The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-07-31
saltwater Minn, Thursday july 81, 1890.
Five Gents

the real benefits were left out of considera-
tiOn. Besides the knowledge of the branches
pursued, mention may be made, however,
of the habits of method. order, and system.
and the application to mental pursuits which
these men incidentally acquire through the
school," Success in the northern prison led
to the opening OF school in the "PrisOn
South" at Jetfersonvlle.
At Chester we find the following state of
affairs: During the period covered by this
report. have conducted two terms OF school
in the prison; and. allowing for the disad-
vahtages which necessarily beset such an
undertaking. am greatly gratified with the
results, and flatter myself that we have been
very successful. For teachers, | have had
to rely entirely upon the voluntary and un-
paid assistance of prisoners, who have never
failed me yet, and have cheerfully and in
telligently worked with as much interest as
do the teachers in our public schools. To
ask men to work hard all day and to teach
school without compensation until nine at
night is making severe demand on good
nature. The best men and women who are
free would hesitate to work in this manner
without compensation; yet these cOnvlctS
do it gladly" ."-ThOs. M. Giffith, Chaplain
Southern Penitentiary, Chester. LII.
Richard Vaux, one of the men best quail
flied to speak of such things. considers men,
tai and manual training the most efficacious
of all measures looking to the reformation
of the crime class. His opinion is shared
by Warden Cassidy. of the Eastern Peniten-
tiary, of Pennsylvania.
We are coming more and more to believe
that the prisons of commonwealth have
very much higher duties to perform than to
oil nj foin 10
his sentence. and then turn him out to re-
sumo his old life with renewed zeal. stimu-
lated by long confinement and strengthened
by long association with the worst criminal
types. 1t is punishment to be deprived OF
liberty; but punishment is only secondary
object subsequent to conviction. 1t is incl
dental to the process used to bring about
the prisoners reformation. 1t is, of course,
reasonable to believe that he who commits
one crime has the characteristics which will
enable him to commit another; and. while
those characteristics remain, there is reason
to fear for continued commission of Grim
inal actions. The duty of the penOlOgist
is to SO treat a man as to produce moral
change that will enable him to do the right
either for the rights sake or because it is
the wisest thing to do. This can be accom-
| plshed in three ways. or rather by three
agencies:
First. useful labor, involving the acquisi-
ton of habits of industry, and desire of in
dustry in place of the life of Incidence to
which the criminal has been accustomed.
1t is necessary to his health and to the Sec
ond agency. mental development, which.
while it does not contribute directly to moral
culture. is necessary to good citizenship.
Good thoughts exclude evil ones; and the
mental requirements OF prison should be
of character that will test to the uttermOst
every inmate of that prison. The third
remedy, or agency. for advancement should
be moral and religious training. The fOun-
dation of the State is good morals; and the
foundation of good morals is religion.
Without the one. the other is impossible.
We should either accept religion as power
full factor in affecting human conduct or we
should reject it altogether. Ii 1t is o. value
to society, it must be to prison population
If men are to be shut up because they are
unfit to live at large, it would certainly be
wrong to deprive them OF any of the refin-
ing influences used for the betterment of
men outside prison.
To properly appreciate the advantages
of religion and moral development, literary
training is certainly required. Without that
foundation we cannot build. With it we
can build up such q character as will enable
any discharged convict to live we'll and
hOnestly.-O. L. Syrski, in the Christian
Register.