The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-10-05
ELIzABETM ray.
WIfe, lTother anIl Z, II Reror,,o,... 49,, .. !.

lnentDy secluded communion with God /
apart from the world, we have alist OF
such everyday foibles, in common com
tact with tho familiar world, as the
following: ~ have given way. to nv
passions; hnye known my faults and
not corrected them. Now I am deterini-
ned Will once more try with redoubledl \
nrdor. must not be out of temper With
the children; must not tlirt; Iinnst not
contradict without cnuSe; / must not b4
snllen when my sisters are liked aud Il
am not; must not be nngry; 1 must
nos ilc e4ngger1te; must not give way to
l4nryI nor DO IDLE i must give way to
every good feeling, and overcome every
bad, 1t had but perseverance i couISi
do 4ll that wish; Will try,n Apniti
q year later, she draws up aiist of TefIiI
ln1ons TO govern her private conduct.
They are these "a, never lose any time,
M, put % always employed; 2, never err
the least in truth; o, mover say an III
thing ofa person when 1 can say a rc1d
thipgi 4, never be irritable or unkind
TO anybody; 5, mover indulge myselfin
luxurtes not necessary; @, do ali things
with consideration, feel confidence n
that power that alone is able to assist
me, ~ and lli,S exert my own powers ms far as
Ihey VIII Co." These things certainly
betoken "a Christianity at the widest nos
stble remove from lll abstfuseiiess or
mysticisn, About tho wear isl7. and
when seven young chill rem were receiv-
ing her tnceasant watchf1lness at home.
she eominenced that series of unexnmp5
leu lapors IN behalf OF prison reform,
and the moral instruction of EsonYictI,
which, above NIL her other enterprises
nave stgnalized her life, and ma1e her
name TO be sweet spell in nil tile lun
geOns and jallyards OF ChristcntloIn.
Up 70 this time the indifference to the
condition OF prisoners, and tho corisel
gSeG 9Sn 1sPTaiSity 81 az places Of Pennl
countries, had been Incredible. fThe
subject had Jagged frightFillYl behind
nearly every other humane movement
except perhaps the amelforatiof Of me
criminal code itself. Accurate and mn.
thenuc accounts, many of them draw
up under the direction OF the govern.
mont, otthe state prisons in England Mt
so recent n dote-nnd the matter wns
scarcely better In America or on the
contlnent-reYeall n spectacle mOnstrons
and disgusting almost beyond belief
Dirt that would disgrace gentleman's
stables, disease in Its most revolving
forms, because the direct fruit of filtiS
nakedness, gambling, drinking ami
swearing, made up the common scenery
OF both the male and female dcDaff-
ments ola large proportion of the prisons
1.-THE realm. Take tho famous London
Newgatc as q hspecimen. There, on Tho
women's side, which wRs very irnperfecI
tly screened from n shutheftiI publIcity
within IA narrow space, some three hum
dred women, With their heurGls of funfoT-
tunnte children, were crowded toUnfber
tn.p teid atmosphere, to fnhhloa n moral
pntrelacAuon, worse onl ythnnt the bodily
nestlence bred In such a stye of corrup-
ton. 1nsunlciently clothed without
any other bedding than their ufiyyboleS
some rags, sleeping on the floor with
planks for pillows, inhnbiting, Cookfnr
and washing in the same aDaftmeilf
God2s children were huddIed torethaS
IN conditions such ms 1t would lie a tffTIiR
70 tntlict on brutes. All these women
We're under tho Buperint6ndenee of two
or three men, not always much above
them In moral feeling, Many of them
plhccd there under chnrUes or n trivial 4
naturc-for small ofIenses- and oftS,,
nrst otIenses-the less gull lty soon cnu0bt
the injection OF the hardened and desDe-
rate criminals. The tried and tha nm
tried-.perhaps the absolutely innocent
beginners in transgr and hIIebfs
In intamy, without classification, nnII
worse yet, without empl0yment theJ
We're LEFT in these hideoua and .fiitai fpf-
lowships. Intoxicating drinks. nv f,iie
means and another, often found their
work ofruin, or tostuptfy the despurinT.
Language that would be terrific even Ia
cafs was screamed md
yelled through tho rooms. ThouEh n
military guard was posted on tho Wills.
yet 80 absolutely tiendish ere,the CON.
!, duct ana speech of fthe Inmates, that even
the governor Dreaded to step in nulonir
them, and strangers could not mss
through in safety. All this withfnihnlfa
century, and in the capital ofthe British
nhtionl 'i3 ~ r ~ S5.I7 'ifff
Nothing more need be saill of tho need
of n reformation. Into such a scene n
was that Elizabeth Fry, in 1918, accom-
phlqnthropist, her brother-in- law, Sir
Thomas Fowell Buxton, entered a., Eer
holy mission of love. III 'i-t44
Schools We're begun in tho prison.
Alter tho inmates had onco heard fHe
! tones I Of Eliza5eth Fry's prayers, after
All attendants out and stand fearIessIy
and confidingly alone among them, rea-
ding In gentle accents tlie parable of the
Lord Of the vineyard, and hRd saen' Tint
light OF love that played always like fhe
slgnet of an angel on her countenaiice.
tuley were gladly still, and listened,
Classes We're formed. Tho 1lrisonerS
became monitors and teachers to eneh
Diner. Everything was done by general
consent, and by vote OF the wi ioie body,
Affection took the place OF fear. md
proved 70 possess more than equal
authority. Excellent women CaInd in
90 assist. The sheriff and officers soon
learned 70 look on with respect, then
with admiration, then to furnish facili-
ties and cooperate TO the full extent Of
their power. Such Is human nature
that we can hardly say whether the
wonder was greater when thenost fi4rO-
clous and tnhuman within tho walls
We're converted or when the conspicf-
Gus ana influential personages about the
house and palace tini ierwent
conversion from their sIIeptieism, and
nelet that the scheme was not imprnCfi- |
cable. Impracticablel the word with |
which the thlse or timid world alSynys
cheats ITSELF when It would postDOiie
Ine Dlesseclness of doing right to some |
AS nm evidence how incorruptfble ,hor
was, see her in two (iiffarent /
positions, In point Of time not far mari |
one uay in 1878, Mrs Frys5 ON N piibliol
occlstons happened 10 be in the5san
apartment with Charlotte, theni queen |
Or England. Prompted'by spontlne- |
ous impulse, the queen hayfnf. rel,oCTi- |
ned her, in her plain Friend 4 n ifesS 2 an /
ono side of the platform, turned ,ryvav |
rom the cluster Of nobility and AnleI1- |
dor, which throngeda and rlfttarafl iIhOnt 1
her3 TO otter her cordial respect to th6
nnassumtng philnntlropist. All eyes ]
wait on royalty and the crowd of snecLI
Ltleots watehed the meeting. The mo-
menb the queen, covered with diamonds l
and gold, stood before the lsimplel |
Llunkereas with her cRlmnoss unlistiir-
ped and her serene fnca scarcely fIusllefi !
by the distinguished notic6. n buIgt Iofl
p!nud1ts rang through the whols asseni-
bly,, with shouts ofitislight and sounds |
oL y acc ton vhichiwero,l EtnlSen mp
tilAthey diedlaway In the Jlistance.I
This was enough for. btifiHu afi1l1it8oii I