Parkstone, Dorset
April 2nd. 1899
William Tallack Esq.
Dear Sir
Many thanks for sedning me your work on Crime & Punishment which I shall read with much interest and I doubt with considerable profit. Your chapter on "Crimes of Society" is very powerful, but too brief, especially the first part. To me, it seems that Society creates nine tenths of the crime. You do not, I think, dwell on the greatest of all "crimes of society", in my opinion, — the neglect to so organise itself that every man may live (and live decently & well) by his [2] labour. While one honest & industrious man or woman remains unwillingly "out of work", & therefore "out of food" & often out of warmth, clothing, home —Society, & its delegate, Government, are criminals. So long as we set property, gain, wealth, against the lives or well-being of the people who create that wealth, Society is criminal.
Again I believe that all the present systems of punishment are wrong — that the first & second & third, aim of all punishment should be the reform of the criminal, — & that, having taught [3] and reformed him; mainly by kindness & work for his own benefit, arrangements should be made that he should have immediate work & means of an honest living secured to his as to all others.
Till this is done all punishment is but an added crime.
I entirely [word illeg.] to the diction that persons should not be made attractive. I maintain that they cannot be made too attractive so long as they are also entirely self-supporting, which with proper organisation they can easily be made. Then it is better [4] for society that all who cannot find other means of living should come into these "prisions" (which yo them w[oul]d not be prisions, but homes) rather than be driven to the choice betweeen starvation, crime, or that vile prison estatblishment — the workhouse.
Of crime you will think these ideas dreadfully wild, impracticabke and socialistic. They are so, no doubt. But then I am a Socialist.
Belive me | Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3350.3318)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Envelope addressed to "William Tallack Esq., Sec'. The Howard Association, 5 Bishopsgate Street Without, London. E.C.", with stamp, postmarked "PARKSTONE | B | AP 3 | 99". Pencil note in William Tallack's hand on front of envelope: "A R Wallace FRS". [Envelope (WCP3350.5019)]
[1]1 [p. 62]
That distinguished naturalist, Alfred R. Wallace, Esq., F.R.S., D.C.L., thus commented on some portions of the author's book on "Penological Principles":—
"Your chapter on 'Crimes of Society' is very powerful, but too brief, especially the first part. To me it seems that society creates nine-tenths of the crime. You do not, I think, dwell on the greatest of all 'crimes of society,' in my opinion—the neglect to so organise itself that every man may live (and live decently and well) by his labour. While one honest and industrious man or woman remains unwillingly out of work, and therefore out of food and often out of warmth, clothing, and home, society and its delegate, Government, are criminals. So long as we set property, gain, wealth, against the lives or well-being of the people who create that wealth, society is criminal.
[2] [p. 63] "Again, I believe that all the present systems of punishment are wrong—that the first and second and third aim of all punishment should be the reform of the criminal; and that having taught and reformed him, mainly by kindness and work for his own benefit, arrangements should be made that he should have immediate work and means of an honest livelihood secured to him, as to all others. Till this is done, all punishment is but an added crime.
"I entirely demur to the dictum that prisons should not be made attractive. I maintain that they cannot be made too attractive, so long as they are entirely self-supporting, which, with proper organisation, they can easily be made. Then it is better that all who cannot find other means of living should come into these 'prisons' (which to them would not be prisons, but homes) rather than be driven to the choice between starvation, crime, or that vile prison-establishment—the workhouse.
"Of course you will think these ideas dreadfully wild, impracticable, and socialistic They are so, no doubt; but then I am a Socialist."
Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP3350.5716)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP3350,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3350