The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1898-08-11

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the quickening of the intellect will
tend to the more ready acceptance of
religious truth. Those who advocate
the Massachusetts plan maintain that
no reformatory influence is so potent
as that of religion. They emphasize
the fact that there can be no reforma-
tion without the will of the prisoner,
and that if genuine conversion can
be secured, reformation follows as a
matter of course. The difference is
not 50 radical as might appear on the
first view. Supt. Brockway of Elmira
admits the efficiency of religion prop
erly applied as reformatory agent;
and Supt. Scott of Concord Junction
freely admits the danger of stimulat-
ing superficial and insincere religious
professions.
Reformatories for women were in
stituted later than those for men. The
most notable institution of this class
is the Womens Prison at Sherborne,
Massachusetts,, which has been devel-
oped under the wise guidance of the
superintendent, Mrs. Ellen C. Johnson.
Similar institutions have been estab-
lished in the state of New York and
others are contemplated. The estab-
lishment has been delayed by the very
small percentage Of women prisoners.
Women comprise less than tenth
of the prison population of the coun-
try, and in some state prisons they do
not form more than one per cent of the
population. Tbs keeping of women
in the same prisons with men is gen.
orally admitted to be very bad plan,
entirely inconsistent with their refor-
matory treatment. Separate prisons
for women should be established
throughout the country with the least
possible delay.
The introduction of the reformatory
methods in the state prisons has pro-
duced most encouraging results. The
portion of state prison convicts eligi-
BILE to parole is much smaller than in
the reformatories, but the conditions
permit more careful selection, and
the results hava been very encouraging.
For example, in the Minnesota State
Prison, out of two hundred prisoners
paroled, less than thirty violated the
conditions OF their parole and of this
number all but two have been recap
tured and sent back to serve out their
sentences.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
The question arises, what can you
90 to promote the cause of prison re-
form? First.-You can educate pub
lie sentiment. The National Prison
Association requested several years
ago that one Sunday in October be set
apart and observed as Prison Sunday,
on which day the subject of prison re.
form shall be presented in every
church. Prison Sunday has been ex-
tensively observed in several states,
especially Massachusetts, Michigan
and Minnesota, with excellent results.
The Massachusetts Prison Association
publishes an annual Prison Sunday
pamphlet for free distribution to min.
listers, containing such information as
will assist them in the satisfactory OBJ
servance of the day.
The public needs to be educated as
to the difference between sentiment
and principle in this reform. 1t is COM
monty supposed that prison reformers
are sentimentalists, but a fair exami.
nation will convince you that it is the
opponents of prison reform, rather
than prison reformers, that are senti-
mental. The advocates of prison re-
form today include the members of
state boards OF charities and correc.
tion, the managers of public prisons
and refOrmatories, and wardens and
superintendent of prisons. These
people do not advocate a weak relaxa-
tion of prison discipline; on the con-
trary the reformatory discipline which
they advocate is dreaded and hated by
the professional criminal.
Second.-You can take an active