criminal psychology-第96部分

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n；　blue　and　yellow；　and　4％　had　never　made　the　acquaintance　of　a　pig。

Karl　Lange　made　experiments　（reported　in　‘‘ber　Apperzeption；''　Plauen；　1889）　on　500　pupils　in　33　schools　in　small　towns。　The　experiment　showed　that　82％　had　never　seen　sun…rise；　77％　a　sunset；　36％　a　corn　field；　49％　a　river；　82％　a　pond；　80％　a　lock；　37％　had　never　been　in　the　woods；　62％　never　on　the　mountains；　and　73％　did　not　know　how　bread　was　made　from　grain。　Involuntarily　the　question　arises；　what　must　be　the　position　of　the　unfortunate　children　of　large　cities；　and　moreover；　what　may　we　expect　to　hear　from　children　who　do　not　know　things　like　that；　and　at　the　same　time　speak　of　them　easily？　Adults　are　not　free　from　this　difficulty　either。　We　have　never　yet　seen　a　living　whale；　or　a　sandstorm　in　the　Sahara；　or　an　ancient　Teuton；　yet　we　speak　of　them　confidently　and　profoundly；　and　never　secure　ourselves　against　the　fact　that　we　have　never　seen　them。　Now；　as　we　of　the　ancient　Teuton；　so　children　of　the　woods；　neither　have　seen　them；　but　one　description　has　as　much　or　as　little　value　as　the　other。

Concerning　the　integration　of　senses；　Binet　and　Henri＇1＇　have　examined　7200　children；　whom　they　had　imitate　the　length　of　a　model　line；　or　pick　out　from　a　collection　of　lines　those　of　similar　length。　The　latter　experiment　was　extraordinarily　successful。

The　senses　of　children　are　especially　keen　and　properly　developed。　It　is　anatomically　true　that　very　young　children　do　not　hear　well；　but　that　is　so　at　an　age　which　can　not　be　of　interest　to　us。　Their　sense　of　smell　is；　according　to　Heusinger；　very　dull；　and　develops　at　the　time　of　puberty；　but　later　observers；　in　particular　those　who；　like　Hack；　Cloquet　and　others；　have　studied　the　sense　of　smell；　say　nothing　about　this。

Concerning　the　accuracy　of　representation　in　children　authorities　are　contradictory。　Montaigne　says　that　all　children　lie　and　are


＇1＇　Le　Dmoire　Visuelle　chez　les　Enfants。　Rev。　Gen。　des　Sciences　V。　5。

　obstinate。　Bourdin　corroborates　him。　Maudsley　says　that　children　often　have　illusions　which　seem　to　them　indubitably　real　images；　and　Mittermaier　says　that　they　are　superficial　and　have　youthful　fancies。　Experience　in　practice　does　not　confirm　this　judgment。　The　much　experienced　Herder　repeatedly　prizes　children　as　born　physiognomists；　and　Soden　values　the　disinterestedness　of　children　very　highly。　According　to　Lbisch；　children　tell　untruths　without　lying。　They　say　only　what　they　have　in　mind；　but　they　do　not　know　and　care　very　little　whether　their　mental　content　is　objective　and　exists　outside　of　them；　or　whether　only　half　real　and　the　rest　fanciful。　This　is　confirmed　by　legal　experience　which　shows　us；　also；　that　the　subjective　half　of　a　child's　story　may　be　easily　identified。　It　is　characteristically　different　from　the　real　event　and　a　confusion　of　the　two　is　impossible。

We　must　also　not　forget　that　there　are　lacunae　in　the　child's　comprehension　of　what　it　perceives。　When　it　observes　an　event；　it　may；　e。　g。；　completely　understand　the　first　part；　find　the　second　part　altogether　new　and　unintelligible；　the　third　part　again　comprehensible；　etc。　If　the　child　is　only　half…interested；　it　will　try　to　fill　out　these　lacunae　by　reflection　and　synthesis；　and　may　conceivably　make　serious　blunders。　The　blunders　and　inaccuracies　increase　the　further　back　the　event　goes　into　the　child's　youth。　The　real　capacity　for　memory　goes　far　back。　Preyer＇1＇　tells　of　cases　in　which　children　told　of　events　that　they　had　experienced　at　thirty…two；　twenty…four；　and　even　eighteen　months；　and　told　them　correctly。　Of　course；　adults　do　not　recall　experiences　of　such　an　early　age；　for　they　have　long　since　forgotten　them。　But　very　small　children　can　recall　such　experiences；　though　in　most　cases　their　recollection　is　worthless；　their　circle　of　ideas　being　so　small　that　the　commonest　experiences　are　excluded　from　adequate　description。　But　they　are　worth　while　considering　when　a　mere　fact　is　in　question；　or　is　to　be　doubted　（Were　you　beaten？　Was　anybody　there？　Where　did　the　man　stand？）。

Children's　determinations　of　time　are　unreliable。　Yesterday　and　to…day　are　easily　confused　by　small　children；　and　a　considerably　advanced　intelligence　is　necessary　to　distinguish　between　yesterday　and　a　week　ago；　or　even　a　week　and　a　month。　That　we　need；　in　such　cases；　correct　individualization　of　the　witness　is　self…evident。　The　conditions　of　the　child's　bringing…up；　the　things　he　learned　to　know；　are　what　we　must　first　of　all　learn。　If　the　question　in　hand


＇1＇　W。　Preyer：　Die　Seele　des　Kindes：　Leipzig　1890。

　can　fit　into　the　notion　the　child　possesses；　he　will　answer　better　and　more　if　quite　unendowed；　than　if　a　very　clever　child　who　is　foreign　to　the　notions　of　the　defined　situation。　I　should　take　intelligence　only　to　be　of　next　importance　in　such　cases；　and　advise　giving　up　separating　clever　from　stupid　children　in　favor　of　separating　practical　and　unpractical　children。　The　latter　makes　an　essential　difference。　Both　the　children　of　talent　and　stupid　children　may　be　practical　or　unpractical。　If　a　child　is　talented　and　practical　he　will　become　a　useful　member　of　society　who　will　be　at　home　everywhere　and　will　be　able　to　help　himself　under　any　circumstances。　If　a　child　is　talented　and　unpractical；　it　may　grow　up　into　a　professor；　as　is　customarily　expected　of　it。　If　a　child　is　untalented　and　practical；　it　will　properly　fill　a　definite　place；　and　if　it　has　luck　and　‘‘pull''　may　even　attain　high　station　in　life。　If　it　is　untalented　and　unpractical　it　becomes　one　of　those　poor　creatures　who　never　get　anywhere。　For　the　rle　of　witness　the　child's　practicality　is　the　important　thing。　The　practical　child　will　see；　observe；　properly　understand；　and　reproduce　a　group　of　things　that　the　unpractical　child　has　not　even　observed。　Of　course；　it　is　well；　also；　to　have　the　child　talented；　but　I　repeat：　the　least　clever　practical　child　is　worth　more　as　witness　than　the　most　clever　unpractical　child。

What　the　term　‘‘practical''　stands　for　is　difficult　to　say；　but　everybody　knows　it；　and　everybody　has　seen；　who　has　cared　about　children　at　all；　that　there　are　practical　children。


Section　81。　（3）　_Juvenile　Delinquency_。

There　have　never　lacked　authors　who　have　assigned　to　children　a　great　group　of　defects。　Ever　since　Lombroso　it　has　been　the　custom　in　a　certain　circle　to　find　the　worst　crimes　already　foreshadowed　in　children。　If　there　are　congenital　criminals　it　must　follow　that　there　are　criminals　among　children。　It　is　shown　that　the　most　cruel　and　most　unhuman　men；　like　Nero；　Caracalla；　Caligula；　Louis　XI；　Charles　IX；　Louis　XIII；　etc。；　showed　signs　of　great　cruelty；　even　in　earliest　childhood。　Perez　cites　attacks　of　anger　and　rage　in　children；　Moreau；　early　development　of　the　sense　of　vengeance；　Lafontaine；　their　lack　of　pity。　Nasse　also　calls　attention　to　the　cruelty　and　savagery　of　large　numbers　of　children；　traits　shown　in　their　liking　for　horror…stories；　in　the　topsy…turvy　conclusion　of　the　stories　they　tell　themselves；　in　their　cruelty　to　animals。　Broussais＇1＇


＇1＇　‘‘Irritation　et　Folie。''

　says；　‘‘There　is　hardly　a　lad　who　will　not　intentionally　abuse　weaker　boys。　This　is　his　first　impulse。　His　victim's　cries　of　pain　restrain　him　for　a　moment　from　further　maltreatment；　if　the　love　of　bullying　is　not　native　with　him。　But　at　the　first　offered　opportunity　he　again　follows　his　instinctive　impulse。''

Even　the　power　of　training　is　reduced　and　is　expressed　in　the　proverb；　that　children　and　nations　take　note　only　of　their　last　beating。　The　time　about；　and　especially　just　before；　the　development　of　puberty　seems　to　be　an　especially　bad　one；　and　according　to　Voisin＇1＇　and　Friedreich；＇2＇　modern　man　sees　in　this　beginning　of　masculinity　the　cause　of　the　most　extraordinary　and　doubtful　impulses。　Since　Esquirol　invented　the　doctrine　of　monomanias　there　has　grown　up　a　whole　literature；　especially　concerning　pyromania　among　girls　who　are　just　becoming　marriageable；　and　Friedreich　even　asserts　that　all　pubescent　children　suffer　from　pyromania；　while　Grohmann　holds　that　scrofulous　children　are　in　the　habit　of　stealing。

When　this　literature　is　tested　the　conclusion　is　inevitable　that　there　has　been　overbold　generalization。　One　may　easily　see　how。　Of　course　there　are　badly　behaved　children；　and　it　is　no　agreement　with　the　Italian　positivists　to　add；　also；　that　a　large　number　of　criminals　were　good　for　nothing　even　in　their　earliest　youth。　But　we　are　here　concerned　with　the　specific　endowment　of　childhood；　and　it　is　certainly　an　exaggeration　to　set　this　lower　than　that　of　maturity。　If　it　be　asked；　what　influence　nurture　and　training　have　if　children　are　good　without　it；　we　may　answer　at　once；　that　these　have　done　enough　in　having　supplied　a　counterbalance　to　the　depraving　influences　of　life；the　awakening　passions　and　the　environment。

Children　who　are　bad　at　an　early　age　are　easily　noticeable。　They　make　noise　and　trouble　as　thousands　of　well…behaved　children　do　not；　and　a　poor　few　of　such　bad　ones　are　taken　to　be　representative　of　all。　What　is　silent　and　not　significant；　goes　of　itself；　makes　no　impression；　even　though　it　is　incomparably　of　greater　magnitude。　Individual　and　noisy　cases　require　so　much　attention　that　their　character　is　assigned　to　the　whole　class。　Fortune…telling；　dreams；　forewarnings；　and　prophecies　are　similarly　treated。　If　they　do　not　succeed；　they　are　forgotten；　but　if　in　one　case　they　succeed；　they　make　a　great　noise。　They　appear；　therefore；　to　seduce　the　mind


＇1＇　Des　Causes　Marales　et　Physiques　des　Maladies　Mentales。　Paris　1826。

＇2＇　System　der　Gerichtlichen　Psychologie。　Regensburg　1852。

　into　incorrectly　interpreting　them　as　typical。　And　generally；　there　is　a　tendency　to　make　sweeping　statements　about　children。　‘‘If　you　have　understood　this；　you　understand　that　also；''　children　are　often　told；　and　most　of　the　time　unjustly。　The　child　is　treated　like　a　grown　man　to　whom　_*this_　has　occurred　as　often　as　_that_；　and　who　has　intelligence　enough　and　experience　enough　to　apply　_this_　to　_that_　by　way　of　identification。　Consider　an　exaggerated　example。　The　child；　let　us　say；　knows　very　well　that　stealing　is　dishonorable；　sinful；　criminal。　But　it　does　not　kno