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CRIME AND KARMA
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observation. The poor animal was invariably well treated by the hardened criminals". Having never had the experience of kindness, these were kind. Usually, I found the "habitual criminal to be a simple soul with spontaneous nobility hidden under a superficial callousness. I regarded the attitude towards the cat as a tangible measure f the real nature of the man. Those always invoking the Paramatma, er given to some other form of religious demonstration, were invariably cruel and mean. The devout Hindu would mechanically exclaim Rama Rama" to see the cat catch a squirrel or a bird or even a mouse, which latter, by tradition, is her legitimate prey. But he would give the poor animal a good beating if he ever caught her anywhere near his food.
Theft is a greater crime than murder. That is human ethics. Murder-of the kind for which people are punished by law-is a petty matter, being violence only against individuals. Theft is a different thing. It is attack upon the very foundation of society, namely, private property. But I am a believer in the morality of theft. It represents a challenge to the immoral social order which makes criminals" of innocent men, and then punishes them for no fault of theirs.
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Habitual juvenile thieves were my particular friends. They are highly interesting subjects of psychological study. As human material, they are equally fascinating. Their philosophy of life is
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