhine Province were unspeakable, and that tho criminal and immoral contamination of both sexes was appalling. Astrologers, soothsayers, and palmists are reaping a golden harvest. A gigantic industry has been built upon the superstitions of the people, and tho adepts in various towns are in touch with each other and with a central organisation. The explanation of these remarkable facte provides a problem of national psychology which students will not find it easy to solve. It looks as though the moral foundations of Germany are tottering. The decay of German morals gives us no ground for.selfsatisfaction. It should rather , warn us of the necessity of putting our own house in order; And now is the time to do it. ' .