New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-01-07
rsxx OUTSIDE OF rS.pAY,s PAPER. n
Kindness 10 Prisoners.

The Express, true 20 the spirit which seems eve
10 pervadc its columns, snsers and snsrls at ou
account Of the manner in which the inmates d
the Female Prison at Sing Sing were permitted 70
spend New.Year THE convic's. thus supported
at sbe public expense" says that paper, Jared
much better than many poor honest family on
New-Years Day and it adds that Z" the honest
poor night better their condition BY turning thieve,
and being sent to Sing Sing 1t is indeed true
that many honest poor people in our City live on
coarser food, sleep on poorer beds wear poorer
clothes, eDd have much poorer shelter from the
weather than the prisoners at Sing Sing But what
theni Would the Express make the suferings
Of the poor an apology for inAicting unnecessary
hsrdships on prisoners Must the roofs Of our prs
ons be made to leak and the wind be suffered to
have free access through the walls must the prison.
ers be deprived ofeomfortsbl clothing and beds and
kept on unwholesorne provisions. because the poor
endure such privations Hum anity would suggest.
il seems TO rs, that the suferiDgs Of the poor be
relieved, and not that prisoners be reduced to the
lowest condition Of wretcbedness. But the Ex-
press is quite as bitterly opposed to oil thorough
measures for the reliefthe poor as 1t is to humane
system oprison discipline. Itappears at times to
regard poverty % an ordinance Of God 10 be handled
with becoming veneration at other times it seems
70 doubt whether such thing as honest poverty
can exist at oil in such country as ours
Objections such ms those urged by the Express
against the system Of discipline prevailing at Sing
Sing originate not in calm reflection, but in preju
dice and erroneous views of human nature. The
prisoner who receives such treatment as tends to
IL. 4.
him to struggle against temptation feels his pun
isbmsnt far moro keenly than one who is treated
with such harshness and severity as to brutalize
his mind and destroy all thoughts of personal refor
nation. According to the philosophy Of the Ex-
pres the motive for keeping out Of prison is
always in proportion to the SUFFERING and cru
city endured IL this were so, we might ex.
pect fewer rccommtmonts from among that class
Of discharged CONFLICTS who have been treated
with great harshness and severity during their first
imprisonmcnt than from among those who have
been treated with uniform kindness. Precise
the reverse of this is true Just in proportion
a. the severity of prison discipline has been re.
faxed the number OF recommitments has dimin-
shed One striking illustration Of this is furnished
in the history Of the New. Hampshire Prison. For.
rnerly recommitments were frequent but during the
last two years, since Aogging has been almost en-.
trely abolished and the prisoners have been treated
with kindness which has provoked the sneers Of
the unrcHectibg not a single prisoner has come
back to enjoy the happiness Of prison residence.
Thus do facts war against musty theories. In pro-
csss Of time Il the reformed discipline contnu at
sing sir., here will NJ doubt be similar dmiuu-
l,,n ID the nun.LeS 1frccoml uneal thu prison.
The Erpress may rest assu'ed that the inmates
e the Female Prison ore in TO danger Of falling in
love with their imprisonment At no former pen.
cd had they 70 keen n sense Of what they lost in
turning aside from the paths Of virtue SO firm
= resolution TO keep out Of prison and the crimes
shich lead to IT. as they now have. Our neighbor
forgess that there are three hundred and sxty-fve
days IT. the year but few Of which can be spent IN
he gay that the first OF January was. The very
ssstrss, between the enioyments Of that day and
the ordinary routine Of prison life on other days is
calculated to make favorable impression on their
minds he who supposes that the terrible evils o.
Incarceration within the walls Of State Prison,
are ill turned into blessings by the few iudulgen.
ess granted ON New.Yea-'s Day. is entitled to
cosamisssrxnon Tor m, shaLr~ness Of hs logic
and pity icr the GO uice uhsi iiuis him to the
ruth