The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-08-08
AN INTERESTING ADDRESS
Achievements Of Mrs. Ellen c. john
SON OF Massachusetts,.
STUDYING THH POLICE COURTS.

of its meetings exceeded In interest the
address made at one of the later sessions
bv Mrs. Ellen O. johnson of the Massa-
chusetts state prison for women, located
at ehcrbcurn.
Mrs. johnson he's devoted good share
Of her life to reforulatory work among
women oonviots and has had far greater
success tflsn he's fallen to the lot OF most
porsens who enter that difficult field.
ff{iy In her sxt3pence Mrs. johnson
6isccvssed that nearly all women criminals
are woofully wanting In practical knowi-
cdro rpxsrding many things; that they are
often unbelievably ignorant OF cooking,
sowine. ordinary housewoyk and many
other mattors In which their moro fortu-
nateL slSters are invaxtsbly well versed.
HsvikR leaslied this much, Mrs. johnson
oonolpqed that no eroaS6r boon could DO
conAorrsd d,upen che women than complete
and therouGA IpAot5cAl training. At the
rsxoe fiIhe she p5foeived clearly that such
training y be welcome and thus accom-
plish - that was desired should be made
int6resfing and not irksome. She saw,
too, that the methods adopted must vary
with di6ef5tt individuAls. and she began
at onee 20 study both methods and per-
Donal peculiarities.
lGru. Johnoon's Remarkable WORK.
The results were gratifying from the
Art. but Of late years they have been MOTH
anr ieea than phenomenal. Women who
an entorifk the prison were notoriousiy
viofons in NE and profoundly inefhcicnt
ana III ipforinsd concerning those things
which render Q woman honestly self sup
,portink haws for years been going away
frrm its door1 3SIl quAlifed TO serve ~
cooks. chambermsl6s, laundresses, seam
stresses. drcssnak}ls, pilliners and the
like. Moreover, d surprisingly large pro-
rortion Of those di6charRod from tho insti-
tntion In tho last half decado or % have
been reformed in character, and this
a. - well understood in many directions
that there arc constantly more places wait
Ing for ssRrnduates' from the Massachu-
sefts state prison for women than there
are women 10 All them
f One days time ives given up to visit at
the College Point residence Of w. ID. +.
Round al the New York Prison sssocia-
fion. where an address on the methods In
s,sa at the Elmira reformatory was made
nv Mr. KfmbalI. Mr.. Round himself In
one of The best informed penologists In the
United States, II not In the world. He
waa 3 member OF the little group OF men
who founded the National Prison associa-
zion. the first organization Of its kind In
cxietence. and no has been delegate to
nearly every International prison congress
held III the last two decades. His library
81 urison libarature and his collection OF
&mulsments Of torture, such as wero for
merly used for disciplinary purposes, are
among the most complete 70 be found any
where.
etadyine the Police Courts.
Many visits were made to the police
courts and station houses Of New York be-
sore the GLASS broke mp, and these visits
proved 70 be very enlightening TO every
ono Of tho students. AT the Tombs, or city
urison. DAVID Willard, the city teacher OF
criminal youth, Afforded every facility FOR
the study Of his charges and later sd'
drseped tks class ON the slum environments
rWhioh produoe criminals. Mr.. Willard haf
long boen an exceedingly close student Of
this phase Of city life, and HIS observation
aro noe confined to tbe limits OF the city
,wa1le. He knows Just what perccntage o
The boys in any part M New York are like
III to.bo arrested and 90 come under hi
charge each month, and ne knows very
nearly, too, what percentage may probabl,
Ibe reformed and what influences are mos
tlikoly to benefit them.
All the city's penal and charitable In
otitufions wero visited In turn, including
the vorkhouse on Blackwell's island. i
:was there that the class became cognisan
7of the eaddest Incident brought 70 thet
inotios during the continuance Of tn
Aeohool. Under The workings Of the stat
law known as the cumulative sentence nc
Iit was formerly the custom to impose rela
lively long terms Of imprisonment upoI
lofenders against the city drunk In I
public place. ordinance, and this prnctic'
was often Of undoubted good effect, espe
cially when tho offender was woman
With babe In arms. The law has recently
been repealed, however, and now sucf
offenders may be sentenced to few days
imprisonment ut time only. Under the
law a. it was a certain woman whose chile
"a now weeks old but who was locket
up for drunkenness n few days before 10
birth, might have been detained for sew
ern1 months, TO the great benefit OF tn
child n not Of the mother. Under the de
cision mentioned the woman was of ne
ceosity released after brief imprison
ment When released, she promptly &C
drunk again, was rcarrcsted, sent up for
few days and again released, only to ~
drunk again. and this actually occurre
hve times before the child was weel
old. This case demonstrated the truth
Mr.. willard's contention that "certai
children are born 10 be criminals" wit
startling force. -
OF National Importsscss
One Of the most important results Of d
careful study Of the police and prison ~
TENS Of the city was a paper written
Miss Katherine CoDyngton, which W
soon BE- published and will be found
value and interest TO all students OF criI
fno]ogy. Besides studying the crimin
CLASSES Of New York and the mctbo
adopted for their reform the class invcs
anfcd many other branches of phila
thropIc work, and papers cmbcdying =
rcsuIss OF these Investigations by q
brightest members Of the class were amor
ifs most instructive features
The clsss itself numbered 90, exclnsi
= tho Instructors, ard represented II dl