The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-21
-. THE HER.ALD'S
Home Study Circle.
copyrght asa by Eatony
: Directed by Prof Seymour Eaton
' A%% %*&%%%% ~ =

IIyih the surrounding villages.
IN 1913 Mrs. Fry paid her first men,
oPdpie visit TO the women OF Newgate
prison, whose wards were Familiarity
known as Hell on Earth" The loath-
some conditions and consequent suf-
fering OF the inmates deeply touched
the tender-hearted woman, but beyond
providing food and clothing for them,
Mrs. Fry did not begin the work with
Wnicn neg name is identified until four
years later. Meanwhile she tried TO in
teiest her friends in some practical way
or confronting the terrible Newgate
problem
Those who objected to a woman pio-
heer IN this reformatOTy work upon
the ground that mothers place is in
ner home, little appreciated Elizabeth
Try S recoil from the publicity whick
the novelty of her work must entail
nor her wrestlings with conscience
Wnen trying to decide which duty
urged the stronger claim; nor did her
detraetors at first realize that 1t was
tne warm Ilotherly nature inspiring
her with sympathy for the little child
rem OF the prisoners which touched
tneir brutal natures and formed the
real Keynote OF her success.
capital punishment at that time ex-
lsted Tor 300 different offenses. The
u.
We're herded together with their little
children in a bare. fifty room, where
they were all supposed TO eat slightly,
drink freely and sleep without bedding.
halI-perished with the cold and insult
nclently clad, they spent the days gam
ping and begging for drink money.
The hoWlings Of this inferno were so
terrible and the savage responsibility
or these degraded and maltreated in
mates was so dangerous that the prison
authorities implored Mrs. Fry to leave
her Yaluables outside. This she refused
10 do, and requested that she might
so in alone TO speak with the prison.
ers. When the doors had been locked
after her, she gently laid before the
astomshed women the misery of their
little ones and beSought them to CO.
operate with her in organizing a school
for them. Quite touched by her pray
ers and solicitations. the women chose
the most trustworthy o. their fellow
prisoners as teacher. Soon the mothers
also attended the skillfully conducted
school. Sewing was taught them, ma
irons were appointed and the place
gradually assumed an orderly and spot
less appearance.
Another great trial which she as
sumed was the personal comforting of
prisoners sentenced to execution. Moth
ing but realizing sense of the genu-
Inc support which her sympathy con-
veyed to those whose scaffolds were
building enabled her to confront these
terrible ordeals, especially when the
poor victims were to be hanged for
petty theft, for accompiice in forgery
or for passing counterfeit notes with
out knowledge that they were spuri-
Gus. So agonized did Mrs. Fry be-
come over these visits TO the cells of
the unjustly condemned that she began
inQuiring, to some purpose, rs it for
man thus to take the prerogative Of
the Almighty into his own i1ands?' AS
a result of her efforts among prominent
philanthropists and in the house of
commons, the penal DEGREES were made
far more humane. Societies were or
ganized to provide instruction and en-
ployment which would make prisoners
sesf-supporting, and the funds neceS-
Sary to bring about this new regime
were raised by John ]. Quincy, Eliza
beth FTy's brother. The government
also intrusted to this heroic band the
care of the transport ships, and under
its practical wisdom this vile system
was relieved OF much of its horror and
barbarity.
Meanwhile, financial difficulties and
the consequent removal from beauti-
full Plashet to cottage at Upton, COM
bined with the loss of many of her
friends and relatives, sadly impaired
Mrs. Fry's health. Throughout all her
trials, however, she was to others the
strengthened and CONSIDER. Her in
creasingly large family was also a
great care, her twelfth and youngest
child being born on the same day as
her first grandchild. She nevertheless
found time to make, in the eompan-
ionShip of her noble brother. several
helpful journeys abroad.
In her journal she thus describes a
visit which the king of Prussia paid
to her at Upton: 81 went first from
Newgatel with the lady mayoress and
the sheriff, the king next, with his
own people. l had to hasten TO take
off my cloak, and then went down to
meet him at the carriage door, with
my husband and seven of our sons and
sons-in-law. l then walked with him
into the drawing room, where all was
in beautiful order, neat and adorned
with flowers. I presented to the king
our eight daughters and daughters-in-
law and afterward presented
twenty-five of our grandchildren. We
had a solemn silence before our meal,
which was handsome and fit for a
king, yet not extravagant. everything
most complete and nice. I sat by the
king, who appeared to enjoy his din
ner, perfectly at his ease and very
happy with US" In all her interviews
with strangers and celebrities, she
prayed constantly to be kept faith
full, not forward"
Her pity for the lonely coast guards
men led her TO anticipate the modern
travelling libraries. 'and through her ex-
ertions $1,000 volumes were secured
from the government for distribution
among servants and employees.
a woman of undoubted executive
ability, Elizabeth Fry nevertheless
possessed a single-heartednes and
loneliness Of character such as is not
often granted TO leaders of men en-
crossed with outside cares. The secret
of her happy combination is found in
q letter to her sister wherein she says:
Ever since my heart was touched at
years old, L believe I have never
awakened from sleep. in sickness or in
health, by night or day, without my
first thought being how best 1 may
serve my Maker"
She died in 1916. Forty years later a
church was erected to her memory in
the garden of her Upton home. Prin-
cess Louise laid the foundation stone
and many of Mrs. Fry's great-gTand-
children were present at the ceremony.