The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-05
ASTATE SCHOOL FOR CRIME
80 INSIDE TIEW or THE STATE
PRISON ar AUBURN.

nr,o most handsome ot New \ Ork 4 state
il that at Auburn. Next in siz,to the
,t,, sing prison, handsomely built, surrounded
ti,h and massive wall, bcautihed by the
,,..ence of trees, vines and flowers. II looks
,.,ber a splendid castle than what u really is'
.ben viewed from the street. In point ~ fact
u,sat the present time the very worst Of all our
rr.ons. the one most dangerous to the we'll
,,,ue u the community. and this not through
,nytalit " its officials, who are men OF rare in
,,i,,cncc. executive ability and conscientious
,,,,posc. but simply in consequence " an evil
,,,ninrly inseparable from the congregate sys-
,,n under certain most unfortunate conditions
now prevailing here. TO discover what these
conditions are, and wherein exists the danger to
be autrchcuded. let US pay visit Of Inspection
Z. the Interior Of this penal institution.
The north wing Of the prison contains sV
c,ils and the south wing 40 more III I'VE tlers'
all larg r than the cells at Sing sing ana Ihn'oh'
we'll ventilated. and often adorned win cheap
ornamentation which gives them decidedN
cheerful appearance. The corridors nre "lur'
netcss rly very lofty. and the stone noor- oeihe
covered with fine. clean and bright beecn anu
maple sawdust from the tool shops are very
n.., and nyrecabIy noiseless under the tread.
There is an abundance Of pure air. The Kitchen
ia large. well ordered, scrupulously clean, and
the prisoners are allowed an abundance and w.
rety Of excellent food.
The library contains $500 volumes Of we'll
.eleried. valuable. Interesting. aud instructive
hooks. # l. under the careful. personal super
vision OF the Rev. william Searls, who il a
model chaplain. ever considerate Of all means
for promoting his great work OF moral reforma-
unn Of those cunhded to his care, yet sufficiently
human In HE sympathies not to lose sight OF the
temrorai good Of his uniayiting host Of PARISH
toner's with the assistance Of four teachers, he
carries ON ght school for the instruction Of
such convlcts as may come here In ignorance
OF the rudimenta OF learning. The ehaplain's
aed ~ labor "a not where we must look for the
rutteuness which we anticipate finding. Let us
seek Il m the shop. and there the discovery VIII
not be diflcult.
noNoroSoUs IpLENEss.
The hr,t shop which we enter Is one wherein
the manufacture Of cigars was formerly carried
on. Now nothing Is being done here. IL is
simply great hall. furnished with rough
dry are oongreRated together, in absolute
idleness. from three to four hundred con
ucts. Some OF them read, others pretend to
read, often holding their books upside
down Many more pace restlessly to and fro
hae caeed wild beasts. Numbers sit about
on the benches, singly or N groups, In suilen.
moody laziness. Conversation among them Is
scarcely restrained at all. The keeper In charge
would he puwerless to prevent their secret COM
uunicai ion. even did he think IL worth while to
attempt the effort. Not for a day only. hut for
weeks md months continues this monotony 81
idlene,s. Al o'clock A. NJ, after breakfast, the
men are marched out here. At noon they are
marched to the dining hail for their dinners. Al
O'Clock they are 10 arched back to tins empty
nall AT $40 L. NJ. they are marched to then
suppers AID their cells. One days routine i
mat Of all the rest Can anything more injurt-
aus and demoralizing TO characters such rs
these be possibly conceivedf Let il be borne Ia
mind how low is their average grade Of intell-
gcnce. how little ntted the Majority of them are
for supplying, from their own mental resources
or wortuily acquired knowledge, anything to III
the CHASTITY vacuum II such a life az this. Oh
course they talk crlminality among themselves
Inde' d, IL Is about the only theme upon which
many vi the poor fellows can converse. BY this
constant attrition OF criminal experiences and
susgestinns they naturally harden each other
Attnc same time there Is nothing TO suggest u
their minds any thought OF industry or self re-
lance. nothing Of the moral benefit inevitable
10 eve ~ one who can contemblate the work Of
biz hands ana say to himself, II created II. IL
Is thc child Of my brain and my toll" However
humnle the thing In itself. when - thus re-
~ nohie ambition 7ehe mind which II has i'm,
PEELED to such thought But the men Gagged
here can have no SUCH thoughts. 1hey must
team to look upon themselves as mere animals
put here to be fed by Others. Is II possible that
after such a life rs this, they will ever again bt
men aud work TO support themselves Doubt
iu very doubtful inueed, 40 far as the maj ortl
Of them are concerned. The state has taugh
them idleness, has unorded them means for in
s.ructing each other IN the most convenien
methods Of gaining living without labor whei
they leave this prison, and we may be well as
lie forgotten by them.
TIE sHoPs.
In the horse collar shop atty men only are EN-
Dloyed now, where steady work used 10 b.
Afforded for double that number
Foe tool department, where planes and othe
bench tools are we'll and handsomely made
seventy who used TO be kept busy at tue nov
deserted benches here are brought IN every day
merely to keep them lounging about IN idleness
under the eye OF keeper.
In the making OF names and buckles employ
ment Is given TO eighty men. The two lare,
shoe shops AFFORD work for two hundred anC
eighty men. From sixty TO eighty men ar,
nOminally employed In the state tailor shop
IN making clothing and shoes for PRISON use
In bIacksmithing and other iron work for tn,
prison, on State account. one hunuted anc
seventy men are supposed 70 be engaged, put %
these from nfty TO ahundTed are actually idl
all the time, and merely lounging ABOUT to keeI
np appearances.
nine and eighty-eight men, and this Is one o
the most nourishing Industries in the prison
No hle hands are found here, and the men
busted at the noisy tr1p-hammers, have cheer
fl. purposeful, self-relant look, contrasting
pleasantly with the vast majority OF their Eel
lows.
In state shop No g" where carpenterine OF
ether woodwork for the prison should be Roin,
on il there was anything TO do, we nnd tw'
hundred aud twenty idle men. A few are bus.
At making inaid workboxes, crlboage- board
and secretaries on their own account, as the
are permitted and encouraged where they bav
the capAhility and will do so. some Of thei
Nplh II tAt6euluklJ pItNkl, a. kDpu as du1bHlul
Of the sort imported from Italy or Switzerland
and is sold for their benefit at very reasonable
ngures. While a half dozen or possibly doze
INDUSTRIOUS fellows occupy themselves IN thu
way, the Others lounge about llstlessly and aim
le-sy, doze the hours away, seek relief from
their ennui IN playing a stupid sort Of Jack
straws" game, or discuss their past achieve
ments In crime and plan new strokes OF Grim
nal genius in the future.
HIGH SCHOOL OF CRIME.
In short, there are from Ave hundred 10 ST.
hundred Of unemployed men in this prison. uT
dtreoing a rapid and inevitable process
thorough decentralization. 1t Is simply impOss
BILE that "a Young offender should remain herr
even during the shortest term Of sentence, witt
out belng corrupted almost beyon0 nope Of r,
clamation, by the two forces OF idleness an
contamination.
A very large proportion OF the convcts in thi
PRISON are exceptionally bad men. sing sin
drafts of her worst men to this Institution
solundrels here. Many more u the deprave
classes dnft here naturally. In each priso
there seems to be community type Of expret
son In the countenanoes OF the convlcts. A
Clinton that ex ression ~ best There the me
have manly work and gain manly looks by III
eleyatug Influences Of sturdy honest toll. A
eing sing the physiognOmlr tyne ~ one OF lurk
iug Meanness, skulking submission, and III
tulefs eye is seen fuTtivey glancing on ever
sue, uumistakable In rs character. AT the Al
bauy peuitentiirg sullen obedience to Tigi
Olscinliue vells every face as with mask, COY
erluH hostility and treachery. Hut OF al wi
famous cOuntenances nowhere are there wor-
Ont g than IN Auburn prison. Bold sef-assert