criminal psychology-第95部分

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ine　‘‘weakness；''　while　it　ought　really　to　weep　over　defective　intelligence　and　bad　logic。　That　the　physiological　throb　of　the　heart　need　not　become　significant　of　love；　that　the　owner　of　a　beating　heart　need　not　be　interested　in　some　man；　and　certainly　not　in　that　particular　adventurer；　she　does　not　even　consider　possible。　She　is　satisfied　with　this　clean…cut；　sparkling　syllogism；　and　her　understanding　is　calm。　The　judge　in　the　criminal　court　must　always　first　consider　the　weakness　of　the　feminine　intelligence；　not　of　the　feminine　will。

It　is　supposed　to　be　weakness　of　will　which　makes　woman　gossipy；　unable　to　keep　a　secret。　But　here　again　it　is　her　understanding　that　is　at　fault。　This　is　shown　by　the　fact；　already　thoroughly　discussed　by　Kant；　that　women　are　good　keepers　of　their　own　secrets；　but　never　of　the　secrets　of　others。　If　this　were　not　a　defect　of　intelligence　they　would　have　been　able　to　estimate　the　damage　they　do。　Now；　every　one　of　us　criminalists　knows　that　the　crime　committed；　and　even　the　plan　for　it；　has　in　most　cases　been　betrayed　by　women。　We　can　learn　most　about　this　matter　from　detectives。　who　always　go　to　women　for　the　discovery　of　facts；　and　rarely　without　success。　Of　course；　the　judge　must　not　act　like　a　detective；　but　he　must　know　when　something　is　already　a　matter　of　discussion　and　its　source　is　sought；　where　to　look。　He　is　to　look　for　the　woman　in　the　case。

Another　consideration　of　importance　is　the　fact　that　women　who　have　told　secrets　have　also　altered　them。　This　is　due　to　the　fact　that　because　they　are　secrets　the　whole　is　not　told　them　and　they　have　had　to　infer　much；　or　they　have　not　properly　understood　what　was　told。　Now；　if　we　perceive　that　only　a　part　of　the　revealed　secret　can　be　correct；　the　situation　may　be　inferred　with　complete　safety；　but　only　by　remembering　this　curious　trait　of　feminine　intelligence。　We　have　only　to　ask　what　illogical　elements　does　the　matter　contain？　When　these　are　discovered　we　have　to　ask；　what　　is　their　logical　form？　If　the　process　is　followed　properly　we　get　at　the　truth　that　what　happens　happens　logically；　but　what　is　thought；　is　thought　illogically　even　by　women。

When　we　summarise　all　we　know　about　woman　we　may　say　briefly：　Woman　is　neither　better　nor　worse；　neither　more　nor　less　valuable　than　man；　but　she　is　different　from　him　and　inasmuch　as　nature　has　created　every　object　correctly　for　its　purpose；　woman　has　also　been　so　created。　The　reason　of　her　existence　is　different　from　that　of　man's　and　hence；　her　nature　is　different。


Section　78。　（b）　Children。

The　special　character　of　the　child　has　to　be　kept　in　mind　both　when　it　appears　as　witness　and　as　accused。　To　treat　it　like　an　adult　is　always　wrong。　It　would　be　wrong；　moreover；　to　seek　the　differences　in　its　immaturity　and　inexperience；　in　its　small　knowledge　and　narrower　outlook。　This　is　only　a　part　of　the　difference。　The　fact　is；　that　because　the　child　is　in　the　process　of　growth　and　development　of　its　organs；　because　the　relations　of　these　to　each　other　are　different　and　their　functions　are　different；　it　is　actually　a　different　kind　of　being　from　the　adult。　When　we　think　how　different　the　body　and　actions　of　the　child　are；　how　different　its　nourishment；　how　differently　foreign　influences　affect　it；　and　how　different　its　physical　qualities　are；　we　must　see　that　its　mental　character　is　also　completely　different。　Hence；　a　difference　in　degree　tells　us　nothing；　we　must　look　for　a　difference　in　kind。　Observations　made　by　individuals　are　not　enough。　We　must　undertake　especial　studies　in　the　very　rich　literature。＇1＇


Section　79。　（I）　General　Consideration。

One　does　not　need　to　have　much　knowledge　of　children　to　know　that　as　a　rule；　children　are　more　honest　and　straightforward　than　adults。　They　are　good　observers；　more　disinterested　and　hence　unbiased　in　giving　evidence；　but　because　of　their　weakness；　more　subject　to　the　influence　of　other　people。　Apart　from　intentional　in…


＇1＇　Tracy：　The　Psychology　of　Childhood。　Boston　1894。　　M。　W。　Shinn：　Notes　on　the　Development　of　a　Child。　Berkeley　1894。　　L。　Ferriani：　Minoretti　deliquenti。　Milano　1895。　　J。　M。　Baldwin：　Mental　Development　in　the　Child；　etc。　New　York　1895。　　Aussage　der　Wirklichkeit　bei　Schulkindern。　Beitrage　z。　Psych。　d。　Aussage。　II。　1903　　Plschke：　Zeugenaussage　der　Schler：　in　_Rechtsschutz_　1902。　　Oppenheim：　The　Development　of　the　Child。　New　York　1890。

　fluences　there　is　the　tremendous　influence　of　selected　preconceptions。　If　a　child　is　an　important　witness　we　can　never　get　the　truth　from　him　until　we　discover　what　his　ideals　are。　It　is；　of　course；　true　that　everybody　who　has　ideals　is　influenced　by　them；　but　it　is　also　true　that　children　who　have　adventurous；　imaginative　tendencies　are　so　steeped　in　them　that　everything　they　think　or　do　gets　color；　tone；　and　significance　from　them。　What　the　object　of　adventure　does　is　good；　what　it　does　not　do　is　bad；　what　it　possesses　is　beautiful；　and　what　it　asserts　is　correct。　Numerous　unexplainable　assertions　and　actions　of　children　are　cleared　up　by　reference　to　their　particular　ideals；　if　they　may　be　called　ideals。

As　a　rule；　we　may　hold　that　children　have　a　certain　sense　of　justice；　and　that　they　find　it　decidedly　unpleasant　to　see　anybody　treated　otherwise　than　he　deserves。　But　in　this　connection　it　must　be　considered　that　the　child　has　its　own　views　as　to　what　a　person's　deserts　are；　and　that　these　views　can　rarely　be　judged　by　our　own。　In　the　same　way　it　is　certain　that；　lacking　things　to　think　or　to　trouble　about；　children　are　much　interested　in　and　remember　well　what　occurs　about　them。　But；　again；　we　have　to　bear　in　mind　that　the　interest　itself　develops　from　the　child's　standpoint　and　that　his　memory　constructs　new　events　in　terms　of　his　earlier　experiences。　As　a　rule；　we　may　presuppose　in　his　memory　only　what　is　found　already　in　his　occupations。　What　is　new；　altogether　new；　must　first　find　a　function；　and　that　is　difficult。　If；　now；　a　child　remembers　something；　he　will　first　try　to　fit　it　to　some　function　of　memory　already　present　and　this　will　then　absorb　the　new　fact；　well　or　ill；　as　the　case　may　be。　The　frequent　oversight　of　this　fact　is　the　reason　for　many　a　false　interpretation　of　what　the　child　said；　he　is　believed　to　have　perceived　falsely　and　to　have　made　false　restatements；　when　he　has　only　perceived　and　restated　in　his　own　way。

As　children　have　rarely　a　proper　sense　of　the　value　of　life；　they　observe　an　undubitable　death　closely　without　much　fear。　This　explains　many　an　unbelievable　act　of　courage　or　clear　observation　in　a　child　in　cases　where　an　adult；　frightened；　can　see　nothing。　It　is；　hence；　unjust　to　doubt　many　a　statement　of　children；　because　you　doubt　their　‘‘courage。''　‘‘Courage''　was　not　in　question　at　all。

Concerning　the　difference　between　boys　and　girls；　Lbisch＇1＇　says　rightly；　that　girls　remember　persons　better；　and　boys；　things。　He　adds；　moreover：　‘‘The　more　silent　girl；　who　is　given　to　observe

＇1＇　Lbisch：　Entwicklungegeschichte　der　Seele　des　Kindes。　Vienna　1851。

　what　is　before　her；　shows　herself　more　teachable　than　the　spiteful　and　also　more　imaginative　boy　who　understands　with　difficulty　because　he　is　intended　to　be　better　grounded　and　to　go　further　in　the　business　of　knowing。　The　girl；　all　in　all；　is　more　curious；　the　boy；　more　eager　to　know。　What　he　fails　in；　what　he　is　not　spurred　to　by　love　or　talent；　he　throws　obstinately　aside。　While　the　girl　loyally　and　trustfully　absorbs　her　teachings；　the　boy　remains　unsatisfied　without　some　insight　into　the　_why_　or　_how_；　without　some　proof。　The　boy　enters　daily　more　and　more　into　the　world　of　concepts；　while　the　girl　thinks　of　objects　not　as　members　of　a　class；　but　as　definite　particular　things。''


Section　80。　（2）　_Children　as　Witnesses_。

Once；　in　an　examination　of　the　value　of　the　testimony　of　children；　I　found　it　to　be　excellent　in　certain　directions　because　not　so　much　influenced　by　passion　and　special　interest　as　that　of　adults；　and　because　we　may　assume　that　children　have　classified　too　little　rather　than　too　much；　that　they　frequently　do　not　understand　an　event　but　perceive　instinctively　that　it　means　disorder；　and　hence；　become　interested　in　it。　Later　the　child　gets　a　broader　horizon　and　understands　what　he　has　not　formerly　understood；　although；　possibly；　not　altogether　with　correctness。

I　have　further　found　that　the　boy　just　growing　out　of　childhood；　in　so　far　as　he　has　been　well　brought　up；　is　especially　the　best　observer　and　witness　there　is。　He　observes　everything　that　occurs　with　interest；　synthesizes　events　without　prejudice；　and　reproduces　them　accurately；　while　the　girl　of　the　same　age　is　often　an　unreliable；　even　dangerous　witness。　This　is　almost　always　the　case　when　the　girl　is　in　some　degree　talented；　impulsive；　dreamy；　romantic；　and　adventurous；she　expresses　a　sort　of　weltschmerz　connected　with　ennui。　This　comes　early；　and　if　a　girl　of　that　age　is　herself　drawn　into　the　circle　of　the　events　in　question；　we　are　never　safe　from　extreme　exaggeration。　The　merest　larceny　becomes　a　small　robbery；　a　bare　insult；　a　remarkable　attack；　a　foolish　quip；　an　interesting　seduction；　and　a　stupid；　boyish　conversation；　an　important　conspiracy。　Such　causes　of　mistakes　are　well…known　to　all　judges；　at　the　same　time　they　are　again　and　again　permitted　to　recur。

The　sole　means　of　safety　from　them　is　the　clearest　comprehension　possible　of　the　mental　horizon　of　the　child　in　question。　We　have　very　little　general　knowledge　about　it；　and　hence；　are　much　indebted　to　the　contemporary　attempts　of　public…school　teachers　to　supply　　the　information。　We　all　know　that　we　must　make　distinctions　between　city　and　country　children；　and　must　not　be　surprised　at　the　country　child　who　has　not　seen　a　gas…lamp；　a　railroad；　or　something　similar。　Stanley　Hall　tried　to　discover　from　six　year　old　children　whether　they　really　knew　the　things；　the　names　of　which　they　used　freely。　It　seemed；　as　a　result；　that　14％　of　them　had　never　seen　a　star；　45％　had　never　been　in　the　country；　20％　did　not　know　that　milk　came　from　a　cow；　50％　that　fire…wood　comes　from　trees；　13％　to　15％　the　difference　between　green；　blue　and　yellow；　and　4％　had　never　made　the　acquaintance　of　a　pig。

Karl　Lange　made　experiments