Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-11-21

be Margaret, the mother Of criminals,
or Florence Nightingale, the angel of
mercy.
Without this belief, without this
souI-inspiring experience, the reform
er might as well hope to reach the
criminal to do him good as to expect
20 lift the animal creation to man
no cd with an OK goad. The reformer
who poses before the criminal as a
ssholier than thou" Pharisee, merits
and receives only the contempt of the
class he pretends to serve. He who
sees not in every man brother, and
! feels not his heart rejoicing in all their
Joys, and sharing in ali their sorrows
has no reason to hope for true sue
cess in winning men from vice and
crime.
He who uses power and influence
only to further his own condition will
not touch the heart of the criminal,
and with that untouched, all reforma-
tory labor is wasted.
Ninety nine criminals out of every
hundred will cry with David in his
desp air, "No man careth for my SOUL"
and this after the work of legislatures,
reform clubs and church devices.
The trut b is that there has not been
the heart work in the methods of re-
form that is absolutely essential to
success. Men will not put themselves
on a level with the erring and the
prodigal in any sense. Even Chris
tians do not always like to touch the
sin stained garments of the bruised
and wounded Of sin; only indirectly
at least. History repeats itself in
eve ry Christian church and communi-
ty-the priest and the Levite pass by
on the other side and Dives leaves to
the mercy Of the dogs the beggar at
the gate. No wonder men strike and
steal and kill, when for sympathy is
given cold neglect, for bread a stone,
and for fish, serpents.
The object and aim Of law as COM
monty interpreted is the protection of
society, which is self. Now with this
idea and the tendencies of human ma
ture to rule over the weaker, to shun
the lower, law and it's nforcement
often pushes the criminal down still
lower in sin.
The reform of the individual is too
often lost sight of. The uplifting of
the degraded is not the ruling motive
of half our benevolent institutions,
not even of our churches. 1t is the
protection and promotion Of self
Human laws are not yet fashioned
after the divine law whose Alpha and
Omega is the reclamation Of the Of
fender.
Now it is not that we ask for the
obliteration of social lines of demarK-
alton, Of good and evil that we bring
this law of brotherly love and conde
scensiOn and place it by the side of
human law, but that we may see the |
contrast, and learning that our own
safety really depends on the practice |
of the divine law of mercy and as
sistance. ftWith what measure We |
mete it shall be measured to you |
again" "Inasmuch as ye have done
it unto one Of the least Of these We did |
it unto Me.'
Some men are better than other
men, some women are better than
other women, but it is not the law of
God that the worst classes should be
taken by the throat and thrust into
the dungeon by the stronger or better
class and there left to wretched and
almost solitary confinement, so far as
spiritual food and companionship is
concerned. AS rule when the prison
doors shut upon the criminal he is as
far removed from the reach of these
divine ministrations as if he were
sunk in the depths of the ocean.
This is wrong and impolitic. Facts
go to show that although we may give
up men ass hopeless 9yet they can be
helped and saved. The truth is that
it takes less effort to convert a crimi-
nal than to convert the self righteous
and gospel hardened of our own con-
Still another fact which should
make US considerate of the convict.
We are all criminals. Many who are
outside prison walls have resisted less
and committed more sin
than many who are inside.
The minister who denounces thieves
and thunders sThou shalt not steal,n
may have stolen the very thunder
that rolls over the heads of his hear
ers. The court that sentences the
poor woman to prison for violation
Of the marriage contract may himself
have hean pI7ilty IF adu1torv ond 1oid