Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/697

 STUDY OF WOMEN CRIMINALS 68l

That the economic conditions of woman render her liable to immorality has been so fully discussed elsewhere that I give only one illustration, the result of an investigation in New York. Clipping from the newspaper some thirty advertisements for clerks, stenographers, bookkeepers, etc., I had an assistant answer them. Although she visited only a little more than half the places, almost every one of them was a snare for immoral pur- poses, and the proposals were so bluntly made that she declined answering more. To a girl dependent upon herself in a large city an opportunity for immorality is thus offered in an attract- ive way. This is only one of a large number of temptations to immorality which come to women with economic independence.

A visit to the homes of the criminals verifies the above. The penitentiary class does not so uniformly come from the same district, so it is more difficult to trace out their homes. The workhouse class comes so uniformly from these "crime-breeding" districts that if a first offender from a new quarter comes in, they gather about her and say derisively: "Why, who be yoJif" " Vou must be innocent ;" " IVe don't know the likes of you." The districts have bad sanitary conditions, the houses are poor, ill-kept, and crowded, the quota of children being large. These districts are well supplied with places for social intercourse and for securing intoxicants. It is undoubtedly true that there are many criminals among the better classes and in more favor- able districts, but they do not often find their way into the work- houses.

While presenting such factors as the preceding as distin- guishing the workhouse and penitentiary type of criminal, no attempt is made to negative the biological side of crime, namely, the selfishness, greed for gain, luxurious tastes and lustful desires, need for excitement, elements of variety, jealousy, etc., which exist in the whole human race, and which predispose any or every individual to a species of crime.

At least the first step has been taken in the direction of the fulfillment of the three purposes of this investigation. .Some differences between the senses and faculties of the criminal and the student have been noted. There remains much work here