criminal psychology-第85章

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er；　and　when　the　individual　is　so　depraved　as　no　longer　to　　have　good　principles；　their　place　is　taken　by　fear　of　discovery　and　punishment；　and　by　the　question　whether　the　advantage　to　be　gained　is　worth　the　effort；　etc。　The　commission　of　the　crime　is　itself　evidence　that　the　reasons　for　it　were　all…powerful。　Now　suppose　that　a　woman　gets　the　idea　of　killing　somebody。　Here　for　a　time　_pro_　and　_contra_　will　balance　each　other；　and　when　the　latter　are　outweighed　she　will　think　that　she　_*must_　commit　murder。　If　she　does　not　think　so　she　will　not　do　so。　Now；　every　murder；　save　that　by　poison；　requires　courage；　the　power　to　do；　and　physical　strength。　As　woman　does　not　possess　these　qualities；　she　spontaneously　makes　use　of　poison。　Hence；　there　is　nothing　extraordinary　or　significant　in　this　fact；　it　is　due　to　the　familiar　traits　of　woman。　For　this　reason；　when　there　is　any　doubt　as　to　the　murderer　in　a　case　of　poisoning；　it　is　well　to　think　first　of　a　woman　or　of　a　weak；　effeminate　man。

The　weakness　of　woman　will　help　us　in　still　another　direction。　It　is　easily　conceivable　that　all　forms　of　weakness　will　seek　support　and　assistance；　whether　physical　or　moral。　The　latter　is　inclined　in　cases　of　need　to　make　use；　also；　of　such　assistance　as　may　be　rendered　by　personal　inward　reflection。　Now　this　reflection　may　be　on　the　one　hand；　dissuasion；　on　the　other　hand　persuasion；　self…　persuasion；　the　first　subduing　self…reproach；　the　latter；　fear　of　discovery。　Hence；　a　woman　will　try　to　persuade　not　only　herself；　but　others　also　that　she　was　justified　in　her　course　and　will　assign　as　reason；　bad　treatment。　Now　there　might　have　been　some　bad　treatment；　but　it　will　have　been　altered　and　twisted　so　utterly　as　to　lose　its　original　form　and　to　become　imaginatively　unbearable。　Thus；　a　series　of　conclusions　from　the　reactions　of　the　suspect　to　her　environment　may　be　easily　found；　and　these　are　the　more　convincing　if　they　have　occurred　within　a　rather　long　period　of　time；　in　which　they　may　be　chronologically　arranged；　and　from　which　a　slow　and　definite　intensification；　usque　ad　ultimum；　can　be　proved。　Such　an　analysis　is；　of　course；　troublesome；　but　if　done　systematically；　almost　always　rich　in　results。

The　tricks　of　persuasion　which　are　to　suppress　the　fears　of　discovery　are　always　helps　of　another　sort。　As　a　rule　they　are　general；　and　point　to　the　fact　that　the　crime　contemplated　had　occurred　before　without　danger；　that　everything　was　intelligently　provided　for；　etc。　Now　these　circumstances　are　less　dangerous；　but　they　require　consideration　when　they　count　on　certain　popular　views；　especially　superstitions　and　certain　customs　and　assumptions。　Suppose；　for　example；　that　a　young　wife　wants　to　get　rid　of　her　　old　husband　whom　she　had　married　for　the　sake　of　his　money。　Now　certain　proverbs　point　to　the　fact　that　old　men　who　marry　young　women　die　soon　after　marriage。　This　popular　view　may　be　entirely　justified　in　the　fact　that　the　complete　alteration　in　the　mode　of　life；　the　experience　of　uncustomary　things；　the　excitement；　the　extreme　tension；　then　the　effort　_in　venere_；　finally；　perhaps　also　the　use　of　popularly　well…known　stimulants；　etc。；　may　easily　cause　weakening；　sickening；　and　as　conclusion　the　death　of　the　old　man。　But　the　public　does　not　draw　this　kind　of　inference；　it　simply　assumes；　without　asking　the　reason；　that　when　an　old　man　marries　a　young　woman；　he　dies。　Therefore　a　young　wife　may　easily　think；　‘‘If　I　make　use　of　poison　nobody　will　wonder；　nobody　will　see　anything　suspicious　about　the　death。　It　is　only　an　event　which　is　universally　supposed　to　happen。　The　old　man　died　because　he　married　me。''　Such　ideas　may　easily　seduce　an　uneducated　woman　and　determine　her　conduct。　Of　course；　they　are　not　subject　to　observation；　but　they　are　not　beyond　control；　if　the　popular　views　concerning　certain　matters　are　known　as　the　views　which　determine　standards。　Therefore　their　introduction　into　the　plot　of　the　suspect　may　help　us　in　drawing　some　useful　inference。＇1＇

With　regard　to　child…murder　the　consideration　of　psychopathic　conditions　need　not　absolutely　be　undertaken。　Whether　they　are　present　must；　of　course；　be　determined；　and　therefore　it　is　first　of　all　necessary　to　learn　the　character　of　the　suspect's　conduct。　The　opportunity　for　this　is　given　in　any　text…book　on　legal　medicine；　forensic　psychopathology；　and　criminal　psychology。　There　are　a　good　many　older　authors。＇2＇　Most　of　the　cases　cited　by　authorities　show　that　women　in　the　best　of　circumstances　have　behaved　innumerable　times　in　such　a　way　that　if　they　had　been　poor　girls　child…murder　would　immediately　have　been　assumed。　Again；　they　have　shown　that　the　sweetest　and　most　harmless　creatures　become　real　beasts　at　the　time　of　accouchement；　or　shortly　after　it　develop　an　unbelievable　hatred　toward　child　and　husband。　Many　a　child…　murder　may　possibly　be　explained　by　the　habit　of　some　animals　of　consuming　their　young　immediately　after　giving　birth　to　them。　Such　cases　bind　us　in　every　trial　for　child…murder　to　have　the　mental　state　of　the　mother　thoroughly　examined　by　a　psychiatrist；　and　to


＇1＇　Cf　H。　Gross's　Archiv。　I；　306；　III；　88；　V；　207；　V；　290。

＇2＇　Wigand：　Die　Geburt　des　Mensehen。　Berlin　1830。　Klein　ber　Irrtum　bei　Kindesmord；　Harles　Jahrbuch；　Vol。　3。　Burdach　Gerichtsrtztliche　Arbeiten。　Stuttgart；　1839。


　interpret　everything　connected　with　the　matter　as　psychologist　and　humanitarian。　At　the　same　time　it　must　not　be　forgotten　that　one　of　the　most　dangerous　results　is　due　to　this　attitude。　Lawmakers　have　without　further　consideration　kept　in　mind　the　mental　condition　of　the　mother　and　have　made　child…murder　much　less　punishable　than　ordinary　murder。　It　is　inferred；　therefore；　that　it　is　unnecessary　to　study　the　conditions　which　cause　it。　This　is　dangerous；　because　it　implies　the　belief　that　the　case　is　settled　by　giving　a　minimum　sentence；　where　really　an　infinity　of　grades　and　differences　may　enter。　The　situation　that　the　law…maker　has　studied　is　one　among　many；　the　majority　of　which　we　have　yet　to　apprehend　and　to　examine。


Section　76。　（d）　Emotional　Disposition　and　Related　Subjects。

Madame　de　Krdener　writes　in　a　letter　to　Bernardin　de　St。　Pierre：　‘‘Je　voulais　tre　sentie。''　These　laconic　words　of　this　wise　pietist　give　us　an　insight　into　the　significance　of　emotional　life　of　woman。　Man　wants　to　be　understood；　woman　felt。　With　this　emotion　she　spoils　much　that　man　might　do　because　of　his　sense　of　justice。　Indeed；　a　number　of　qualities　which　the　woman　uses　to　make　herself　noted　are　bound　up　with　her　emotional　life；　more　or　less。　Compassion；　self…sacrifice；　religion；　superstition；all　these　depend　on　the　highly　developed；　almost　diseased　formation　of　her　emotional　life。　Feminine　charity；　feminine　activity　as　a　nurse；　feminine　petitions　for　the　pardon　of　criminals；　infinite　other　samples　of　women's　kindly　dispositions　must　convince　us　that　these　activities　are　an　integral　part　of　their　emotional　life；　and　that　women　perform　them　only；　perhaps；　in　a　kind　of　dark　perception　of　their　own　helplessness。　On　the　one　side　an　unconscious　egoism　impels　them　to　the　defence　of　those　who　find　themselves　in　a　_*similar_　condition；　on　the　other　side；　it　is　a　feminine　characteristic　to　apply　anything　she　is　to　judge　to　herself　first；　and　then　to　make　her　choice。　That　she　does　this；　rests　on　the　eminent　overweight　of　emotion。　So　Schopenhauer　says：　‘‘Women　are　very　sympathetic；　but　they　are　behind　man　in　all　matters　of　justice；　probity；　and　scrupulous　conscientiousness。　Injustice　is　the　fundamental　feminine　defect。''＇1＇　Schopenhauer　should　have　added；　‘‘because　they　are　too　sympathetic；　because　emotion　takes　up　so　much　place　in　their　minds　that　they　have　not　enough　left　for　justice。''　According　to　Proudhon；　‘‘The　conscience　of　woman

＇1＇　Parerga　and　Paralipomena。

　is　as　much　weaker　than　man's　as　her　intelligence　is　smaller。　Her　morality　is　of　a　different　sort；　her　ideas　of　right　and　wrong　are　different；　being　always　on　this　or　that　side　of　justice；　and　never　requiring　any　equivalence　between　rights　and　duties　which　are　such　a　painful　necessity　to　man。''　Spencer　says；＇1＇　briefly；　that　the　feminine　mind　shows　a　definite　lack　with　regard　to　the　sense　of　justice。

These　assertions　show　that　women　are　deficient　in　justice；　but　do　not　show　why。　The　deficiency　is　to　be　explained　only　in　the　super…　abundance　of　emotional　life。　This　superabundance　clarifies　a　number　of　facts　of　their　daily　routine。　We　have；　of　course；　to　make　a　distinction　between　the　feeling　of　a　gentlewoman；　of　a　peasant　woman；　and　of　the　innumerable　grades　between　the　two；　but　this　distinction　is　not　essential。　Both　noble　and　proletarian　are　equally　unjust；　but　the　rich　emotion　restores　a　thousand　times　what　may　be　missing　in　justice；　and　perhaps　in　many　cases　hits　better　upon　what　is　absolutely　right　than　the　bare　masculine　sense　of　justice。　We　are；　of　course；　frequently　mistaken　by　relying　on　the　testimony　of　women；　but　only　when　we　assume　that　our　rigorously　judicial　sentence　is　the　only　correct　one；　and　when　we　do　not　know　how　women　judge。　Hence；　we　interpret　women's　testimonies　with　difficulty　and　rarely　with　correctness；　we　forget　that　almost　every　feminine　statement　contains　in　itself　much　more　judgment　than　the　testimony　of　men；　we　fail　to　examine　how　much　real　judgment　it　contains；　and　finally；　we　weigh　this　judgment　in　other　scales　than　those　used　by　the　woman。　We　do　best；　therefore；　when　we　take　the　testimony　of　man　and　woman　together　in　order　to　find　the　right　average。　This　is　not　easy；　for　we　are　unable　to　enter　properly　into　the　emotional　life　of　woman；　and　can　not　therefore　discount　that　tendency　of　hers　to　drag　the　objective　truth　in　some　biased　direction。　It　might　be　theoretically　supposed　that　a　noble；　kindly；　feminine　feeling　would　tend　to　reflect　everything　as　better　and　gentler；　and　would　tend　to　excuse　and　conceal。　If　that　were　so　we　might　have　a　definite　standard　of　valuation；　and　might　be　able　to　discount　the　feminine　bias。　But　that　is　so　in　perhaps　no　more　than　half　the　cases　that　come　before　us。　In　all　others　woman　has　allowed　herself　to　be　moved　to　displeasure；　and　appears　as　the　punishing　avenger。　Hence；　she　fights　with　all　her　strength　on　the　side　that　seems　to　her　to　be　oppressed　and　innocently　persecuted；　irrespective　of　whether　it　is


＇1＇　Introduction　to　the　Study　of　Sociology。

　the　side　of　the　accused　or　of　his　enemy。　In　consequence；　we　must　first　of　all；　when　judging　her　statements；　determine　the　direction　in　which　her　emotion　impels　her；　and　this　can　not　be　done　with　a　mere　knowledge　of　human　nature。　Nothing　will　do　except　a　careful　study　of　the　specific　feminine　witness　at　the　time　she　gives　her　evidence。　And　this　requires　the　expenditure　of　much　time；　for；　to　plunge　directly　into　the　middle　of　things　without　having　any　means　of　comparison　or　relation；　is　to　make　judgment　impossible　or　very　unsafe。　If　you　are　to　do　it　at　all　you　must　discuss　other　things　first　and　even　permit　yourself　the　dishonesty　of　asking　about　matters　which　you　already　know　in　order　to　find　some　measure　of　the　degree　of　feminine　obliqueness。　Of　course；　one　discovers　here　only　the　degree　of　obliqueness；　not　its　directionin　the　case　selected　for　comparison　the　woman　might　have