The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-11-26
The Minnesota Congrega-
tional Club
HOLDS ITS MEETING IN THE
PRISON CHAPEL.
Addresses Made by Rev. s. G. Smith
Chaplain Albert, superintendent
Houlton and Others.

Houlton and Others.
The Minnesota Congregational Club,
upon invitation of Warden Wolfer,
met in the prison chapel on Monday
evening, upwards of one hundred and
fifty members being present. Upon
the arrival of the delegates at $3.50 P. M,
tour of the institution was made
viewing the various industrial features
and ascertaining the disciplinary meth
DDS in vogue. Supper was served at
five, after which the school room was
visited and the work of the students
noted. The meeting in the chapel was
called to order by President Russell at
seven o'clock. Routine business being
disposed of, Rev. S. G. Smith was in
PRODUCED and delivered scholarly adj
dress on "The Relation of Crime to
Economics"
Prefacing his address by referring to
how the bishop, in Victor Hugo's Lies
Miserables," won Jean Valjean's heart
by sympathetic suggestion, the speaker
began by explaining with great clear
ness what is meant by prison reform
and the object sought in pathological
work. The criminal is anti social by
heredity, the result of environment or
stress of necessity, and the province of
the reformer is to bring him into SYM
pathy with that which he wars against.
The latent moral energy must be
aroused, habits of industry taught and
his value to the social fabric shown.
He must be made to feel that society
has an interest in his welfare, in pro-
noting his usefulness, uplifting his
character and guarding him against
moral degeneracy and the temptations
which bear hardest on his resistive
powers. If the criminal is impressed
with the fact that he is part of soci-
ETY. and as such has an interest in it's
welfare he is, from these premises, cas-
lily led into obedience to its laws and
his support gained in their enforce
ment.
While undergoing confinement, the
prisoner should be taught how to earn
a living. 1.-The leaves prison no better
equipped for industrial pursuits than
when he entered, his detention has
been of no value to himself or society.
In the economics of prison, the item
of expense should always be subordi-
nate to that of reform. The chief end
of imprisonment is to effect the thor
Ough reformation of the lawbreaker
and the system of prison management
most effective in this respect serves
both law and justice best. If the NOR
al and material needs of the prisoner
are neglected, his resources for earn
ing an honest living left undeveloped
and his efforts for improvement un.
noticed and unrewarded, the probable.
tiles of a return to former ways are
always strong.
The speaker paid some attention to
criminology in its speculative sense
dwelling particularly upon the LON
brosian system of anthropological
measurements. Anthropology is of
little value outside of prisons, for if it
was accepted in outside practice it
would be as apt to ensnare the good as
the bad.
He advised caution in accepting Grim
} inal statistics; while being valuable
they are too often misleading. The
number of arrests in a community in
nowise indexes the amount of crime
that may have been committed there
In one year police surveillance may be
lax, the sentiment of the community
may be tolerant with crime and other
causes combine to keep the number of
arrests low. But the succeeding year
may see more rigid enforcement of
law and stronger Puritanic sentiment
against disorder, and under such condi.
tions arrests will be more numerous
The number of arrests per thousand
inhabitants is far greater in England
than India, but this does not indicate
that India is more moral and more
highly civilized than England. In the
one race vitality has been extinguished
or nearly so, by centuries of hamilton;
in the other vitality is vigorous, and in
order to satisfy desires it can not
otherwise reach, plunges into crime.
The speaker, in the course of his ad-
dress, touched on the ethical aspect of
crime in its relation to economics, his
deductions being clearly drawn and
marked by much originality of thought