Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-04-10

ceptions TO this rule, but II is still the rule.
IL may he said that the effort TO reclaim the
| criminal is generally failure. This is not
necessarily true; $40 persons have been
released from the Massachusetts, reformato-
ry in the last six years, and Col Gardiner
Tufts, the superintendent sfiirms that
three fourths of this number have done
well OF those who have not done well
three -fourths had been prisoners elsewhere.
and among those who failed the majority
were incorporate. Nevertheless, there
are frequent failures in the most earnest
| efforts for the fallen. Other things being
| equal, perhaps larger number Of reformed
ex-convicts would relapse than Of men
| equally low down, unconvicted of crime.
But other things are not equal The ex-
convict who tries TO reform has obstacles 10
contend against such as no other persons
meet, and one Of the greatest is this very
unhelief in the possibility Of his reform
As one wrote 10 me out of his own bitter
experience Those whom | wished to min
gle with would not have me, aud those that
would have me did not want"
Here is an extract from the experience
of such man, quoted by Gen. Booth:
THE morning Of discharge came and am
once more in the streets with scanty means.
Could brace myself to make another hon
est effort Try, indeed did. fell back
upon my antecedents and tried to cut the
dark passage out Of my life, but straight
came the questions What have YOU been
doing lately Where have you been liv-
ing II | evaded, it caused doubt II
answered in jail, that settled my chances.
The last words Of the chaplain before leav-
ing the prison, cold and precise in their
Journalism, were Mind you never come
back here, young man And now in re.
sponse to my earnest efforts u keep from
going TO prison, society by its actions cried,
go back TO jail IL is the object of the
Christian Aid society to awaken in prisoners
a desire and purpose to lead Christian
lives and when they come out to help them
get start in life once more.
Taking another line Of thought, if pub
| lie opinion-that ex-convicts are almost
sure tO reapse-be true, our work for them
Is not so much condemned as is our whole
| system for the punishment of evil doers
| II men IN prison are "A hopeless class, then
our prisons are failure. and the only thing
| To do is u treat them as we do the hone
lessly insane, by keeping them in perpetual
confinement. No reasonable man would
demand that. 1t cannot be that the object
OF punishment is simply to nflict suffering,
Tor there are many recognized sins which
we do not attempt to punish Why should
we inict suffering on the man who steals
and not upon the man who swears, or gets
angry, or ruins his health by excessive in
/ dulgence Of his passions These are sins
as we'll as the other The law takes cog
nizance only of such sins as iniure another.
1t Furnishes in order to protect society,
either by confining the criminal so that he
cannot do more mischief, or by reforming
hun so that ne will not try 10 do it, 4
common impression is that the object of
imprisonment is to make men afraid 10
commit crime, and no doubt that is a part
OF the object. IL was about the only thing
thought Of in old times But experience
shows that punishment severe or light, does
not ehectually stop the flood gates Of crime
by deterring men from its commission.
Warden Hatch Of Michigan, in defining the
object Of imprisonment as the protection of
society which can only be secured by con
iinement or reformation, adds "Confne-
ment is, IN the main, temporary therefore
the only permanent protection must be oh.
tained by reformation
1t seems to us that while every prison
er should he subjected to that measure of
punishment which shall mark due sense of
his crime both to himself and society" the
time has arrived to press with vigor the
reformatory agencies, to try saving by
bringing TO bear all the agencies Of the
| gospel. The task would not be so difficult
| if public opinion sympathized with the ef
fort That the inmates of our iails are
human beings is not sufficiently considered.
mean that they are very much like other
people, susceptible to all good and bad in
| fuenceS' They have consciences, though
| they are often scared as with "A hot iron
and the gospel Influences must he present
ed u them in the same way, substantially
| -, eh...- % a. Al
have tried to regard the inmates Of our
county Jail as my parishioners just as tru-
ly as were the most respectable people in
the community, but 1t has been difficult to
rid myself of the idea that man in jail is
different kind of creature from one out
side-an ideal criminal, brutal, violent, re
pulslve. But on personal acquaintance |
have generally found them to he very much
like men outside. They were often weak
mentally and morally: so are many
outside. They are men who have done
wrong so are all men. 1t is q differ
ence in degree, not in kind | met there
a rough-lOOking specimen who proved to be
an old schoOlmate. Our paths had widely
separated, divergsd as it were before our
births, for his father was II common drunk
ard mine never drank glass of lqour in
his life. But in spite of this we both need
/
Ii this gospel is 10 be effective with prison
ers it must be carried to them and present
ell in the same spirit as TO those outside. If
any give evidence of having accepted the
message they must be watched over and
helped as we help our converts in every
working church. Mere perfunctOry preach
ing cannot do the work. Il would not con
vert the most susceptible soul in any con-
gregatiOn. How much less a soul buried
under a vast accumulation of hardening
and debasing influences.
IL is not the object of the Christian as
sOciatiOn TO cultivate that silly sentiment
which makes hero out of a criminal, re-
garding him as one who has been abused
10y society, who is to be petted and treated
as though he were better than Others We
believe in the punishment of crime, sure,
stern, swift, but we do not believe in that
abuse and neglect which sends a man forth
worse than he was before. 1t is not our
object that every man coming outOf prison
should he treated like an honest man in all
respects. We would not at once take the
reformed criminal into the best society and
give him a responsible position, where he
light not only fall himself, but bring dis
aster upon others. A man who has sinned
must suffer the consequences Reform
must begin in humility of heart which
makes one willing to begin with small
things. and win as he shows himself worthy.
We desire to give Il man who wants to rise
starting place, and not drive him back 70
crime as the the only resort from starva-
ton.
Whether this Christian Aid association is
able To do what it proposes is a question to
he settled by future action hut that the
work needs doing admits of no question. 1t
is one of the hopeful signs of the times that
people are waking up to the Importance of
this work