New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-16
4 REEORM Vision.

| We appear TO be living III remarkable
epoch. The spirit of reform is abroad In great
and ya1iegated abundance. Almost everybody
| has absorbed some OF it. Even Congress, re-
parding it as a disagreeable but necessary
medicine. is attempting to worry down por-
finn. II has excited the mer, and intoxicated
ot least two of the women of the land. We re-
ferred the other day in terms of suppressed en-
,husiasm to the magnanImous proposition oI
the Rev. Anna Oliver to reform the trousers OF
men. Her zeal has fred the emulation OF Miss
Linda Gilbert, who now comes forward with
her familiar schemc-coucheu IN q new and tas-
cjuating form-for reforming burglars.
Whether she intends TO ciothe her redeemed
burglars in the new attire suggested by TIC
Rev. Anna Oliver, she does not say. she very
properly places their inward above their out
ward regeneration. Her scheme IS not mere
theory. She has tried one experiment with IT.
and has succeeded to her own satisfaction ana
that of the burglar.
Miss Gilbert's experiment WAS very in
terestng, and, as she has given II tull
account Of it ioI publication, there can
DO no doubt OF its authenticity. We VIII
give an outline of the narrative. Last Sat
urday night, between midnight and l o'clock,
Miss Gilbert was aroused from sleep by noise
at her bedroom window She saw mans
hand thrust through the Stats OF the blinds. A
second later the window Was raised and a burg
lar stepped in. The gas was turned down just
low enough to throw melodramatc dimness
over the thrilling scene which followed. The
burglar began to examine the dressng-case
and had laid his hand upon watch when Miss
- al a ba1
touched him on tue shoulder He was startled,
and remarked that he must go. "No, you
must mott replied Miss Gilbert, lyon must sit
down little while; / want to talk with you"
This was friendly considering the unfashion-
able hour ana the neglig6 attire of the hostess,
and the burglar was naturally pleased. He sat
down, she tells rs, "as pleased as a child, and
u turned the light up and took good look at
" him. He was u tall, thin man, with sandy
hair. He seemed sickly and said he was
" threatened with hcmOIrhage OF the lungs"
What n very interesting bnrglarl He gave
her touching picture of his life and circum-
stances; his family were starving; his wife
had the ague and Ills children were sickly he !
was only an amateur burglar, aud hal never been !
received so handsomely before. Miss Gilbert re- |
paired to The Kitchen filed market basket with
provisions and gave it, with Ave dollar bill, to
the consumptive burglar, and dsini. scd him with |
some advice at the front door. - He went |
away with as glad face as one could wish TO |
see"
Miss Gilbert says she is opposed to shooting |
burglars, and asks the public to take |
this remarkable incident as evidence
that she has "discovered the principle |
h.; d 70 IN,
ment of the criminal classes" If we III der
stand her correctly, then, she wishes the enter
prising burglar to be received with courtesy
and kindness when he makes his midnight
visits. Cards might be issued by maiden ladies
ling III this scheme, bearing some
such inscription as this: Interesting burglars
" of cpnsunptiye tendencies and schy families
will be received in the chamber of the under
" gued, on Thursday nights, between the hours
:" OF - and l. The safest and easiest method
|" of entrance will be over the back fence and
= thence up step-ladder which will be put in
= position for the convenience of guests, to the
= eX tension roof. Windows aud blinds will he
!" left untasteIed." The stimulus which "A few
such announcements would give to the fine art
OF burglary would be so great that the city
would be crowded with "ref0rmcdn burglars
Of course each guest would be presented with
a basket of provisions and a five dollar bill
after he had given the customary affecting bio
graphical sketch.
The reform is so radical that we are not pre-
cared to give it our approval without further
consideration. Still we feel safe in saying that
i would be much more profitable and salts
factory Investment to give the basket and the
i've dollar bill to the burglar than to give any,
hing whatever 80 Miss Gilbert when in tho
course of events she comes around with sub-
crIption paper in aid of this singular
scheme for the moral improvement of crimi
rails She may be AN excellent woman and n
rue philanthrOpst, but this burglar narrative
hows that she has either too fervid an imag-
nation or too bad digestion to he a safe
eader in so great movement She is clearly
powerful dreamer.