The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-08-19
OAHY IOURNAL
10. 50.
What MRkcs ns Rad.


a third set. Whatever the cause may
be, it is certain there are many bad
folk among US, in prisons as well as
out Of them. Let US consult q table
in the last prison Report" Here
we find that of the Is, 496 prisoners
recorded for the year 1867, twenty FIVE
per cent, of all could not read, forty
seven per cent, were Incorporate,
and serenity SeUeR per cent, had not
learned a trade. Want of bcok-edu-
cation, intempeTance, want of oceu-
patton, are the three great causes of
crime, leaving original sin, &C., out Of
the question: aud of all these the
ignorance Of an occupation Is by far
the most fertile. We can hardly ques-
ton that of these twenty-five out Of
every hundred criminals who could
not read a portion, and we believe
large portion. might have been saved
from vice and crime, II they could
have amused and entertained them
selves with good books and neWspa-
pers. in those leisure hours when the
grog. shops hold open their doors so
inyitingly In referring TO the Re
port, we lind, as sustaining US In this
belief, that in the Pennsylvania Pen
itentiary the Library as a reform
atory agent is of incdlculdble UQlue,
We find Ia Missouri the same, and
and that in one year IL ,243 books
were taken out-an average of thirty
eight per man. Now whatever will
restore men to virtue must avail to
keep them virtuous. Therefore, some
education men must be made to have.
Intemperance we have so often preach
ed against, that nothing new need be
said aud indeed nothing new need be
said; for all admit its evils. The
real question IS h0l0 can they be sup
pressedY 5- a.gI M rseE $50
Want Of occupation seventy sew
en- out of every hundred of these crl-
minals had never been put to any
trade, had mot been taught when
Young how to work, and so when hun
ger came they begged and when that
failed they stole; and when that was
found 70 supply the great 4cTaylng'
they become criminals, and hence
forth were not only useless, but evil
positively. One cause for this we
suggest, we urge, we demand, atten
ton to. Whenever a human being
comes into the street 10 beg, it Is
proof that he is not where he ought to
had there, or the person is unwilling
or unable to do it. We ask that by
all great cities provision be made for
upblic farms and workshops, so that
tie instant man becomes a beggar
he may at sonce be placed where he
can work for the benefit Of the COM
plunity as we'll as himself, before he
becomes a criminal,
III rferH hat
large share Of our criminals are the
direct product Ct beggary, that we
cannot too strongly urge upon our
fellow men that this Is one most eff
fective way, III not the only one, to put
an end to pauperlsm and its con-
sedueDt crime. London is nigh
swamped by these two giant evils,
and she does nothing but patch the
sore. It breaksgout again, and worse.
Great as England Is, and able as her
men are, she does not grasp the evil
as if she ment to crush it. Let her
establish somewhere, anywhere, great
farms and workshops, and this vast
army of paupers and criminals may
be made not only self supporting, but
also profitable. -
As London is doing, so arc we do
ing. We are allowing our paupers to
grow up criminals, and they are in
creasing. Let everything go,
Free trade and sailors rights" No
interference with the individual until
he commits crime" won't keep us
out Of the mire into which London
and nearly every great city of Eng
land have sunk. We advocate no
interference with individual right; we
only ask that when by public beg
gary a man confesses his inability TO
take care of himself, we shall. provide
a place where he may be taken care
of-and we'll, too until he can earn
enough to start again as an individual,
self-supportiDg citizen. Not only is
there no .hardshsp,in this, but a vast
blessing. Already we find that many,
very many, at the approach of Winter,
commit some small crime, SO that
they may secure the food and warmth
of our prisons. We would provide
for these a better place than prison:
we would save these and thousands
more from such a terrible temptation.
Already our Board of Charities and
Correction has organized many valua-
bic reforms: we appeal to it to con-
siCer this thing, aud to devise homes
and workshops for the young, the
needy, the incompetent, and thus to
stop the conversion of paupers into
riminals.-Nel0 York Tribune