The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-02-21

to arrest the criminal, and while met
ing out to him the full measure OF pun
ishment which justice to himself and to
the individuals and the community
which he has wronged may rightly de-
mand. to do it in such manner as shall !
be most likely to restrain him and dis
courage others from like crimes, and
eventually, by wise and retormatory IN
fuences, not inconsistent With the
measure of punishment which the law
demands. to stimulate, encourage and
aid him to integrity of purpose in his
future life and restoration to useful,
intelligent and honorable citizenship.
That this is practicable, is abundantly
demonstrated and proved in the states
where the effort has been made, and
the results of the personal efforts of
few in our own state, who, during the
last four years have done something in
this line among the convicts in our state
penitentiary, resuch as to give promise
of much larger success in the future II
only the people Of the state can be
awakened to an interest in the matter,
and proper legislation be had to place
the work in proper hands and under
regulations suited to the Importance.
peculiarites and gravity Of the interests
at stake.
1t is not unlikely that the first
thought Of the average man who is
) asked to consider prison reform, is
that it has it's origin in senseless sym
pathy with criminals, an idea that they
are harshly or unjustly treated while
in prison, disposition to pet, coddle
and perhaps release them, allowing
sympathy for their hard lot to take
, precedence of any sense of justice fol
the punishment Of crimes committed
I or of security for the public IRON
! crimes which the same men unre
strained of their liberty, or unpunlshe(
+ for past crimes might be liable to com
: nit at any time and in any community
and declining to be identified with II
: he asserts his belief that "Once a GRIM
inal always criminal:" that those fe
# lows deserve all the punishment the
get or generally more, too; that he ha
e no faith in all this reformatory move
" ment. no disposition to discuss 1t, an
If no time to waste upon it.
The chances are that such man nc
d only does not know what he is talkin
k about, but is entirely indifferent to tf
interests Or welfare Of his felloW-mal
in in fact. is utterly lacking III what W
1e are won't to term public spirit or an
thing akin to the spirit of the golde
"a rule.
Sc AS to Just what proportion of Il
10 community is made up Of this class
lis people it is not needful to remark, b
wv the fact is plainly to be seen that. Il
to most difficult part of the work OF o
ed association is, at present, not with t
he prisons and prisoners. but with t
no public. to disabuse them of foolish a
err erroneous ideas, and get them to co
in prehend and seriously to consider
ci- facts in the case as they are.
A prison association does not nee
rO- sarily believe that the prisons OF
on state are improperly built, organized
en- managed. 1t does not necessarily 1T
or any extreme or unsound views conce
,er- ing the possibility of reforming cri1
for nails, and, of all men in the world,
on members will be least likely to ma
for pets of those persons in whom the CT
J, to inal character, instincts and hal
ded have become so grounded by inhe
to ance, environment and association
to be practically ineradicable.
be- A prison society is group OF
will and women whose purpose is to NAL
and study of prisons and prisoners, to XII
and what prisons are and what they she
han be, how to care for and manage tt
of, who are incarcerated in them, to XII
epu- what prisoners are, how they came
be such and whether or not Their
and any possibility of saving them f
re- themselves, and of retaining the1
uire manhood and citizenship; and if
'eful how?
We want to be so we'll and thorou