The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1878-12-13
4 NOBEL RrroRxAToRy.
n Nat,~i tnslaMH ta.tttati"ss.

Ihi# afternoon. hS invitation III Mrs.
Governor Hendricks. | accompanied
her tn visit the most wonderful instiiu.
tinn ia the world. Il, Ii the Woman's
Prison anil kefofmatars for Girls, II
has fhr lel,of II hsing tile FIRST oi the
kind lii The warld. There ii another
now M Shcil.fnn. Mass. hut II las
only bcrn in operation two years, while
this has been III operation seven years.
and the Sherinfnc prison was modelled
after IL, The institution receives NIL
the convicted criminals of The State
who nrr girls and women.
All incorrigihlc girls arc also sent
here. where they arc received aud
taught. Among tho inmates arc nearly
fifty little girls under IL years II ngc.
who had already entered upon life of
crime. Az tho nohle.looking Quaker.
csS, Sarah Smith. who, with tho assist
anee of n corps of eight or nine women.
manages this whole institution, ascend
ed with me the stairs u the chapel, she
said: Remember these girls and
women arc from thu Very scum and OF
securing ii Indiana" A Hooked upon
them involuntarily exclaimed. Can
II b. possihlcg' About aOO girls and
women were before me. Their faces
were so clean anil their l,ar 50 smooth
that they fairly shonc. Their conntcn.
anccs bcamcd with interest. and | never
for one moment would have imagined
them to 10 criminals. but only conn
pany of school girls of ordinary intelli.
gcncc, There was not u suggestion of
i .x~su.a .v.~l. NIax. AL NSaa. ,.aat ....lt.
dresses mud ncat little white cellar.
Some hal their hair braided some
wore II short, Int every one showed the
cultivation Of neatness of person, which
IN one III the most refining influences
which can hc brought Ia bear upon and
cherish tl.c sclf-rcspcct necessary IL
virtnons womanhood In ono corner
sat the fifty or sixty little girls. all
dressed In ncntly-mn.lc calico dresses.
and looking no interesting and happy
that my mothers heart would gn out
to them In affection. They listened u
several short addresses, joined In sing
| ing tnnd, by the wny, they sing heauti.
fully, led hya a young lady who, having
passed her term If imprisonment oi
-FOUR years without ever having once
been reprovcd. IN free. md ~ now
employed M un officer of tho in.
stitntion). and preserved the most per,
feet order.
/ II wa~ sight never to be forgotten
could have listened MI day to Mrs
Hendricks and Mrs. Smith ~ they re-.
lated incidents nf their work. OF the
inmates received, Y. per cent. have
II ~ Il.
think of il! and Il IL nll tho work u
women. Men were skeltical when The
idea was proposed. They declared that
women could never manage th.
hardened criminals who were then Ii,
tho various jails and prisons. When
this institution Mns opened, q number
of thu most hardened aud abandoned
women were brought there in chains
Sarah Smith ordered their chains on
and she controls them all with pnr.
strength of moral force. II Ii trnl,
wonderful. Never have l seen any
thing TINT ~ inspired me with hop.
that fallen humanity may be reclaimed
IN this sight. Or the workings of th,
institution IL would take several col
mmns to till. The only objection tha
has over been urged 10 II il tlat III,
inmates ARE made too comfortable. Bn
they are MI kept indnstriouSly vt work
They are taught the rndiments Of edu
cation; they are compelled to lead live
III purity and order, and II any one cMi
show that they would be morally i'm
proved by making them physically III
comfortable, or by branding them Will
a prison costume, or Keeping them !,
manaclcs unl handouts when they chi
ha governed without, on him LIT th
burden of proof fnll.