The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-02-22
LESSON rRon suxo SING.

him from point of humanity The al
thority to punish does not carry with 1t th
privilege Of cruelty. II punishment WEI
only and simply revengeiul in its character
lit were to cause suffering to the crimina
in proportion ashe had inflicted II upon hi
fellow men. the case would be different. Tn
sooner then we resorted to the methods o
torture of the middle ages the better. Tn
age, however. has outgrown the Old le'
talionis, and we have caught something
of the spirit of softer civilization In deal
ing with crime and criminals. Justice and
humanity, as now understood, dictate hu
name treatment in dealing with the refrac
tory members Of society. Penitentiaries
instead of becoming mere instruments Of
torture, are gradually and properly becom'
ing more and more houses OF reformation
and correction, and the aim is now
not so much to destroy the offender
as to turn him back upon society a suDdued
and corrected man. To do this, kindness
is as much necessity in the treatment OF
prisoners as iirmness. Men are naturally
FESTIVE and rebellious under cruel or harsh
treatment but the worst of them yield FIRE.
quently TO kindness. To cage men and
treat them as beasts without feeling or rea-
son, is the best way to make beasts of them
and it were better for society then that
they were hurled into the sea, with
millsiones around their necks. The mutiny
at Sing Sing which our dispatches speak
of this morning has its lessons. Here are
men becoming desperate and turning under
long-continued cruelty upon their inhuman
masters with the recklessness and fury OF
wild beasts at bay, or likely at any time to
do 10. What is so of Sing Sing is true,
doubtless, OF two.thirds of the prisons of the
country. 1t seems to be forgotten by those
having these poor outcasts in keeping that
they are human beings, or that they are
entitled to further consideration than ami
mails in menagerie would be. Often the
menagerie fares the better OF the two. II is
confidently and PROFESSIONALLY believed
by the good people of the community, or
state, that the proper treatment is received
by the criminals who fill the jails and pen.
tentiaries that the visiting committees
from the county courts and legislature
would quickly correct any abuses, and that
the matter needs no special or extra atten-
ton; but the facta are not as these credulous,
but well-meaning citizens fancy. We yen-
ture the assertion, from multitude Of facts,
known to many who have taken an interest
in this subject, that there is greater inius-
tice, inhumanity and positive cruelty prsc.
ticed towards the inmates OF the prisons in
the United States than is dreamed of by
the uninitia'ed, or that would be tolerated
for day longer, were it generally know n,
Shut out from the public view, and dread
ing to accuse their guards and masters,
the harsh treatment is endured in
silence until it can BIO endured
no longer, and then mutiny such as this
referred to results. The fact is, our visiting
boards content themselves with walking
through the corridors of the gloomy pens;
manifest no curiosity to slit the manage
ment thereof; are anxious to get back to
sunlight and home, report all well, and
there the matter ends for another year, or
at least. another quarter. A wise policy
dictates greater attention to the matter
of prisons, and the care and treat
ment OF prisoners, and the
people should instruct those VINO represent
them either in municipal, county or state
affairs to probe the subject to the bottom
and see to it that those who
have forfeited the liberty and privileges of
the citizen and become the prisoners Of the
state while restrained and made to meet the
penalties OF their offending acts, are at
least treated as human beings worthy of
Il beings mercy and regard, and not
transformed into hardened creatur es, hay
Ing only the semblance of men, but the
hates and impulses of beasts of prey. To
be effective and at the same time humane,
punishment must be neither bed of down
nor a couch of thorns. 1t isto be hoped
that the troubles in Sing Sing will direct at
tention anew to the matter of prison man
agement.