“Breeding-places of Lawlessness” / Memorable Fancies #2672

An excerpt from the book Social Abominations, or The Follies of Modern Society Portrayed by Many Eminent Writers. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1895:

“Within the last three years crime has increased very rapidly, so far as the lodging-houses of the city are concerned. A large number of young fellows hailing from these places have been arrested for stealing blankets from horses … , or for picking up anything else of trifling value that they could lay hands on. These are beginners in crime, as a rule, and they undoubtedly associate with older and more experienced men, who tell them how and where to dispose of their booty for a small sum of money. It is in this way that young men get their initiation in crime. … Hundreds of criminals must be made every year through the associations they form in these breeding-places of lawlessness.