Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-24
BAKING A PRISON CHEERFUL.

Women conricts Guarded and Controlled
Ly WOmen-An Institution of Which the
Puritan State May Well be Prohibitions
ers, CAee'1utness, and Plenty to do
Among the Babies.
Boston Herald.
Whatever may be the result of the contro-
versy now agitating at the State house, re-
garding the quality of the new prison build
ing at Sherborn, it cannot interfere with the
factthat taht institutions now in prime work
ing order, and the edifce FILLMORE than
full, in fact-of inmates, selected from the
classes it was intended to benefit; for, let it
be remembered at the outset, the women's
prison is reformatory institution. There
are no horrors to poke among there. From
garnet to cellar, from the cheerful recreation
rooms to the cells for discipline in the base
ment, there IS no reason to look for or expect
blood-curdling developments. So far as any
appearances indicate, and, indeed, in many
of its manifest features, this prison is more
like charitable home
There are at present inmates of the prison
355 conyicts, all females, of course, their ages
ranging from sixteen up to sixty-eight years
Of this large number not more than one
half are foreigners, though large number
OF the American born are of foreign parent
age. Very many Of these prisoners are young
women from Maine, Vermont and the New
England States generally. By far the larger
part of them are well looking persons, and a
| thoroughly bad visage is as seldom met with
| as would be the case outside. few colored
| persons are mixed with the assemblage. The
prison accommodations only provide for 297
occupants, and it has been found necessary
SO far to utilize for sleeping places rooms
that we're originally intended for different
purposes.
After the prisoners have been received into
| the prison, in room in the basement pre-
pared for the purpose, subjected to the bath,
and such preparatory processes as are thought
to be necessary, they are taken upstairs to the
reception room of the superintendent, Mrs
Atkinson. The room is near the prison-ofice
apartment, and is furnished with settees, so
that as large number of prisoners as
would be likely to arrive at any one time
may be received together. Mrs. Atkinson,
facing her charge, reads to them the prison
! regulations, and then explains the nature OF
the duties the prisoners are expected to per.
form, and what is required of them in the
way of department., morals, &C., enlarging
upon the benefits following subordinatiou
and good conduct, and the results of the re-
| t01oo COuuuCt. IL - 1lholy titdC no prisoner
will leave this room, with the tones of the
voice they have just listened to lingering in
her ears, without being more or less stirred
in that direction toward which it is generally
thought difficult to move the sex when
stained by crime; for the voice of the lady
who has thus spoken to them has in it some
thing wonderfully persuasive, and, moreover
as many-most Of them-have been under
prison discipline before, it was under fa1
different circumstances from those now sur
sounding. and no mans voice has addressed
to them such words as they have just listened
to.
A popularity in the furnishing of this re-
ception room gives the keynote to the
aesthetics of the place; the window-sills are
covered with plants and flowers, evidently
the recipients of careful attention. One in
voluntarily thinks of sPicciola,'' and makes
swift comparison. Henceforth, in every
part of this great building, we are to mee1
with these collections of living green. anc
daintily colored blossoms will be found Otter
occupying hooks where an ideal prison
hunter would look for handouts or thumb
screws.
The work of the house is done by details
from the ranks of the prisoners. It is q rule
infexible here that every soul within door
shall be kept constantly employed, and alb
solutely idle time is recognized as the great
est foe to contentment and progress. On.
detail, made from all parts of the house
takes care of the cells and sleeping rooms