Abstract

Crime Waves and Remedies

There must be more than one kind of crime wave. There it is, the most blood-curdling crime wave you ever dreamed of, with hold-ups happening every minute just around the corner, and guns popping and sinister automobiles racing by till you lose your breath, with masterminds calmly managing everything and the most wonderful French detectives insouciantly appearing and looking right through everybody. You needn't be afraid to ask anybody what it's all about. Everybody will be glad to tell you. One will assure you that it's the rotten drink, another that it's the last resort of generous spirits who miss the stuff; one will declare that it's the natural reaction from the hardness of military discipline, and another that it's what you might expect from the softness of the laws.