The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-10-09
CONGREGATIONAL CLUB.
THE SUBJECT OF PRISON REFORM
DISGUISED.

At the Clubs First Meeting of the Season
at the Second Congregational Church,
Fair Haven, Last Evening Remarks
by Judge baldwin, Professor Black
man of Yale, Hon. Henry G. Newton,
Ex-Judgo Pickett, Hon. C. IF. Kellogg
and Others-Other Fair Haven News.
The first meeting this season of the
New Haven Congregational club was
held last evening in the Second church,
Fair Haven East. The social was held
at o'clock and a fine supper was pro-
vided for the large company by the
ladies of the church. At 7:45 the com
pany assembled in the audience room
for the literary exercises. The new otf-
GERS presided for the first time. They
consist of Rev. Charles F. Clarke, pres
ident; secretary, William E, Chandler;
treasurer, John A. Richardson, and sew
eral committee.
Prayer was Offered by Rev. George
Foster Prentiss of Davenport church.
Despite the rain, there was good at
tendance. The music for the occasion
was furnished by Miss Emma McDon-
aid and ladies' chorus from the United
church.
Frank A. Smith was elected a mem
Der of the club.
There was a discussion of the topic
of "Prison Reform" the outlook COM
mittee having presented a report on the
subject at the annual meeting held at
the East Haven church June IL. Most
of the speakers were limited to five
minutes each. The first speaker was
the Hon. Simeon e. Baldwin, who said
In part:
1.-THE report has been sent to all of
the members, but probably most of you
have not looked inside of the covers,
Your committee has gone back to the
fundation principles of justice. Is the
aim of the law to inf1ict a penalty that
the criminal deserves? 1t was very
plain many years ago that the attempt
was made to reform the offender. Ihls
summer I attended a convention at
Brussels were these subjects were dis
cussed. In our report we included the
subject of what punishment is. Nhlp-
ping was made a mode of punishment
for Juvenile offenders and for certain
cases for adults. I was introduced TO
a magistrate from Manchester Eng
land. who said that smart whipping
administered in private was the pest
sort of punishment for certain o1tend-
ers. In England this is common soru
of punishment for those who attack the
weak TT seems a little barbarous for
one man to whip another, but Is 1t not
reasonable that pain should be the con-
sequence of sin? We should ask Wheth-
er there Is any reason for making
Temporary Imprisonment sole punish
ment for certain crimes. imprisonment
deprives one Of liberty, degrades ana
contaminates him and imposes an I'M
mense pecunary burden on the state
and the taxpayer. During a greater
mart of the history of the world other
nuuishments have been used, many OF
them the inf1icting of bodily PAIN
nm, convinced that for boys this WHIP
ming should be the principle form OIL
punishment"
Tn closing, Judge Baldwin read the
renort Of a London magistrate upon the
punishment of whipping which he COM
mended.
The next speaker was professor
Rlacknan Of Yale Divinity school, VINO
took the place Of Rev. DIR. T. L. Mum
sar In the latter's absence. Professor
Blackman said in part:
"with regard to crime, the most con-
s,ic,ous advance in the matter of crime
nos been the removal of us from the
oYi,,,a and giving attention to the GRIM
ine1 T,et lie classify the criminals ana
.1ifforant1U This GAS
sifca tion is philosophical and reasona-
ble. But of late we nave not trea'eu
them in that way. One thlng Is opFi-
o,,s-imprisoument OF all sofus OIL u
malls In a heap In jail is the worst tllns
+bat could be DONE Is 1t not true thae
fo, wars Minnesota has separated GRIM
ina1s In the jails? And the sheriHs re-
MORT that great good has come Oh It,
win this separation in the jails pc
view. q great good could be done
Nov that Mr. Brockway has peen
,a+o, bv nublic opinion out OF his
orinion we are talking of whipping
~ connecticut. But I believe that
++ranning is a. good thing both in ana
~ If iajl If the reform school at
Mariden is so inefficient it ought to be
given up .r u..4
ZION. Henry G.. Newton said: i start
al this movement in the club in order
"a bring ont thorough discussion. Years
$50 in a southern state there was an
effort to abolish whipping. but mem
her got up and said that the whipping
,,os+ was the best method of punish
men+ and that when the whipping post
was used 1t was effective and drove
criminals out of society. Has whipping
been abolished in our jails or the reform
school? Why Is it any worse to whip
n how out of the reform school than In
itq When Speaker Fessenden was in
tha legislature he said that whipping
was a good thing, but it would not do
70 take a step that was in vogue years
ago. I admire very much what is being
dome for reformation in the state pris-
on. but what is being done in the jails?
Hon. Rufus S. Pickett said This
tonic is hardly in the scope of the con-
stitution Of the club. 1t don't strike
me that going to the legislature is
mart of our business. I do not believe
The club has made distinguished sue
cess in this sort of business 1t did not
make a success in the matter of the
crrfew law. I have been connected
with the criminal court fourteen years
end had to deal with 10000 criminals
/ have no question that whipping is