EDUCATION AND CRIME.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9391, 2 April 1892, Page 6 (Supplement)

EDUCATION AND CRIME.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—l am sorry for Mr Braithwaite. He is an example of people writing about subjects of which they are either densely or perversely ignorant. In charity I shall assume he is the former. Now, I never said that my table did not give the religion of criminals. But what I said is true, that the tabl<; Mr Braithwaite quoted did not give the religion of criminals. He quoted this table, viz.:—Proportion to population of the colony:— Church of England 40-17 Roman Catholic .' 13-95 Presbyterian " 2259 Wesleyan \'[ 9-55 Now this table was the proportion not of criminals, but of the various religious bodies in the colony. The other column gave the religions of the criminals, viz. :—

Church of England 4341 Roman Catholic 30"H4 Presbyterian \ 1450 Wesleyan ,°. 3-14 And Mr Braithwaite knows so little of statistics and of the subject about which, he wishes to enlighten the public as to assume that both columns gave the religions of criminals ! Why, .. fourth Standard boy ought to have understood my figures ! Now, what did my figures show? DoesMrßraithwaiteknow? Hedoesnot, for he says I did not write "a word about the percentage according to the number of adherents in each denomination," and he italicises the words I have italicised. Really it is a waste of time in discussing a subject with one who does not understand statistics. So that Mr Braithwaite even may understand the figures, let me put them very plainly. According to the number of Church of England people iv the colony there should be 40-17 per cent, of the criminals Church of England people, but there are 43-41 per cent. There should be 13-95 per cent, of the criminals Roman Catholic, but there are 3094 per cent. There should be 22-59 per cent, of the criminals Presbyterian, but only 14-50 per cent. of the criminals are Presbyterian. There should be 9-55 per cent, of the criminals Wesleyan, but only 3-14 per cent, of these are Wesleyan. Does Mr Braithwaite now understand the statistics? My percentages regarding industrial schools are equally telling. Shall I make them plain also to this writer on statistics ? Perhaps now this is unneGessary.

Let him read the table again and apply his mind to it, and see if he'cannot understand it. My tables show and my paper showed that those people who are crying out for religious education had better improve their criminal record.

As for the people calling themselves churchmen who have not been in church for years, the point is, Where were they trained ? And now leaving Mr Braithwaite to try and understand figures, let me make one or two remarks on his quotations from Ellis and Morrison.

First, he admits he altered the quotation from Ellis. His excuse is he did not alter the sense. Might I ask why did he alter it at all ? Is Ellis such a slovenly writer as to require Mr j Braithwaite to improve his English ? But, Sir, he did alter the sense, and I know of no excuse for such a deliberate misleading of both you and the readers of his letter. I referred him to two papers, which he can find in the Journalof the Statistical Society, as my authority for the abatement of crime. One is in the September number for 1880, vol. xliii, part 3 ; the other in the September number 1890, vol. liii, part 3. These may not be accessible to Mr Braithwaite. At the same time I do not think he should discuss such subjects till he has made himself acquainted with the authorities. He may have Whitaker's Almanac for 1892. If he has, let him tarn to page 292, and he will see a table there of criminal convictions from 1871 to 1890—that is for indictable offences. He will find that though the population of England and Wales has risen, the persons convicted of serious offences has fallen, and so in Scotland and Ireland. Let me give the tables quinquennially, England and Wales :— JSS 11,946 Io7(> 12195 }SSI ■"" '.'.'. 11J353 J8& 10,680 loyu ... ... ~."'... 9 242 l2 nn Sc, otland there was a sli Sut increase for 1890, but the population increased. If percentages were given to population the contrast would be more striking. Of course Ireland has decreased in population, but even with this decrease the percentage of serious crimes has fallen. Let him read pages 646, et seij., also of Whitaker. But suppose crime has increased. What then ? Is not religious instruction given in the public schools of England, Scotland, and Ireland ? What relation, then, is there between religion and crime ? In my paper I made no reference by way of comparison to other countries. I kept to New Zealand. But if Mr Braithwaite wishes to make comparisons, I would suggest he gives you the percentage of "illiteracy" in those countries where the churches have had the sole charge of education, say before the State interfered. Let him take Italy, Spain, Austria, and Portugal. In some parts of these countries more than half the adult population could not read. Mr Braithwaite in one parr of his letter would lead one to assume that what the world needs is Roman Catholic teaching. Does he mean this? It had a long trial. Might he picture the result ? And if ho thinks so, let him have jhe courage of his opinion and join that church I am, &c, March 30.. Robebt Stout ♦ TO THE EDITOR. Sin —Mr J. Braithwaite is very like the proverbial cock with its head cut off—he continues ;o strut. Men like myself, who work hard for iberfcy and life, have no time for long-winded etter-wntiug. But the day of such as Joseph Braithwaite is past for ever. A good thing too He can surely better our grandfathers in the matter of education, religious instruction sectarian proselytising, &c, &c. Mr Braithwaite thinks that certain of those who are convicted of crimes ought to be described as "non-religion." No, Sir, they ought according to his own logic, to be described as ot that phase of religion in which they were educated Plainly Joseph Braithwaite docs not know what hod be at. His logic is a poor substitute for the i;eal thing. And who ever knew of any honest controversialist cutting out parts of quoted sentences without indicating the "manufactured blanks " by means of the familiar raw of dots ? ' I daresay Jlr Braithwaite thought that the Times composing department would be unable to spare enough periods to mark all his bowdlerisings. Of course it couldn't have been any baser motive at work.—l am, &c, March 30. Beetle. — A Canadian electrician claims that electricity causes the tides, and demonstrates it by electrifying a rubber comb by rubbing it through (he hair, and theii drawing it over tlie top of a glass filled with water, the result being that a tidal wave follows the comb.