of this chain of biographical data. When by the rise to power of the Democrats in the American Government, occurred the advent of what is called the New Era; in the avalanche of appointments for the high positions in the Government, on account of the change of personnel in the Philippine Commission which affected essentially the office of the Attorney General, in the sense that the Attorney-General was raised to the Executive Secretary's chair, the Nacionalista party had to look with caution for a person who could properly exercise the office left vacant by the present most worthy Executive Secretary of the Government. Names were shuffled, many aspired to the office, but in the necessity of finding a person who had, besides exceptional and high intellectual attainments, a character noted for integrity, and an incorruptible conscience, and to a certain extent, the qualities of a consummate diplomat, qualities which are required by the most responsible post of Attorney-General, the Nacionalistas, rightly and without any other guide but the brilliant record of an intelligent and upright judge, and a chief liked by all his subordinates, directed their attention to our subject, and the consideration of his brilliant record as a judge and a most competent employee, culminated in his appointment as Attorney-General, a post which he still holds. The exercise of the office of Attorney General by the subject of our sketch may be said to be the third epoch of his life, and we leave it to another pen and another opportunity to write its history. However, as a fitting conclusion, we will close this biography briefly indicating that such is the ability Mr. Avanceña has always displayed in the exercise of the different offices he has held up to the present that he is today the object of appreciation and praise by the Filipino people, by the Government which has appointed him and even by the subordinate personnel who co-operate with him, working under his guidance as Attorney General. We will conclude by saying that if another favorable change takes place in these Islands, we firmly trust that the subject of our sketch will be raised to a post of much greater significance and responsiblity. Of this we are most certain. BY HON. IGNACIO VILLAMOR, Eminent scientists in all parts of the world have for many years been devoting themselves to the study of crime, its causes and its prevention, and the cultivators of the science of criminology already cover a vast field of research which comprises almost everything under the sun. While some analize the physiological condition of the individual, his psychology, atavistic and hereditary tendencies, the influence of age and sex on criminality; others observe geographical conditions in order to discover the influence of the atmosphere, of temperature, of the rivers and seas, of agricultural products, of the soil and subsoil of the place where the individual is found and the kind of food he lives on; and, lastly others study social conditions, in other words, the influence of poverty and wealth, of habits, usages and customs, of vices, of civil status, of education, of professions, etc., on the commission of crimes. And in order to formulate doctrines from the splendid fruits of such studies, their advocates have advanced brilliant theories in order to explain the causes of the social phenomenon called crime. It can not be said, however, that all questions on criminology have been completely settled. There are still serious objections to some conclusions drawn by criminologists, and the law of criminal saturation, for example, by virtue of which in every social environment there is a minimum of natural and atavistic criminality, due to anthropological factors, is still a mooted question. We are, therefore, in the midst of a period of research and analysis, and by way of contribution to these studies from which civilization and humanity derive so many benefits I propose to explain some more facts, taken from our criminal statistics, in order to point out the causes which in my opinion facilitate the development of certain criminal tendencies. I. There are many facts tending to show that the perpetration of crime is not the exclusive work of the free volition of man, but the result of multitudinous contributory causes which constantly stir him, thus promoting the development of certain tendencies or the propensity to certain acts. To illustrate this proposition, we have taken the averages given by the statistics compiled by the Bureau of Justice during the fiscal years 1912 and 1913, heretofore unpublished, regarding the most common offenses against persons, against property and against chastity. For the sake of clearness, we have divided all the provinces of the Archipelago into three regions, taking into consideration the degree of ethnological and geographical affinity between their inhabitants. |