Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/418

 remark, that  Caiphas's  counsel,  to  the  effect  that  "  it was  expedient  from  time  to  time  that  one  man  should die  for  the  people,"  was  a  principle  as  old  as  humanity, and  that  though  false  in  its  application,  it  was and is,  all  things  considered,  fundamentally  true. Never, in  faot,  was  death  as  a  deterrent  more  necessary than  now,  in  view  of  the  leniency  of  justice  and the humanity  of  the  modern  penitentiary;  and  in  general the  higher  the  civilization  the  greater  the  need of capital  punishment.

The degeneracy  of  criminals  is  a  constant  quantity in all  ages,  and  it  were  unreasonable  that  the  punishment due  to  their  crimes  should  be  measured  by  any other rule  or  at  all  affected  by  the  changing  standards of  society. The criminal,  says  the  Psalmist (Psalms xlviii.  15),  "hath  matched  himself  with  senseless beasts  and  become  like  unto  them." He forfeits the dignity  of  manhood  and  must  be  dealt  with  as  a dangerous  monster,  for,  says  Aristotle,  "  worse  is  an evil  man  than  a  beast,  and  vastly  more  noxious." Nor must  we  be  frightened  at  the  bare  possibility  of the  innocent  being  sometimes  executed,  for  the  same reason will  militate  against  imprisonment  for  life  and all forms  of  punishment. There is  no  comparison  between the  chances  of  life  prisoners  escaping  or  being pardoned, and  the  chances  of  the  innocent  being  put to death,  and  the  power  that  is  charged  with  the safety of  the  community  must  act  accordingly.

Ah! that fair  land  of  Italy,  the  garden  of  the  gods, where the  death  penalty  is  unknown! Who that  has seen them  has  not  grieved  over  those  eyesores  on  the