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

These are the points at which he wilD
articulate with his fellows, and are the
elements of that character he must
grow into before he can be fully re-
stored to society.
We have been talking about Reform
atories for adults. Reformatories for
children are much more important.
An ounce of prevention is said to be
worth pound of cure, and nowhere
else is this more true than in dealing
with the problem before us. Victor
Hugo said, Cali crimes of the man be-
gin in the vagabondage of the child"
The great efforts that are and for SO
many years have been put forth in all
civilized countries to reclaim and save
the neglected child show how
fully this has been recognized and be-
'lieved. The vagabond child is the
great source from which our prison
and reformatory population is drawn.
10 be sure there are criminals who
come from good homes and have re:
ceived the benefit of good bringing
up, but they are not the ones that,
make penology problem of difficult
solution. 1t is the man who is a Grim
inal by Inheritance, instinct and educa--
ton that makes the problem a difficult
one, and who Swells the throng that
fills our RefOrmatories and IrisOns..
Reform him in his childhood and thus
relieve the adult Reformatories of his
presence and his influence. The for
NATIVE work is more important and
lasting than the reformative, in fact
the latter has always to displace the
former before progress can be made.
1t is not necessary for me to enter
into an extended argument to satisfy
this audience of the importance of
caring for dependent and neglected
children. 1t is the recognized duty of
every civilized country, and Minnesota
is fully abreast of the times in this
great work. In addition to the many
religious and charitable organizations
that are doing effective and valuable
work, we have our State School at
OWatOnna, which is indeed a monu-
ment to Minnesotas wisdom and
progress, also the State Training
School, or Juvenile Reformatory, at
Red Wing, which is an honor to its
projectors, credit to its managers
and blessing to the youthful trans
gressOr of the law. To these two in
situations, more than to anything else,
l give credit for the reduced prison
population of our state. With rapid
ly increasing population, and in spite
of the hard times through which we
have been passing, our prison popula
ton is actually on the decrease. Our
commonwealth stands in the front
rank of advanced thought and i'm
proved methods in dealing with the
criminal classes. Our board of Cor
rectiOns and Charities is one of the
best organized and effectively managed
institutions of it's kind in this country
and it has done valuable work in cor
relating the correctional institutions
of this state. To be sure there is much
more to be done, in fact it can only be
said that we have made beginning.
We are still studying the crime instead
of the criminal, we are still adhering
to retributive punishment and trying
in bungling way to adjust penalties
to degrees of guilt, we are still believ
ing, or trying to believe, in spite Of our
better judgment, that we can deter one
man from committing crime by pun
ishing another, we are still annually
sending hundreds of men and boys,
who are pronounced criminals, to work
houses and jails, on short sentences,
who should be placed in Reformatories
until they are cured, but in spite of all
this, when we consider our youth as
state, and the infancy of this new
thought in penology, we have made
wonderful progress, of which our state
might we'll feel proud.
The theme is great one and l am
conscious that l have given it very
inadequate treatment, but you will not
allow the limitations Of busy men to
detract from the merits of the case.
The selfish philosophy of Plato was the
greatest the world had seen up to his.
time. His theory of life was in many
respects beautiful one. The world
has not yet realized in practice some of
his principles, but in dealing with the
detectives, his doctrine was selfish and
heartless--he recommended that the.
weak and sickly infants and the i'm
perfect and aged persons "be exposed
SO that the world would be speedily
rid of them. In the fullness of time
there appeared greater than Plato
who taught the infinite value of each
individual. He was especially help
full to the helpless. He went about
doing good to the halt, the lame and