New-York tribune., 1884-02-27
NEED OF PRISON REFORM.
THE CHURCHES AND THE CRIMINAL CLASS
TWO MEETINss YEsTERDAY-DRs. ABBOTT, Crosby
AND POTTER AMONG THE SPEAKERS.

TWO MEETINGS. YEsTERDAY-DRs. ABBOTT Crosby
AND POTTER AMONG THE SPEAKERS.
Ameeting was held yesterday afternoon and eve
ming in Grace Hall, III East Fourteentn-s,', pu p Al
Steinway Hall, under the auspices OF to tion
Association of NewYork, to consider the IelatiUn
of The chnrches TO the criminal class" At the AFTER
noon session In Grace Hall ministers oiN % ;Sd
present The Rev. DIR. $ lrenGuS rit in tbe
hall MANY of them came from towns tnIousnous
the State, ana had been sent as repreSenIaINvS VI
siSfont Bishop Potter Dr.. Prime opened the meeting
bv telling of a visit which DE loqucNiife uldue ~
Sing Sing Prison in 1851 wheh IL p; m Toone'
willie listened attentively while a c9ored, con- con-
vSt TePeatsd two ns no his schoo have any,
thing to do with the government OF TINS prison
Many times since then, Dr. Prime sald, he had been
led to think of that question ana 10 wohHer II te ne
Truths of Gods religion did have anything TO DO
with prison government, discipline and reform.
The indifference of Christian churches and MINIS.
fers had led hir often TO think that the churches
did not believe that religion had anything to do
with prisons. There was no room, he sand,
for the Tose-wateT method of testing the
question. He did not believe in making a
martyr of a red-handed robber or murderer or IN
strewing flowers in the cells of CRIMINALS or along
the path TO the gallows-howers winch should DC
placed upon the graves of the victims
w. NJ. +. Round, corresponding secretary OF lhe
Hs SSid tSat fhe sing Sing Prison was shamefnly
Overcrowded while new prison at CLINTON, onllt AZ
cost of 100000, had never had conylct nsa Uchea
up in it, This abuse existed simply Tor tne puIposc
OF making a good financial showing for the present
prison system of the State. In answer 10 9es'%U, %
Mr. Round said that hsfe TerS Ss G bs ces than the
criminals He knew OF one prisoh wneno oIo membar
keepers had been appointed to please one meDeT @
of the Legislature, although the men hau never nu
particle of previous experience D,.,,,,
Tne Rev. J. B. Morse, chaplain OF BlackweiIs
Island Pententiary, offered a resolution approving
fhe work of the association, recommend
ing that all the churches in the state set
aside one Sunday in the year for the conslderatlon
of the relation of Christian people TO the retorna
tion Of criminals, and providing for committee OF
those present tofix upon Sunday and send notices
Thelf2ey. DIR. LYMAN Abbott said that there were
800 persons in the prisons ofthe State, and 20 600
not in prison who ought to be- one person ont OF
every seventy-ive was a criminal Progress N CIVIL
ization he continued, was not marked by rallrOa9s,
palaces and material improvements so mucn as py
fhe education of the people and primarily by their
moral education The true measure OF advance III
Christian civilization was IN the sinall hnmper oI
dlsobeying persons in the community ana the large
number of obedient ones. The ayowed ob]ect OF
prison machinery was to protect the innocent and
TO discipline and reform the guilty. The real OBJECT
sS to be to make S tho county
boarding keeper-who was interested
in having his hotel as well filled as
possible In the case OF the State fllSoS There tne
should be labor system IN the prisons, nnt IL
should aim not to make money out OF the prisoners
main 0uestions to answer were: DO we make the
prison systems do its work No " Are we reduc-
Ing the number of crlminalsiD No. oHtN-hIe per
cent of all the prisoners in the prisons
of the State were in for the second or
the third time. Did that look as if prison
methods were successful In Ireland and
Belgium only sixteen per cent of the prisoners were
IN for the second time. , -
Short speeches were made by the Rev. Edward
Judson, the Rev. DR.. j. X. Day, Assistant BISHOP
Potter, and z. X. Brockway, OF the Elmlra Reform
atory The resolution was passed unanimously.
were the Rev. Dr. James NJ Pullman, the Rev. J:
Hyatt Smith, the Rev. Arthur Brooks, Wendell
Prime, Norman Fox, the Rev. DR.. A. e. Byers, OF
the Ohio State Board of Charities, ana Oeneral
Rudolph Brinkerhof, of OHIO
THE EVENING MEETING.
At the evening session in Steinway Hall, Bishop
LittlejOhn of Brooklyn. presided WIN INN on
sistant Bishop Potter, the Rev. Dr. William NJ.
Taylor Bishop Harris, the Rev. DR.. j. NJ. Bnckey,
H. X. Brockway, ex-MayOr Samuel Booth, OF Brook
lyn the Rev. Dr. Frederick Ii. Wines of Springfield,
H., Charles III. Ketchell, Lispenard Stewart and
Robert wilkins, of the Prison Society OF Paris;
Dr. Taylor opened the session with prayer, and
Bishop Littlejohn made short speecnln which he
emphasized the necessity OF convincing rouslng and
directing public sentiment on the subject OF prison
reform. Dr. Crosbyspoke next ana explained that
it necessary 10 have such organlza-
tions as the Prison Association to watch
officials and prevent them from getting INTO
Tuts III the performance Of their duties. lhere
were two extreme theories OF prison management,
he said-the old baTbarous theory that aconyicted
criminal was 10 longer man, and the new phllan-
thropic theory which looked upon a prisoner as
sufferer, not by his own crlme, VINO shouid De
live in quasi luxury. Between these
two extremes was the rational, human, Chris
tian method of reformation. DR.. Crosby
gave an account of a burglar caught i'll his house
and sentenced to fifteen years at sing Sing, with
whom he coTrespOnded through the prison chaplain
for five years, when the convict was pardoned
through his efforts. The man was now one of the
most prominent men IN distant community and
noted for his good deeds Christians should turn
over a new leaf in their personal religion, the
speaker thought, and should approach discharged
convict as his helper and guide and they should
not turn away at his approach.
Assistant Bishop Potter said that there
were two great crises i'll criminals life,
The first one was when lie hIst
was when bis prison doors were opened and he
found himself a free man again. When young
man was convicted at first he should be kept from
the evil influences of hardened prisoners He should
be isolated for few hours each day while ms hands
were kept busy in some healthful employment, and
then he should be brought in contact with good
Christian influences. When he was made free
again he should be helped and made sef-reliant.
Other speakers were the Rev. DIS. Buckley,
Wines and Remensnyder.