St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-20
the erring youth shall be an estab-

the erring youth shall be an estab-
llShed fact among us. A very young
boy may commit a crime deserving of
punishment; but what of the greater
crime of burying that young life in
penltentiary beyond the chance of re-
form, where, in fact, the only prospect
before him Is to become a hardened
character? The crime the two young
boys now at the North Dakota peniten-
tlary committed is as nothing compared
with the crime committed against them.
Interested in Religion.
My conversation With the prisoners
was almost wholly religious; yet. only
in two or three exceptions, all became
thoroughly interested. During the con-
verSation upon the first day, many talked
freely, and upon meeting them the sec
ond day nearly all had questions to ask,
showing the words spoken had been
pondered upon. Some manifested ia
miliarity with the Scriptures, and asked
explanation of certain passages.
No greater problem contronts us to-
day than the methods of dealing out
justice and mercy to the criminal
classes. "PuniSh them, punish them,"
cries the law. That is proper; but is
punishment our object when dealing
criminals? L do not so understand it.
The ultimate object is tho reformation
of the offenders. Certainty when we
punish our children, we inflict that pun
lShment only as means of restraint,
that thus we may gain opportunity to
lnStIll into the minds and hearts such
truths as shall destroy the evil DISPOSE
ton. And is not this our rightful wOIk
with fellow men? 1t is said that the
majority of criminals go out of the peni-
Tertiary worse than when they went in.
But that is reprorch upon Christian
lty. What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ
good for if it will not send these men
out better than when they went in? We
know it would if rightly preached III
word and deed.
When these men commit crime, they
should he placed where they cannot
further encroach upon their fellow
men, and under such conditions as shall
be punishment. TO deprive them of
liberty, of luXuries. and all induigences
of sinful pleasures, with solitary con-
finement a part of the time, answers
these two purposes. But higher pur-
pose must be fulfilled. We must not
only protect the people for limited
time, and punish the offenders, but we
must seek to overcome the causes of
crime, and send not these men out into
the world a greater menace to mans
safety than before. but thoroughly re-
form, ii possible, and if not, so much
better, that we can have the Satisfac-
tion of knowing we are uplifting the
class. Many can be reformed, and all
benefited III character.
I'm every penitentiary there should be
school during every month of the year,
and all who need the common branches
of education should attend it during a
three or four hours daily session. This
should be compulsory, and would give
all who were imprisoned, even for a
short term, the advantages of learning.
LOng-term prisoners should attend nine
months out of each year till their edu-
cation was finished. Some of the men
at Bismarck expressed regret that the
term was only three or four months dur
ing the year.
Lectures and personal conversation
should weed out the communistic no.
ton that the world owes man a living
and he has a right to anything he can
lay his hands on.
The associations with the prison at
PENDANTS should tend to offset the evil
influence Of all the associates, past and
present.
The practical theology of Jesus Christ,
casting out sin and sickness and de-
Stroying the inherited criminal tenden-
cies. as we'll as the drink and tobacco
habits and insanity, should be daily
preached and practiced.
Could you have heard the prisoners
begging me to come often, you could
not doubt the satisfactory results of
long and faithful labor among them.
| wish you had heard these words
fall from the lips of the old and the
young: "a man who has once been in
the penitentiary is ruined. He must go
back among the criminal classes, for he
is shut out from respectable society.
If he goes among the respectable, he is
stunned, pushed out, avoided. He
stands alone. If he asks for work where
his history his known, no one will trust
him. If he obtains work where he is
unknown. he is discharged as soon as
the facts come to light. What is the
use to attempt to reform?" Can you
answer him, Christians? Are you help
ing to build this high fence between
him and reformation, and then dare TO
complain that he does not reform?
Conscience points toward you the con-
demning finger: "ThOu art the man,
There is a tender-hearted, brown
eyed boy of nineteen there. sick with
the thought of the worlds distrust and
contempt which he must meet upon re-
gaining his freedom.
thanked God | could truthfnily as
sure them that there is growing class
who extends the band of love, not only
to the hungry, naked, stranger and
sick, but to those who nave been in
prison.
God, hasten the time when our jails |
and penitentiaries will be religious |
training schools, that when the Master |
comes He may not say, "Ye found me |