Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/589

 NOTES AND ABSTRACTS 575

and antisemitic leaders and cry : "A has les Juifs !" The middle men in the commer- cial world desire the commerce of France to remain in their hands and fear any change of property laws. And, so under cover of a vague patriotism, they, too, join this conservative movement. The owners of real estate wish the rents of their prop- erty maintained at a high figure by a policy of national protection. Moreover, some of the bankers to whom they have hypothecated their estates are Jews. Add to this the religious and educational bias of a class descended from the landed nobility, and we have the reasons for the antisemitism of this element. And thus are gathered info one party classes of very different interests.

For the socialists and anarchists the question is likewise not one of religion or of race, since these matters are indifferent to them. Neither can they justify the preju- dice upon the ground that some Jews are merchants and capitalists, for Christians and freethinkers are also merchants and capitalists. And it is against this whole class of industrial tyrants that the socialists contend. The socialists cannot join forces v ith the small proprietors in their struggle against the great capitalists, for the former still cling fast to property rights. Therefore, with them the socialists can find no common ground in antisemitism. In short, the socialists cannot be antisemites. On the other hand, they cannot be philosemites, except in so far as they recognize Jews as members of the proletariat.

As to the question of Sionism, our socialists are against the movement, because it would seem to be an evacuation of a goodly part of their constituency. Further, the peculiar geographical position of Palestine would oblige the colonists to engage in commerce and trade, and would thus reduce them to the rank of slaves of the present mercantile system.

As a final argument for joining forces with the antisemites is advanced the claim that the demonstrations of popular fury will prepare the people for the destruction of the industrial revolution that is to come. But, say our socialists, do not deceive your- selves. The bourgeoisie knows the difference between an anarchist and an antisemite. Therefore do not compromise the cause of socialism by union with the forces that make for nationalism and the preservation of the present industrial system. " Anti- sdmitisme et Sinaisme " (Rapport pre"sente" au Congres ouvrier re"volutionnaire inter- national (Paris 1900) par le groupe des Fvtudiants socialistes re*volutionnaires internationalistes de Paris), in L'Humanitd nouvelle, September, 1900.

H. B. W.

Mental Derangement and Crime. A careful investigation of statistics gathered from several penal institutions and insane asylums in Mecklenburg-Schwerin reveals certain facts regarding the relations existing between insanity and criminality in the population studied. Overlooking the practical distinction between the insane criminals and the criminally inclined insane, these facts may be briefly stated as follows: (a) The number of cases in which insanity and crime are associated is variously estimated by different authors at from 1.5 per cent, to 10 percent, of the whole number of criminals ; insanity being from five to thirty times as frequent among criminals as among the non-criminal classes, (b) Of the two great classes of crime occasional (murder, manslaughter, arson, etc.) and habitual (thievery, bigamy, vagrancy, etc.) it is found that the percentage of crimes connected with insanity in the first class is more than five times that in the second. The corresponding truth that a very much larger percentage of the insane than of the mentally sound are liable to commit grave crimes is clearly shown by the facts inspected, (c ) The relation of the sexes to crime seems not to be materially altered, save in the case of the graver crimes, where it is true that women under the influence of insanity are more liable to commit crimes of this class than when in sound mental health ; this is not true, to a corresponding degree, of the males, (ct) Persons inclined to crime and insanity are less apt to marry than are normal individuals, (e) The majority of the criminal insane are of middle age and possess little or no education. (/) Imprisonment very rarely acts as the original cause of mental disorder, though there is little doubt that it is very effective in promoting the development of tendencies toward insanity. This is due to several reasons, prominent among which are solitude and improper care, (g) While the insanity found among prisoners presents certain well-marked and uniform characteristics, it is greatly to be questioned whether these are of a nature to warrant the bestowing of a special name upon