Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-20

III
$50.
frank WAYS and his great common sense.
lie has magnetism and, next to Colonel In
gersoll, who differs somewhat from him IN
orthodoxy. know of nobody in the city
whom l would sooner hear talk on any
SUBJECT, religious, moral, or military. L
would especially, though. like TO hear him
descant upon that Scriptural story touch
inc Dives and the arid lands 10 the south
OF us.
EDUCATING THE poLicF.
II appears % be Mira ID. w. Bishops
opinion that the proper place for mission
airy work "a right here IN New York. among
the police. IL ~ hardly IN accordance with
eternal fitness that the representatives OF
law. order, and justice-tbe guardians OF
peace and the hope Of society be
selected a. an element OF humanity that
snouid be lifted up and ennobled, as II
were. Yet TINS IS the good Mrs. Bishops
view Of A.. Furthermore, she has the cour-
age of her convictions and has been spend
inc her money IN proof OF 10.
Believing. "a TINS lady does. that the
police are walking IN Qental and moral
darkness. she has set about TO place books
ia their hands and thus let the lamp Of
knowledge shed its bright RAYS over their
dark pathways. otherwise their beats"
IL IL Mrs. Bishops plan to convert what Is
known as the day room of each sta
tion-house IN the citv into a library where
the policeman can always turn tor intel
lectual light and life Under this plan
twenty-five statiOp-houses have been SUP
piled with bookcases and the shelves
the police were particularly weak on
moral philosophy, the arts and sciences,
including astronomy. etc, Mrs. Bishops
FIRST batch OF literature was largely de-
voted 10 these branches.
History was also represented IN Motley
and Bancroft, and altogether al intellectual
feast was spread out before our Metro
politan police force that should have made
It's teeth water. And vet II did not. re-
greet to state. 4 police commissioner IN
forms me that IL was positively painful TO
watch cop" 20 through newlv-ln-
stalled library 10 find mental pabulum,
reject one volume after another and then,
with pain and disappointment painted
upon every feature, sit down and fsh
well-thumbed Police Gazette out of his hip
pocket One day q carload Of new books
was received at one OF the station-houses.
ALL THIS ROT.
A" cop" in from his beat looked over
the pile with ill-concealed contempt.
Taking up q volume of Gibbons " Decline
aud Fall of tho Roman Empire" he " leaf
ed II through mechanically, and asked
" say, wots ali dis rot about, anyhow"
This and other painful incidents OF the
kind recalled 10 Mrs. Bishops mind the
wise observation Of James Freeman CLARKE
that 1.-THE taste for reading must begin
with felton, and so she tempted the
" bobby" with the choicest romance, a.
she thought. But even " Ben-Hur or
BiurnsOn "reminiscences "SynnOye Sol
hakken' would not woo him into delight
ful paths OF literature.
Ii Is SAID that a patrOlmar in the Ten
dorloin district, though from the title, OF
II. ne might md something worth while
IN William Blacks. " hat Beautiful
wretch but after reading a few pages
threw II away as being fiat, stale, and IN
profitable. these things have tendency
10 discourage Mrs Bishop. OF course. and
yet when woman will she wall, and so
Mrs. Bishop Is still perseyerlug IN a highly
cOmmendable way IN her mission OF ponce
enlightenment Already she has distri-
butod more than 5000 volumes, and While
her educational campaign may be slow II
ought 10 result in much good. Anyhow,
her opinion that there Is room for mis-.
siouary work at home has been confrmed
bv the very dlscouragements with which
she has met IN this present undertaking.
he HAD sCBUPLEs.
Vincent Sarsfeld Cooke, the city editor
Of the Morning ddUerftscr, has had good
deal of experience IN q journalistic way
with criminals. and he can tell a man WHO
has done time" IN penltentlary at
Glance. lie says that they have way OF
furt.vely glancIng out of the corners of
their ewes which IS never acquired by any
man who has not learned the lockstep.
MIR. Cooke has theory that two-thlrds OF
those VINO are sent to our penal lnstltu-
tions are not a whit more guilty than num-
bers who never have pTlson-door closed
on them. In his eyes, they are only
more unfortunate He Is ever wiling to
holm auv discharged convict to reform IN
the most practical way by helping him TO "a
situation IN winch he can earn an honest
living. He had en experience lately which
has caused q good deal of fun TO be pOked
AT members of the theatrical profession.
A fellow who has been four times IN prison
for burglariZing banks went 70 MN TOT as
slstauce. and obtained 1t III return Tor
good newspaper story. A1,er IL hau
beeu told. Cooke said. Wouldn't You Ike
to get q place where you can earn gOou,
honest iivipgl"
Indeed. / would" was the reply; but
the police hound me and fear they woulu
not let me keep It," -,
The police can't bother you IN TINS
place" was the answer. Then Mr.. Cooke
wrote note 10 Thomas A. DAVIS, the
manager of The StOwaway," play IN
which "A couple of ex-burglars show how
tney used 10 crack safes IN their proies-
slonal days. The note commended Mr.:
Deftfnger as reformed "eonen,'
who would be an acquisition to his
safe-blowing force. and asked that
an engagement be gwen him., Inc
rX-couylct took the note and de-
hvered 1t, aud was offered an, engage
mont. but when he found that he would
have to appear in theatres he de
chned 1t. saying: " I'm very sorry, but
there is mistake here, Mr.. DAVIS, am
vcrv thanSful TO YOU and Dir. Cooke Tor
fhe interest YOU have taken in me, but
when | was a boy ! promised my mother
ON her diving bed that would never 90 on
the stage. and cannot break my word"