Mechanics and Crime.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 485, 2 July 1890, Page 6

Mechanics and Crime.

It is a significant fact that out of the 1,060 prisoners in the Eastern Penitentiary of Pennsylvania, only 19 are mechanics. This is a strong argument in favour of mechanics as an elevater of public morals. The percentage of men engaged in mechanical pursuits to the entire male population is large, yet there are less than 5 per cent, of the persons in this institution, and the proportion is said to be about the same in others, who aro mechanics by training. Instead of trying to impress upon them the repeated saying of Horaco Greeley, ‘Go WesG, young man,’ it might be well to advise more of them to learn trades as a prevention of crime and immorality. For the above reason, and from the further fact of the organised efforts to limit the employment of apprentices, the ‘Scientific American ’ suggests the establishment of private and public industrial schools where boys may be taught trades—such as carpenter ing, brick and stone masonry, moulding, and all branches of ironwork, etc. There can be no question bub that not only mechanical employment, bub all kinds of labour, both manual and mental, lessen both crime and sickness. Let us, then, give the boys a chance to earn an honest living, even though it be largely at public xpense.