The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-11-06


lie opinion into statutes. and fourth, even.
by wardens of prisons. if they are newly
appointed or are incapable of forming cor
rect estimate of character and of the motives,
which inf uence human action.
The true criminal is, think, usually a
man In whom the animal nature preponder-
ates to considerable extent, more or less,
according to the individual. He is more
apt than other men to be Incorporate and
licentiOuS. He is, as rule, indOlent and
self-indulgent in respect of slOthful habits
Many criminals have soft. tiabby muscular
tissue, and the tone of their nervous sys-
tenn is sluggish. Evidently. a man of strong
physical appetiteS, with little nervous or
muscular energy, is naturally fitted to lead
the life of a social parasite. 1t follows that
criminals, as class, are men of little self
control or power of sustained, continuous,
effort.
Since the criminal virus effects its subject
in all the departments of his life, physical.
intellectual and spiritual, there can be no
reformation of the criminal which does not
wholly or in part neutraize this virus. in.
all these departments. Hence it is an axiom
in penOlOgy that a refOrmatOry discipline
must include labor. which is addressed
primarily to the physical nature; education.
which primarily affects the intellect; and
religion, which appeals to the spiritual
nature or the conscience.
But you will observe that all of these are
forms of education. The criminal is essen
TALLY defective human being. a man i'm
perfectly developed. with perverted in
stincts. To correct his defects, he must be-
brought out of himself; more must be made
of him than he is capable of making of him
self. If any one will visit training school
for idiots and feeble minded children, he
will there obtain hint as to the processes
to be employed. The idiot is painfully
taught, through the action of another mind
brought to bear gently but persistently
upon his own, what other children acquire
of their own motion and accord, in the
games and sports of early life. Crime is
allied not only to imbecilty but to insanity.
Much can therefore be learned from care
full observation of the methods pursued in
hospitals for the insane, where the lack of
self-cOntrOl on the part of the patient is
supplied, if possible, through the intelli-
gent action of the physician and attendants.
by means of physical exercise, including
diet, mental diversion. and constant press
ure brought to bear upon the defective or
perverted will.
Our system of Offering the position Of
prison warden as a reward for political
who have no knowledge OF crime, and no
experience in dealing with criminals, is a
fatal obstacle to success in the effort to re-
form prisoners. These same gentlemen
might with equal prOpriety be appointed
superintendent of hospitals for the insane
without medical training or experience.
This is not saying that our wardens are
not, as a class. very good men indeed, when
compared with other men in the cOmmu-
nifty from which they come. But so soon
as warden has developed the knowledge
and skill necessary to deal with criminals
committed to his custody in an intelligen
way, change of political parties is apt to
occur. and he is forced out to make room
for a successor as unskilled and incOmpe-
tent as he was when he was first appointed.
A new warden is often either moral en-
thuSiaSt, who imagineS that cOnvicIS can be
converted by singing hymns to them, or
else he is a peSSimiSt, without faith in hui
man nature and its possibilities, who looks
upon all cOnvictS as hOpelessly irreciaim-
able, and for that reason he makes no eff
fort to reclaim them. 1t takes years of ex-
perience in the management of prison to
enable warden to form correct estimate
of the men under his charge and of his per-
sonal responsibilities toward them. He
must have hope, or he can do nothing. On
the other hand, he must have common
sense. or he will be fooled into suppOsing
that he has done or can do more than is,
III fact, possible.
Conscience has been frequently said to be
the voice of God in the SOUL 1t has it's
sanction in religion. If the conscience is
not reached. nothing Of permanent value
is accomplished. Cant. dogma. affectation
in all its forms, is supremacy repulsive
to the prisoner. The man who would
reach him must command his respect and
win his heart by the manifestation of manly
qualities. The motives which actuate the
management of prisons must be religious
motives, or prisons cannot be converted