New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-28

tvne, Of countenance, were seated in prison garb,
learning to read and write, with their teacher'
also a convict. standing before them' INC
most perfectIy conducted department in our pubnc
schools would be put to shame by the order anu
decorum maintained from our entrance, apparently
unnotced. 10 their dismissal
Every eve was fixed upon the teacher and every
car omen IN his questions. 1t simply marvellous
70 see the attention and military precision Win
which these law breakers answered ques Ions IN aflth
,nctic and spelling without MISTAKE anu 80 pe''
had been their discipline that not glance lhuicdcu
their knowledge OF our presence. our Ne"-ioF'
net regiment has never done better on dress parade
Then one al er another was called UP 10 retu OF "
cite Here Chlnaman read Twinkle Twinkie' Li''ie
star and in response to the Warden'S question: ITO"
long have Won been i'm SCHOOL," said Three months"
lie did not know the alphabet when he entered prison
4 negro and several others who had been IN SCHOOL
three month, read and recited remarkably we'll o"o
gave a recitation from Moore. native OF our own
country who had been in school eleven months, rccited
4. Dngen on the Rhine" "Thanatopss was also au-
mlrably recited. \ prisoner, evidently Oh heorrw
oripan gave brutus'N lddr'I, to the Romans Oh ''c
Death Of Caesar" without mistake - .h
The warden, from time to time, gave Ihen
word of encouragement or praise, , l fne,,
men who could neither read nor write irolI
three months 10 a year ago. able TO read and
commit to memory these gems. ana To Wrtc le,e,s
why they had never attended school, one SAID MS
folks died when he was young" otler. h;id 10 WORK.
AM so
who served his sentence for manslaughtcr lie Is no"
law abiding citizen and gives evidence OF marked I'M
provcmcnt in moral character. Doubtless there are
others for this is the warden's aim. Not uh'ii thc
books opened at the last Great Day VIII al" ''c
results be known. -, h., g.,
When the time came for the school 10
be dismissed they filed out quietly ara
then treated to a most cn9yaoiee
concert by the prison choir composed entirely Oh
convictS. What "A motley group wa TINS mere "as
smith. the cOnviCr member Of Plymouth Church ~
his side trio Of negro singers, one OF thcin piO
fcs,Onal minstrel. who kept all cOnvulNed Win laneh
ter: Pcll tho bank wrccher. whose sweet strains on
the organ recalled other scenes IN one OF wnch ne
lCurei playing in minor key the funcr2! Hrge OF
Vanderbilt: an Irish labOrcr sentenced for twrn'N
wears with a fine voice. sang comic songs, composed
by one of his fellow prisoners There was Nionlst
and an opera singer with superior bass voice ETC.
Alas neither intellect refined tastes. nor talents are
safeguards against the temptcrs puwer. one marked
feature Of This concert the freedom ana Zcst Win
which all engaged in the singing and yet the perfect
r.. meet and subordinatOn 10 the officers. ter listen
ing TO classic instrumental music plantation songs ana
pathetic ballads for hour. we were deeply Impressed
by hearing all these voices reSGnd through the chapel
i'm that mean Of praiSc-the long metre dONoogy And
why should not all creatures hero below praise Him
from whom all blessings how Is. W. T.
Fishklu Y. Y, Dec. -, 1870.