The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-05-02

anger. revengefulness. etc., are some of
the effects of Imprisonment, and that syS-
TEN which obvates to the greatest extent
these effects, and restores the wrong-dOer
to society and life of honesty in the short
est space of time is the best. Now, will
the reformatOry accomplish this end?
True manhood. and wOmanhOOd. are the
basis of civilization. To determine these
we, as every civilization existing, as well as
every one which has ever existed. have our
standards. Self-reliant honesty is the
crowning virtue of human life. With it
life is success, without it an utter failure.
so far as the true purpose of life is involved.
In proportion as men are wanting in this,
we find them wanting in their lives. He who
has violated law of his country, if that law
is just one, has sacrificed certain amount
of this great moral virtue. He who has de-
voted years of his life to dishonest pursuits,
has sacrificed more of his better nature, and
ordinarily it will take him longer to regain
an honest condition. than he who has lived
an honorable, useful life until the commits
sion of the act which deprived him OF liber-
ty. Now, the refOrmatOry proposes to take
the young man who is sentenced to cOnflne-
ment there, and at whatever stage OF Grim
inalty he may be. restore him to healthy
moral condition by process OF treatment.
as follows: He is required to labor, study,
and lin behavior he must be perfect in Obe
dience to the many and minute rules laid
down." In other words he must be piece
Of machinery for one year, performing a
certain number of revolutions, and on his
success at surrender of all individuality.
and his ability to do AS WE SAY" depends
his chance of release. He must work with
a will, and on this he is graded. Just how
for uioo1 clyi11 rnC ohlic h.
ing ones ability to walk in virtuOuS paths.
it is difficult matter to say. All men can
not learn mechanical art with the same
readiness. and how or why this talent should
weigh for or against one who is imprisoned
to correct moral defect requires stretch
of the imagination which | confess my ina
bility to reach. know men who for many
years have been familiar with the sight. and
when necessary have not hesitated to use
carpenters tools, but to drive three nails in
a board in straight line, or saw board
into two equal lengths would be next thing
to an impossibility. Yet their morality has
never been questioned. and they are honor
able citizens.
He must study, and on his intellectual ad-
vancement he is graded. In this there is a
little leniency displayed; seventy-tive per
cent. will pass. Any man who has had eX-
perience as teacher, or any close observer,
knows how differently children or men
grasp learning. From six to fifteen is the
period of life usually devoted to common
school education. and who has not seen the
laundering boy OF ten no farther advanced
than his brother or sister of eight; but as if
by inspiration, the light of reason begins to
dawn upon him, and he grasps and retains
everything which comes in his way with
ease. Why is this? He has arrived at the
reasoning period. By some children this is
reached in earlier life, to some it comes
later, and alas! there are those who never
reach it. This is true of children; it is no
less true of men who have not had the ad-
vantages of early education. The young
man of 81 enters the refOrmatOry; he has
been reared on a farm; he has never known
the world beyond his immediate neighbOr-
hood. but he stole something, and he must
be reformed. He is ignorant, and awk-
ward. His criminal record is the one act
which placed him in the reformatory. The
boys laugh at him, poke fun at him. The
guard insults him and he puts tin ear on
the guard. Why, say! when do you sup
pose this criminal would get out of the re-
fOrmatOry? AT THE MAXIMUM LIMIT OF
HIS SENTENCE! And because he is not
educated. is not mechanic, aud can't walk
straight in the line. But he could walk
after plow, and would if given tie oppor-
tunity, resume his life on the farm. Con-
trast with him the graceful young man with
| clerk in store. He knows the world
has lived on his wits some years finally
gets caught. and is sent to the reformatory.