The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-03-05

the county jail, next read paper on what can
the Prison Association Do for Prisoners in the
County Jail:" Mrs. Leonard discussed the sub
ject from an evangelical point of view, and told
how Christian influence has been used to i'm
prove the morals of prisoners. She thought
persons confined in the county Jail should be
tried with all possible speed. She deplOred the
delay in bringing them before the courts in some
instances. If guilty. they should be convicted
with the utmost swiftneSS, and if innocent, set
at liberty at the earliest possible moment. Many
men have been injured by Jail association while
awaiting trial.
How to Prevent Children from Becoming
Criminals" was the subject of a paper by ID. L.
Wellington, agent for the Junior Rescue society.
The great error in the control of children. said
Mr. Wellington. is the exercise of too much
sympathy and too little head. 1t was necessary
to have children in their homes early every
night. School truancy was one great means by
which children become reckless.
w. 7. Murray was called upon and asked to
make five minutes talk. He said he was not
able to say what he desired to say in five min
utes, and besides he would have to give the sub
iect more thought. When he was connected
with the state reform school, it was made the
object to secure employment for the boys when
they were let out, and that institution is still
better in this regard now, because it has state
agent who does this work. The trouble with
persons released from the penitentiary is that
no one takes this interest in them. LET a man
come out of the penitentiary and not one of you
good Christian people would take him into your
store or into your house even though he brought
you a recommendation from the Warden that he
was the best person he ever had in the prison."
said Mr. Murray.
| Rev. w. r. Lord. of Unity church. spoke
briefly. saying that crime was either the result
of inheritance or the accident of circumstance
and education. Another thing must be borne
| in mind. and that is that society sets bad eX-
ample by discriminating between the man who
steals few dollars and goes to prison and the
man who runs an elevator, steals five cents a
bushel on wheat until he gets several thousand
dollars and sits in a church.
Judge Willis. following the line of thought
opened up by MIR. Lord. criticised society for
its hypOcrises by which criminals were con-
Stantly being manufacturers This hypocrisy
pretended to deal the same with the rich and
poor, but everybody knew this was not true
This spirit of hypocrisy was not foreign even to
the preacher. 1t was often given out that q
preacher had beer called to field of greater
usefulness, but it was nearly always found on
closer examination to be a field in which he
would receive more salary. He paid tribute tC
the kindergarten as school that is most effect
i've in the prevention of crime, quoting from the
reports sent out from San Francisco to the effect
that only one person educated in the kinder
garten there had ever been arrested.
Bishop Gilbert said in part The sentiment
that influences people ought to be high an(
lofty one. The old system of imprisonment wa!
without sentiment. John Howard discovered
the necessity for sentiment in the prison system
of England, and by his agitation he aroused thai
system. The people of Minnesota have no
been devoid of sentiment in its prison system
and the splendid penitentiary at saltwater an(
the manner in which it is conducted proves this
But the prison association proposed to g
farther. While not disposed to make a temper
ance argument. yet, if all the saloons in Still
water and st. Paul could be closed. the refOrma
ton of most of the prisoners released from til,
penitentiary would be accomplished. Thes'
fellows when released fall again in the frs
saloon they come to, simply because the saloOl
is the only place in which they find themselves
welcome. What is needed is an association
that meets the released prisoner at the door o
the saloon. and says that is not your friend
I'm your friend. That is how these people cal
be reformed, and that is how this association
proposes to reform them. We do not propose
to stir up crusade against the saloon, but t.
furnish these fallen people with something
more attractive st. Paul Globe.