The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-10-30
LOOK BENEATH THE SURFACE.

| very narrow view of the matter. 1t seems
to be pet theory that the law is wholly to
blame, and they demand reforms in it's adj
ministratiOn as a cure for all our social
evils. 1t is true that the law is not always
reliable, that it is used to defeat justice in
many instances, but who is to blame?
| Why. those who have the administration of
the law. And who are they? They are
nobody in particular, but everybody in
general. Mr.. Pessimist sneers at the law
because it fails to punish Mr. Goldbags for
having robbed orphans of their patrmOny;
but when in fit of anger Mr.. Pessimist
knocks his cOachman'S brains out, he re-
sorts to obstruction bribery and all the
other known trickery to defeat justice and
save himself from legal punishment But
occasionally frank, clear minded man
speaks right out in meeting and puts the
blame where it belongs He says WE, in
stead of THEY, are to blame. The admin.
istratiOn of the courts and the prisons and
all the machinery for the punishment of
crime is no more to blame for the increase
of crime than are the churches and all the
other social institutions of our country.
The upas tree of crime draws its nOurish-
ment from roots penetrating all institutions,
social. commercial. judicial, and religious.
There is moral corruption in the social at
mOsphere, dishonesty in commercial trans
actions; bribery and trickery often out
weigh the right in the scales of justice, and
pride. avarice and hypocracy lurk in the
sacred shade of the church. 1t has ever
been thus, and those who see it otherwise
are looking at the matter through an ex-
tremely small gimlet hole. But we do not
know how to apply a remedy to these evils
Even where an evil is exposed to view and
a known sure remedy is at hand it is almost
impossible to apply it because of the resist
ance of those who have selfish interests in
its perpetuation. The public is so often
imposed upon that it is mistrustful of re-
formers, and when men or parties under
take to institute beneficial reforms they are
assailed as enemies to public welfare. The
government endeavOrs to check the growth
of crime by combining it's criminals in pen-
tentiarieS and refOrmatOrieS. and by hanging
them on the gallOws, and by killing them in
secret by electric shocks, but with all these
engines of punishment and terror crime con,
tinueS on the increase. Some refOrmers cry
out to turn on the thumbScrews with more
vigor. and surround the executions with
fnrr I<r,o
be checked. Others say to modify the pun
ishments and do not kill at all, for such
things are barbarous. :.cruel and demoraliz.
ing. Neither one is wholly right nor wholly
wrong. The law, and the prison. and the
gallows can neversstop the producing of
criminals-they will never be anything
more than agencies for the reformation or
determination of criminals, and so are onlv
aids in keeping down the growth of crime.
There is but one way to prevent crime and
that is to stop producing criminals. To
stop the producing of criminals it viii be
necessary to go deeper into social reform
than any people have, ever yet, gone. Yet
there lis no'occasion for alarm, fotthe world
i'm general is no worse TODAY than it has
bessn f9 sayeraIl l lgln Years: yWs believe
that it any ehange has come it ISIS change
for the betteEsa We believe that the laws
Sys5 Ssthg II ofs meafbf igtsssd THAT
stRe4 cnpTGpa e. are exciting greater ntgence
ifeg GOOD and thatitheresstmorbO of the spirit
'ef Christ mnthe world 20 Jay. thasin ever BE-
fore. What is considHfgd oat 1thH S3fneLsoonnt