Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/694

 678 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

associating of ideas, and a fair degree of concentration — out of 400 women in the workhouse, deducting say 50 who would not come, I could secure only 20 who could give me satisfactory results. These 400 included nearly one hundred paupers, and I learned that but few of these could write. Again, out of these 400 women, with the privilege of writing home letters but once a month, only about one-sixth wrote letters, and one person often wrote for others. Of course, here such elements as short sen- tences, weak family ties (no one to whom they care to write), enter. I read 132 of their letters, and found the spelling, com- position, structure, and thought such as would entitle but very few to the title "educated." It is impossible to treat fairly or accurately the education or non-education of the criminal class with tests depending upon their verbal assertion.

Regarding the habits of criminal women, the records are again inaccurate. Here again the workhouse class is more degenerate and more frank about their habits. Out of 30 measured, I found 27 used alcohol, 7 chewed tobacco, 8 smoked, 13 swore, 15 used snuff, and fully seven-eighths were immoral. Probably the number using snuff is too small, as it is used as a substitute for alcohol and tobacco during incarceration. I found by inquiry among the matrons that these results were true for a much larger number. The results regarding immorality are secured from resident physicians. Disease through immorality, as reported by physicians, is not an absolutely trustworthy report where so large a percentage of the women are married. This element is eliminated in the reform-school statistics. Out of 108 girls ranging between the ages of ten and sixteen, 84 were immoral and 55 diseased. This percentage would increase with advanced age and increasing temptations and opportunities. Through such tests as hearing and smell my attention was called to the exist- ence of catarrhal and scrofulous diseases. In general the work- house women showed an impoverished condition of the system, and the hospitals were always filled with inmates awaiting surgi- cal treatment.

Recidivism is the rule among the workhouse classes. This is true because their environmental conditions are more constantly