St. Paul daily globe., 1892-11-21
ON LAWBREAKERs.
Rev. william Wilkinson Talks to


the Y. NJ. G. "A.
Yesterday afternoon there was large
gathering of men to hear Rev. William
Wilkinson in the Young Mems Christian
association. During his address he said:
Every large city has large number
of persons who cannot or will not obey
the law. Many of these persons are
more to be pltied than blamed, of course.
Some transgreSS out of sheer perVerSity,
so a distinction and difference must,
in any just judgment, be made in our
estimate, and in our treatment OF prlS-
Oners. The simple paragraph we scan so
quickly and forget SO soon, after laying
down newspaper, has III 1t, alas! too
often. concealed story no words can
tell. and which it is not in the power OF
bitter tears to atone for. Seriousness OF
the whole is increased by the fact that
these reports are so numerous. L shall
not speak about the great multitude OF
cases in which men are arrested, tried
and convicted, and under false name,
pay fine and depart. They shall have
attention at another time. L shall now
only speak about those who are not
given fine. or who being fined, have
neither the money to pay 1T nor the
friend who will.
In minneapolis last year 1,66S such
persons found a place III the work
house. Out Of this number only ninety
were women. 1t is said often that it is
the ignorant who are the law breakers.
Only forty-tive of this whole number
could not read, while 1,607 could both
read and write, and not few of them
had an excellent education. We often
hear it said that certain religious views
are responsible for the lapSeS into
crime, or, if not that, then some
churches have more criminals than
others; but it is never satisfactory to
reason thus, for nearly all re-
ligions had representatives in the
abode of punishment Two hun
dred and thirty-siX persons
in the workhouse, were married and
had children. What deplorable fact
is this, that father or mother should be
in prison! How keen, in many in
stances. the degradation was felt to be L
we'll know, for l have seen the families.
The vast majority of respectable peo-
pie who go to church do not know what
is taking place all around them. They
hear the words central police cells, or
workhouse, and they think they are
places for 1.-The lowest of the low," for
persons who are not fit to be spoken to,
who have right only to be punished,
Every man, every woman sent to the
workhouse has heart, head, history
behind and a future before, and is
a member of the state, and often Of
the church. They do belong to the
human race. These persons have a
right 10 expect Christian treatment.
know it is easy to pile up the agony,
to paint the picture all dark, to say it is
fn nloin fn
statistics to tell sad experience of con-
fidence misplaced, and work which
looks thrown aWay-and to make all
this excuse for duty left undone; or. on
the other hand, to say, III an otf-hand
manner, how city should be managed
and the tranSgreSSOrS of the law dealt
with. All this can be done by those per-
sons who never gave the subjects one
hours thought; but the best men in all
cities and in every party who have been
in authority and who have engaged in
work to raise the fallen, know how hard
1t Is. how much faith. wisdom, care, per-
severance and love are demanded.
Ii there is one thing sure it is
this, that men who cannot be redeemed
by faultfinding. or criticism, or preach
ing terror, are in the reach of pure,
hopeful, helpful love. Whether or not
the question here-how to deal with our
prisoners-is understood by the people
or not, one thing is sure: Our duty is
not done when we have left the whole
matter III the hands of delegates to deal
with it. plead for public interest in
the class of people who are gathered
into the police courts, and if it is eX-
tended TO the police, who are charged
with keeping public order, it will do
good. l plead for wise. just, firm, but
sympathetic, helpful treatment of
men sent to the workhouse, be-
cause it is the only plan which
will do good. The church should make
this its care. The city, in all her inter
ests, in her safety, in her good name.
and in the cause of humanity, needs to
supply all needful things to secure the
restoration to places of useful work,
these children of sorrow. We must
never forget that every man and every
woman who has once been to the work
house is disgraced-a woman almost
irretrievably. So this makes it so hard
to reform, to elevate and to bless the
persons who come out. | have known
more than 1900 men and women who
have been there, and say, in ali honesty
and truth, every principle of religion
and every consideration of policy die
tate more attention to these people than
we have ever given to them.