The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-10-18

From a paper read before the W, CT
1T. u. State Convention by Mrs. N. Is.
lSmithers. The unprogreeslve, unjus
ltIiiHble. unchristian attitude of the
people with regard to prison reform,
causes me TO have to hold up to your
gaze again tho Same dark picture Il
have hung out to you at every con
vention for decade OF years. 1t is
tho sad sombre picture of o common
liail, with its unfortunate inmates OF
both sexes, OF all agee. and OF every
degree OF crime mixed up indiscriml-
natsiy.
The hardened criminal. and the i'm
IpTessible youth of first offence are
boon companions. The misguided
youth. who under proper conditions.
might become q respectable member
of society, eagerly listening to the
STORY OF crime and adventure as II
stalls from the polluted lips OF the
lblackened and DETAINED, tho thought
being stam ned upon his very soul
more iEdelibly every day. that he too
Ills an outcast. the female drifting
tower and lower every day, amid such
. SURROUNDINGS, until the last faint
spark OF womanhood goes out In the
darkness OF hopeless degradation.
Huddled together In idleness. ne
elected by the world. despised ana
Stunned by decent people, there 70
curse at and plot and scheme against
!, the society that they regard as their
'lenemy. This is the picture. hold up
Ito you what actually exists In your
midst, and which you must gaze upon
. and shudder at for l know not how
e long. What IL jail work. Is 1t jail
d work for the superintendent TO ylsil
slthe jail every month? Is IL jail WORE
Iror the w. G. T. U. Women to visit the
ialls on the 9th of June. carrying
Itlowers to the prisoners, singing, pray
ling ard then never seeing them agar
until the next Year,
J, lpity their condition on these periodica
4 visits and fold our hands while thu
blot on our eeeutcheon grows blackel
Land bIacker. viewed by comparison
with progressive States2 When thes'
7 lthoughts force themselves upon me
y OF how little has been accomplished II
:, our jails, l have been aim ost ready u
| argue myself to the point OF layint
!. down my weapons but for the voice o
duty. 1 read OF improved methodi
being introduced In other States. bul
do know OF anything we could cal
: reform being done IN our prlsonsy
The yenrs go by, leaving theii
changes upou everything. manner
lcuStom, 9 lawe, change with time, bnl
tho jaiis OF Delaware remain ever th'
, Isame. In Dover and Georgetown 1ai.i
there are no books except those car
Tried by friends. New Castle jail
! lbetter in this respect having a sfpai
: library But books only serve to re
Ilieve he monot ony of very few In on
liai!a. Our prisoners, Rs a class. ar
=, not readers of books;for them jail iii
y LIS nothing but an existence OF absolut
j Ildlenees sometimes for ten years
; Work would he a moral as well as
lphyslcal benefit to them, for indee
: Ii rison life III ! clawnre Is certain dc
lstroyer of both M orals, and health,
One man in lover jail. who ha
horne the enforced idleness for eiGli
Years once made his escape, but npG
being captured and brought bach
told me that he was coming back an,
lhow, as his feet were in such cond
Lion that he could not walk lar. nc
ould lie use Ills hands ut labor. En-
lploymeut Is what they need. En-
ployment that will Keep them phys
raily strong. mike them moral
letter. by disrelIing gloomy Thought!
THAT will inculcate In them habits {
/ Industry. which would lie powerft
hactor in the reformation OF even III
worst nan, besides furnishing wit
Trades with which TO begin lilo anew
All this argument is met With snee
land frown of approval. PunishmeT
land nothing but punishment Is th
= lpopular notion in Delaware, while tn
/. lchief object of 1t all, should he to n
form and reclaim the fallen ono who's
miserable environment is responsible
for his unfortunate position. Gu
prisons are pointed at with scorn an
Iderision by those hv,,-y outside th
state. Not long ago Inc manager o
an excursion made New Castle jail
special feature In his program OF at
fractions, advertising that the boa
would stop Mt New Castle on certali
days, when the excurslonists coult
: visit the jail. view the prisoners, viii
ness the whipDing5 and other punish
nents in season.
sheriff Gould promptly put stor
Ito this, but 1t only shows the light II
which we are viewed by outsiders.
Twas very much entertained end as
. toniehed little while ago in Dovei
= ,ail. when one OF the prisoners toit
ne how heavily the fact OF his beiDi
ln jan weighed upon him. apart from
being deprived OF his liberty. H
poke of being away from his family
md how hard it was to bear, but said
lbe, II live to get out who Will ever
Notice me, / feel ruined already
That was the point with tim rs IL IL
with all OF them. not lost to all sens.
VI proper manhood. They know dis
hurged prisoners have hard road to
travel and that they get the least sym
HBthy OF any clBss OF unfortunte PEG
IrIe. discharged without character
without credit, without cash / caI
imagine no darker life than Tho maj
IiGs to face who has served his time il
lone OF our jBils. III New Castle jul
hcre aTe one hundred ard twenty-fiv,
Iuf lust this kind of pitiable humanity
u ! oyrr jill twenty-five, and II
Georgetown eleven.
/, lLe,e they aie simply waiting he
hind tho bars until the day When the.
win 10 turned out again upon TIN
community. deslised ard despising
Net ono step taken to reform them
Ut on the other hard sunk deeper il
he slime OF degradation. When vii
lie people recognize the fact ant
cemedy II?