The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-01-15
saltwater, Minn, Thursday FiveC

Obedience to the first puts man in right re-
lations to his God. and gives him true in.
spiratiOn and noble aspirations. Obedience
to the second commandment puts man
into right relations to his fellow men.
Under its sway no man maraudS or men
aces. or in any way harms his fellow men.
1t is utterly impossible for man to be a
criminal or commit crime who loves his
neighbor as himself. If person is GRIM
inal, he ceases to be such the moment he
loves God with all his heart. and his neigh
Dor as himself The man from that moment
is reformed. and not entirely so before such
moment.
The gospel of which these two command
ments are the essence (which is religion) is
the one thing which, has lifted up, renovated
and reformed individuals and peoples the
world over. 1t is the only one thing that
has gone alike to hut and hall. to king and
peasant. into prison and throughout free
dOm's realm, with transforming power.
everywhere making the bad good. In the
wide, the general, the individual accom-
plishments of the gospel is the affirmative
answer to the question:: ''Can criminals be
reformed?" and it also brings the affirmative
answer that complete and enduring refOr-
nation of criminals is dependent upon re-
ligion. Religion, being necessary for the
regeneration of those not criminals. is es-
sential for the complete reformation of
those who are criminals.
The third question, as ITO what extent
is the reformation of criminals dependent
upon relgion?" has had answer in part in
what we have said upon the second ques-
tion. 1t is dependent to the extent OF com.
pleteness and security. Reform may begin
at various different points of character. 1t
may be of low origin. 1t may at the begin.
ming be without religious motive or stimu-
lus. but somewhere on the route from its
origin to its consummation" it must embrace
religion. It must embrace the heart in or.
der to crown and make whole its work,
''fOr out of the heart are the issues of life. +"
The reform of every part. power or faculty
of man, except his heart, are good occur
rences. but it is not q complete work If the
wrong heart is not c0nverted-nOt turned
to right purpose and action. In the ref
Ormation of criminals religion is cOnsumma-
tion and fixedness: it is the essential new
affection. The religion of reformation is
not form of doctrine. but it is loving God
with all the heart and our neighbOr as our
self, and to this extent is the reformation
of criminals dependent upon religion.
A refermatory system is based upon a
belief in the essential oneness of criminal
Its methods proceed from the belief that the
crimes of criminals are, in origin. develop
ment, and continuance like the Offenses of
any other persons; that rectitude is gained
or regained by the same means by all
persons; that for all deflement there must
be, essentially, the same cleansing for each
one in order that every one may become pure
in heart and correct in life. All criminal
ity is of one malady-that of sin; and it's
remedy is the same as that for perversity,
turptitude and all transgressiOn whenever
or wherever or however fOund-that for
sin. RefOrmatOry action must be along the
line of common humanity.
Within the refOrmatOry purview is the
great number and variety of persons who
have offended against property. person and
public morals. whom the law has designated
as criminals. They have been given many
fessiOnal, habitual and accidental criminals.
To the refOrmatory view they are, as a
body. people of needs; are persons who
have come to criminality by reason of men
tai. moral, physical or industrial lack. 1t
| is generally found that they are barren of
the very things which abound in good peO.
pie. which has enriched their lives with
honesty, honor and truth. and given them
aspiration and heavenly hope. Therefore
the refOrmatOry method is that of implant-
ing, rather than uprooting, one of enrich
ment rather than that of impoverishment.
The endeavor is to make the person robust
in integrity. rather than feeble in criminal
ity; to implant right affection. the expul-
sive power of which shall drive out the
wrong.
The reformatory looks for man in every
prisoner. and, finding him, it seeks TO quail
ify him with that liberty wherewith other
men have been made free from that which
was wrong in their lives and purposes.
The reformatOry deals with the offender
rather than his offense-his phases of char
acter, his physical, moral, mental and spir-
itual needs. Tho reformatory plan does