New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-24
CHANCES HERE AND THERE.

Every man not utterly selfish fancy, has in
his mind pet scheme looking TO the amcoration Of
the hardships OF the unfortunaies The scheme may
be vague and somewhat dIstantly placed in his mental
shadows, but SIN IL is there I asked Recorder
smyth what his, tho other day. and the
came swift shof and sharp: A reformatory for fe-
male convcts, and the people of Ncw-Yorls can
honestly pretend TO be civilized till such an nstu-
ton exIstsi" When you look at tho situation IN
which poor, wretched women are placed, Who for
any reason, offend against the laws, It is that
there can be small hope of redeemlng them after
they convicted Of matter how petty a
msdrmeanor. In this city there are to-day thou.
sands of girls whose only nherltanoes ignorance
and passion. The atmosphere that has surrounded
them since the day they born IS charged with
ermlnalIty. The Recorder says that in hundreds
of cases that have before him, had there been
proper institution In which TO place girls who were
proved TO be guilty Of some 'raIng offence. they
might have been saved from further wrnF dcing.
But they must all 60 either TO State Prison to The
penI,entiary Blackwclls Island, whore they have
to herd with criminal pachy derms listening 10 all
sorts Of foul suggestions, that they come out OF
confinement worse in every respect than when they
were sent into It. As the experiment Of the Elnlra
Reiormatory has shown what excellent results
produced by its SYSTEM 1t seems strange that such
an asylum for girls IL not established
Frank Beard the carcaturst and Chalk-Talk lect-
urer speaking Of the comc-p picture papers remarked
the other day None OF them has yet attained that
degree of power and usefulness that be reached
by such wonderful engines Of public sentiment II
their conductors would only widen the scope Of their
activity. They are given over, week aftor week, TO
politics and jokes You little else in them.
. Undoubtedly, they exert prodigious influence IN
politics. but think all the secular papers magnify
The public interest In political matters. The Anerf
can people think Of many things besides politics.
Hundreds Of great social abuses developed every
year. against which the bum0r and satire Of the car
toOnst could be directed with immense effect, and
TO the unbounded satisfaction Of the public. The
reading matter of some comic papers is often very
inferior In style, and usually without the slightest
moral purpose. 1t consists only OF Jokes. Now,
without bettllng either sagacous political thrusts
or genuine humor. / should think that the field
limited to these IS small and unsatisfactory" These
criticisms just they certainly good
natured. They impress ME As having great deal
of point # certainly is true that to social matters
OF the serious sort none Of the comic papers give
more than spasmodic glance
An Interesting addition to the literature Of the
Fraudulent Frank is contributed herewith The editor Of
The Iron Era living in Dover, n. j.. received a large
envelope through the mails last week. franked, j. H.
Mcpherson, IT, 4. So and stamped Public Document,
United States Senate Part of Cong Record, Free
IL was postmarted I'm this city. II contained one
frankabe document. and four which not frank
able at all Three Of these regular Democratic
documents. Tho ether was anonymous manu-
script letter. written evidently by the same hand
that addressed the envelope full Of foul and indecent
abuse Of the editor for political speech he had recently
delivered. A sample Of that portion Of the letter
that is fit to print Is follows Every School
hoy in Evey town and yiledge in our land Know thot
II Free Row silk Is good thing Why Is Not Free Row
Wool man that don't understand that lodgo Is
domb Just Such Chaps as you. Dollars Is one
thing and Principle Is other. Your Crazey Windy
Irish lies made solid Votes for tariff Reform
Which viii senator Mcpherson prefer 10 dIsown. the
letter or the frank that carried through the malls
lie can see both by calling at The Tribune office.