Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-12-15
THE PRisUNERs' LIBRARY.
Substantial ConiribuIisns Received
and More to Follow Let the
Good Work Proceed.
AN ArpREcIArivE Litter.

and approval Of yo,.r efforts In
lwlalf al the lliary uf the peni-
teutiary. This il ce.tany u g,n |
work aud merits til support nj
sympathy u 80 d eople. Per-
soiialiy have been deepl, Interested
iu the pri' oners since iir>t cbluing Ia
salem. have rn,lcayore,i to avuid
IN the one hand that nnu!bid senli-
meutalism which regards all con
vicls Us poor fellows, whose viola
tions of the law should I've condone'
rather than culideinue,l, aud on tit
,ther hand that heariless cynicisn
which losrs sight uf our common
humanity aud refuses to believe Ia,
The possibility cf any genuin,
,efuriu itiod on the part of those
sho have once fallen. dn n.t
,alliate the offences of criniina.s
when | say what know To be true,
hat there are men in the Oregon
Jeniteutiary who aIe not whit
worse, =. far as intrinsic characiri
= nce-ned. than many who ar,
nunted respectable on the outside
There are at hers who are thoroughly
[ had almost said h0peltss!y, bad
Whether we recognize the fact oI
lot we are debtors To these men, IL
very III raj man is debtor to each
md a who neel his help.
Ii I have mpre than auothc l am
ais debtor To that extent. The con-
,nunity cannot righifu!ly ignore the
aresence of more than three hun.
ired len whose moral improvement
can certainly he accomplished
;hrou III wise and. kindly efforts.
The library IS a g.md step in the
i.ht direction. Will you allow me
10 suggest that those who cannot
i've bDks may fiud good use for
lit Z money III this enterprise. Su
,erin,endent Dnwniig has ilread,
occurred four volumes uf most eN
client wo X, the Library of Anicri
All l. teraturt. This work embrace,
| zen voluiu, sand these can be secured
ar thu penitentiary AT special rate
| The wo. k l. by No mean, above th,
Intelligence OF many of the prison
.rs. Eighteen dollars will be re-
| Iuired to purchase the remainder oi
his set, vii ch is ~ library in Itself
nd is adapted TO men of al
most ,very taste. No better
Use could be made of IL lit
tie m ney than in furthering such
4 purchase. | shall be n,ust happ,
TO assist you To The extent of N,
ib lity in your very c"nmelidal,h
endeavors. alree linweve most
heart y with the writer VIII. siyne
him ell "R" in recent issue uf tlr
JOURNAL. Something more il
needed t.ian these occasional bene
factions. The state is not doing it,
duty ~ the prisoners. From tile
esnIiim cal STANDPOINT alone We are
l~nny-wis. and pound foolish. !
would Ike to See Il chaplain IN III,
state prison. Most heartily du AL
vocsite lli'. entire separation of church
aud state but think the state doe
not endorse II particular church H..
engaging the services of slillIe ON.
pf that faith any IN IRE than dpe-
she endorse homeopathy hy enyap
ing the services uf the linnIeopatlI;s'
Personally l would he willing Ia
see any man whose heart is sin
rerely anxi"us for the moral welf.ir,
nf men appointed ~ that l"sition
| No one but very foolish man
! would endeavOr 10 make such n
Irsitiuu sectarian, and no man OF
genuine piety could fail 10 accoin-
Plush good, if he combined with hi-
piety II fair amount of Common
sense. Fortunately the state has
good men in charge of this insiitu-
I ton and | do not hesitate To say
That the present superintendent
does much more than H." il required
10 do in behalf of the prisoners,
| We owe it to him and not to oui
legislators that there prevails such
good order aud \ much of the re
f.rinatory spirit Ia our state prison
A selfish or careless man could
scarcely fail TO make the prison II
! hoi bed of crime and nui seIy %,
criniinals. Indeed, in spite of The
efforts of all the officers TO counter
| act the evil Influences Of the place
! fear that our state prison to day
ruins three where il reforms one.
shall heartily second every endeavui
10 secure sunie needed legislation Ia
behalf Of men who are 10y no incaI,s
beyond The reach of better iiitlu
eiices and among whom | am NOT
ASHAMED 10 acknowledge suiii,
friends, fliemds whom have never
known in any other character than
that Of convicts.
ROBERT WHITAKER.
MAGAZINES AND BOOKS RECEIVED
Nathan p. Mack, No
Health Journals ais--------- 35
Miscellaneous npks--------- 10
Hon. VIM. Armstrong,
Biographical Works Q
Is. A. Trimible,
Periodicals. 4
History and biography .----
Mrs. Campbell, Mill street,