GERMAN DEGENERATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 174, 22 July 1916, Page 4

GERMAN DEGENERATION.

The statement In our caUle news yesterday that a ghastly wave of crime U sweeping over Germany need surprise no one. German papers have lamented the increase in crime and immorality during the war. "While the war has contributed greatly in consolidating the true German epirit," eaid the "Cologne Qazctte" 6ome months ago, "while it has strengthened the mental and moral virility of .our citizens of mature age, and given to their patriotism a truly religious and.lofty character, it seems unaccountably to be exercising an entirely contrary—a deleterious—effect on our youtliful population. Crime ha's increased among young people—in the industrial districts particularly—to a really alarming extent. In the ca6e of one single local tribunal the number of sentences passed on young, men,, as well as young women, rose from 58 in 1913 to 183 in 1914, and to 25G during the first ten months of 1915. Among the offences, fraud, robbery with violence, attempts at murder, and actual manslaughter -figure very largely, the youngest offenders being from'sixteen to twenty yeare of age, while none of them wae .older than twenty-eix. Tt is a truly terrifying picture, which casts a deep stain on German Kultur." But even before the war, with all its i hideous manifestations of the German spirit, crime in Germany had cast a deep stain on German Kultur. If the world had been better aware of the extent ot crime in Germany there would have been lese surprise at the atrocities in Belgium and France. In the year 1908 there were in the United Kingdom, with a population of forty-five millions, 07 murders; in Germany, with a population of sixty-five millions, there were 350 murders. In Britain there were 216 cases of rape, and in Germany 9351 cases; in Britain sfi cases of incest, and in Germany 573 cases. There were 1262 cases ot malicious and felonious wounding in Britain, and 172,153 cases in Germany. The enormous number of crimes of violence in Germany

sifile for men with the reputation of being civilised to behave as the Germans did at Tamines. "On the evening of the 22nd a group of between 400 and 450 men were collected in front of the church, not far from the bank of the Sambre," says the report of the Committee of Inquiry. "A German detachment opened fire on them, but as the shooting viae a slow business the officers ordered up a machine gun. which coon swept ofjf all the unhappy peasants left standing. Many of them were only wounded, and, hoping to save their lives, got with difficulty on their feet again. They ivere immediately shot down. Many wounded etill lay among the corpses. Groans of pain and cries for help were heard in the bleeding heap. On several occasions soldiers walked up to such unhappy individuals and stopped their groans with a bayonet thrust"

In Great Britain there has been a very gratifying decrease in crime during the war. The Commissioners of Prisons ascribe the decrease to the drafting into the army of a considerable part of the section of the population from which criminals come, the unprecedented demand for labour, and the restriction of the sale of liquor. To these may be added the psychological effect of war, the feeling of exaltation produced by the nation's crisis and struggle for freedom. Xumbers of criminals and potential criminals are reported to have joined the army early in the war, and fought bravely for their country. At the headquarters of the London detectice force a roll of honour of well-known criminate is kept, says the London correspondent of the "Age," and the honours won include several D.C.il.'s and one V.C. Twenty prisons have been closed in Britain during the war. This decrease during the war is a continuation of a decrease which had been going on for several years, but is more pronounced. The crime wave in Germany is attributed to " mental depression caused by lack of proper food, and the loseee occasioned fay the Avar." But these factors would not produce crime Unless the German character was prone to it. It is possible that as the nation's confidence is further undermined by the Allies' successes, and triumph givee way to terror, there will be a frightful increase in crimes of violence; Megalomania undeceived may easily turn to another form of madness.