The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-11-07

and reformatories, and should prevent
| their becoming sources instead of pre-
ventives of crime. 1t should promote
the observance of prison Sunday. 1t
should promote correct public senti-
ment and wise legislation with refer
ence to the treatment of persons &C.
cused or convicted of crime. And
lastly, it should be composed of men of
sense and discretion, who would real
ize the nature of the people with whom
they have to deal, and who would have
some comprehension of the terrible need
and temptation of souls struggling out
of the trammels of habit worn easy by
frequent use. The present admirable
and consistent method of releasing on
parole gives to the work the value of
the power of the law behind it, for
failure to comply with the conditions
of his parole consigns man to his pris-
on again. Seldom does it happen that
a parOled man wishes to return to a
life of crime while the certainty of i'm
prisOnment is before him, and there the
helper may evoke both the power of
the law and the will of the man to pro-
mote the end sought-the reclamation
of the individual"
Later on in the proceedings Secre-
tary Hart offered resolution favoring
the organization of a society along the
lines advocated by Miss Johnston,
which met with unanimous favor, and
a committee was appointed to organize
the Prisoners Aid Society composed of
the following persons: Supt. Lee, of
the ST. Cloud Reformatory; ex-Gov. L.
F. Hubbard, of Red Wing; ex-senator
c. 5. Crandall, of Owatonna; George A.
Bracket, of Minneapolis: Miss Grace
Johnston, state agent of the State
Training School at Red Wing: Gebhardt
Willrich, probate judge of Ramsey
county; Warden Wolfer, of the Still
water Penitentiary; F. A. Whittier,
state agent for the Reformatory and
State Prison, George d. Holt, of Min
neapolis; w. H. Putnam, Rev. H. H.
Hart, of st. Paul: NJ. @. Hall, of
Duluth; Judge Twohy, of St. Paul:
Frank Lewis, state agent for the
Owatonna school, ID. c. Bell. of Min
neapolis, and Rev. Ambrose McNultv,
of ST. aul
We believe that the lack of steady
employment is the cause of so many
young men who go from prison re-
lapsing into criminal ways. If the
ex-prisoner has steady work at which
he can lay by something each month,
it creates a spirit of manliness: he
feels, in certain sense, his Importance,
and as his little hoard grows his in
dependence and Self-reliance increases,
AS time goes on he will look back and
contrast his present condition of manly
independence with his former condi-
ton of servile degradation when he
served the state, and this thought will
strengthen him in his resolve to never,
by act Of his, again forfeit his liberty.
But the eX-priSOner who works a month
here and week there; who finds him
self after several months no better off
in purse than when he stepped from
the prison door to freedom. that man
is in danger of becoming disheartened
and reckless of consequences. He now
stands on the brink of precipice:
friendly hand can draw him back to
place of safety or a sneering remark
topple him over the abyss down upon
the rocks of crime and everlasting
ruin. With employment secured and
supervision kept over him until he
has proved that he has sufficient
strength of purpose to successfully
cope with his fellow men in life's
battle, the ex-prisoner is safe, and it is
for this beneficent purpose that the
Prisoners Aid Society has been organ
lied.