The record-union., 1896-10-19
Mrs. BOOTHS PRISON WORK.
She Tells Of Her Visit to the Folsom
Penitentiary.
Several Hundred Dollars Subscribed
by Citizens Who Heard Her
Last Night.


Last Night.
The Congregational Church was
packed to it's utmost capacity last even
ing with persons eager to hear Mrs.
Maud Ballington Booth, the noted
woman, who with her husband some
time ago withdrew from the Salvation
Army and formed similar organization
known as the American Volunteers,
tell something of her-experience in form
ing branches or posts to deal directly
with prison convicts, both While in
prison and after being discharged.
Mrs. Booth is very magnetic speaker
and held her audience from first to last.
Her a pearance is rather commanding
and her voice has considerable volume
and inclined to be musical.
She introduced her remarks by saying
| that she could speak of things near to
her heart. She had only just returned
from the Folsom State Prison. Every
thing was done to make her visit there
pleasant, but the future of the prisoners
was near to her heart, and the possibili-
ties of the work of the Prison Branch Of
the American Volunteers opened before
her wider than ever before.
She had, a year ago, visited the pris-
oners confined in the San Quentin State
Prison. She had then felt that she could
not speak to them-only weep over them.
The possibilities of organizing a prison
branch of work had presented itself to
her mind at that time, and since then
had been, in part, realized. She had
said to her husband, "You may do any
work you choose, but 1 must work for
the prisoners" and he had replied, "All
right" And so it happened that the
Volunteers Of America had planted the
movement known as prison work.
When she had come in contact with
the criminals in prisons, and saw the
misery Of blighted lives, she had for
gotten her own sorrows and lived only
to lift up those lives and set them on a
higher plane.
She had stood where the sea Of passion
and wrong and revenge had passed
looked down into 900 faces in the Folsom
State Prison yesterday and saw the
wrecks of what might have been happy
lives. But the thought uppermost in
her mind was, that there was yet one
mode of redemption-one way to wipe
out the traces of crime and passion,
avarice and hate, and that was through
the intercession of the man, God.
The Volunteers, therefore, under her
direction, went to those whose faces
were contorted with crime and passion,
and lifted them up, gave them hope. She
did not speak of prisoners hopelessly,
but with joy. She did not look upon
the problem Of saving them as impos-
sible, even though they were so closely
guarded and given so small a chance,
and the day would yet come when many
willing hands would be lifted to assist
them.
When people who knew nothing about
prison life were told that there We're
honorable men with tender hearts be-
hind prison bars-men with noble hearts
and great ambition-they looked sur
prised; yet, said the speaker, there were
men behind bars whom she was glad
to call her friends.
There were many men who walked the
streets to-day who kept out Of the
workings OF the law, who more richly
deserved to spend their lives behind
bars than many Of the poor "lifers."
There was work to be done for the lat
ter. None Of them were there who had
not some soft spot in their hearts which
might be touched could one but find the
tight CLOTd IHGTe were DAD men be-
hind prison bars, but there were also
good ones. and she loved them. Few
prisoners were depraved past redemp-
tfon, and there was always some key
to their better nature-some way to
bring them nearer to God.
She had begun her work at the Sing
Sing Prison in New York, and to-day at
her office was small slab Of black mar
BILE inscribed on one side March 24th,"
the day Of her first prison meeting. and
on the other the names Of two men
desperate characters they were called
monument to two desperate men
brought to an understanding of their
lives-two men out Of fifty who had
boldly stood up and sought Christ for
their Savior.
Only one way was open to prison con-
version, and that was by making it a.
personal matter. Some people said they
did not believe in prison conversions.
but if God was able to save souls any
where he was able to save those whose
bodies are confined in prisons
In the Folsom Prison while she was
there yesterday flfty-one men had stood
up, not to be prayed for alone, but had
also expressed desire to accept Christ
for their leader. The work was new as
yet, but it was progressive.
The Volunteer movement was step
ping forward and saying. This is the
friend of the prisoner" Nor was that
all: it did not stop there. When the
prisoner was discharged it was harsh to
say to him, You are not a prisoner now,
and | can help you no more" A home
for discharged prisoners had been
formed at Sing Sing. New York and
Others were being formed-not homes
tending to recall the former condition
of servitude to the ex-convicts. as they
did not like to have 1t flung in their
faces, but homes Of light and sunshine
and comfort-homes to make the men
feel that they are coming home. The
New York home is called Hope Hail."
and such 1t is made.
But I'm talking too slowly" said
Mrs. Booth, In conclusion, land even
now, on this side of San Francisco, I
think l hear the train rumbling which
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