The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1892-03-24
The Preachers Place in Penology.
(For Prison Sunday.)

Hundreds of men, women and chill
dren are prisoners in Massachusetts,
and thousands in the country, having
the distinction of criminals. They are
sentient beings, fellow-beings with
ourselves. They are young persons.
They dwelt in our communities prior
to their imprisonment, They are the
reflex of our social life. They are rep
resentatives of existing conditions in
free society. Their faults are prevail
ent faults in the communities from
whence they come.
There are large professions of SINH
lar young persons on their way to
prison, from out of our communities.
The procession of yesterday is not the
procession of to-day; new feet daily
take up the criminal march. Forty
five and six-tenths per cent. of the
prisoners in the Massachusetts, Re-
formatory are first commitments.
Thirty-nine and seven-tenths per cent.
are cases of first offence. Statistics
from some other quarters would pro-
badly show larger per cent. OF hrst
offences and first commitments than
here.
Crime to some extent is local. This
fact NAV assist the search for causes.
The cities of Massachusetts,, which
contain fifty-nine per cent. of the pop
u1ation, furnish sixty-six and five
tenths per cent. of the commitments
to the Massachusetts, Reformatory.
There are one hundred and twenty
three courts and magistrates IN the
State who have authority to commit
persons to this Reformatory. Forty
eight and six-tenths per cent. Tor sixty
of them) make no commitments there
to, chiefly, if not wholly. because they
have no persons to commit anywhere.
From the statistics of our present
field and those of larger fields in other
years, we feel warranted in saying
that one-half of the towns of Mas
sachusetts do not have any cases OF
crimina1ity from one years end to an
other. The offences for which persons
are committed to prison arisefrom in
temperance, RIGHTEOUSNESS, ldleness,
extravagent living, poverty and 1g-
norance. These vices, habits and con-
ditions are prevalent in places from
whence criminals come, and do not
There are five kinds of work in con-
nection with criminality, viz: Proven
tive, correctional, punitive, reforma-
tory and post-prison work. In the
first and last of these the Christian
ministry can find it's employment.
First, in the preventive because the
sources, the beginnings and the pro-
motors of vice, which ends in crime,
are within the purview of Christian
endeavor; and because the Gospel
message mission and method are es-
pecial1y ordained for and adapted to
the prevention as well as the cure oil
evil. 1t is the uplifting, up-building
and shielding power. It will prevent
men from falling as well as help them
to rise. It's militant force is sufficient
to drive away all enemies of souls
To prevent evil is the Christian minis
ter's prerogative.
To institutions belong correction
al, punitive and reformatory work
They are not situated at the springs
of crime, but down it's stream. Their
action begins after the time for pre-
vention has passed. The great worl
of changing the purposes of prisoners
and the trend of their lives is laid up
on institutions; so that the crimina
will cease to do evil and learn to d.
we'll" Their work should be refor
matory, remedial. 1t may be posi-
8 BILE to make institution methods de
terrent of crime; but we think not b,
any measure which Massachusetts
would tolerate.
Post-prison work is essential AM
urgent in conserving the, benefits G
Imprisonment and continuing the pei
sonal improvement which has bee
begun. Individuals while prisoner
do reform their purposes: do begi