Evening star., 1901-11-30

schooling are cordially invited to attend.
Cordial invitations in Massachusetts, are not
enforced with whips. Corporal punishment
is forbidden and in several of the instltu-
tions has never been practiced. The disci-
pline is generally strict, however ana the
keepers declare that the convicts prefer II
so. for they see that under rigid rule there
will be favoritisrn, no insecurity, ana
that the sanitary standards Of the place VIII
be kept up.
Parole System Works Well.
Relaxations from old methods are already
to be seen, however Formerly the dress
of the convict was glaringly conspicuous.
The subject was red on his right side ana
blue on his left. That costume was quilted
till at present there are not even stripes, the
dress being a dull, coarse suit Of gray, ana
there is no shaving or cropping OF mar.
The parole system, IN certain other states
peculiar to reformatories, has been intro
duced into the prison, and albeit the
Charlestown institution Is for old oHenders
1t works we'll twenty-five to thirty men
are freed every year on probation, and the
returns of those who violate the parole nave
been but one year. About two-thlrds OF
the inmates are employed on productive IN.
dustries, which comprise the making OF
boxes, brushes, clothing, shoes, harness,
trunks and cloth. The others are runners
clerks. carpenters, BARRIERS, blacksmlths, ma
chinists members, painters, bakers, WATERS,
nurses, librarians, gardeners ana iaoofefs
about the institution. y
Some liberty is allowed to each man in the
| matter of cell decoration. There is prass
! and string band which plays on Sunday IN
! the chapel, and on holidays in the yard and
| the hours of work are not severe, namely,
| from 7:30 to ), with an hour and hal1 re-
| cess at noon. On working DAYS there are
| three meals for each man; on Sundays ana
| holidays. when no work is done, only Two,
/ but the Sunday dinner is extra In quaHty
| and quantity. a daily change OF menu is
! offered and the dietary includes baked
| haap i- n ROStnn-ricp. bread, muSl,
/ real milk. soup, hash, tea, coffee, sugar ana
! one boiled dinner weekly, with soup meat
| There are delieacies for holidays, ana
! friends are allowed to send in a limited
| number of additions. e Catholic and Prot
estant services are held in the same room,
| at different hours. on Sunday. EXCEPT IN
the putting apartuof incorrigloles' there IS
! conduct or history {gi
Refornatory for women.
In sherborn, not far from Concord, is the
! only reformatorysfor women in the coun-
! try. 1t is rot 1nerely state institution; at
least strangers from as far away as Okla
homa are received there, provided their
| own states will pay hoard to Massachu-
! setts In this place, also, the indeterrinate
| sentence gives the power of liberation 10
the superintendent woman, by the py
| for there are no men about the place eX-
cent a few laborers and watchmen. NC
| inmate has been sentenced for less than q
wear but any convict may be released after
that period, and most of them gain theii
freedom by agreeing to go out to domestic
or other service. They are indentured to
manufacturers or farmers in the neighbor'
hood and If no damaging reports are made
about them they are free for good and all
While at work outside they are not re.
quired to report, but the authorities know
| pretty well what they are doing.
Sherborn+ prison occupies three large par
alieI brick buildings on hill and is sur
rounded by wall. conspicuousiy lowel
than the wall of the average penitentiar.
or jail You see, women cannot clint
| fences. Moreover, the windows are no
barred but merely covered with d net o
| heavy wire that man criminal Woult
| spend most Of his time in saving. Men arr
!, | better mechanics than women, but what Il
the difference, so long as women are 81
much better behaved that they do no
| need to be mechanics? The average mum
Der of residents in Sherborn is only 23O
While the discipline is not severe, it is in
flexible, and there are few attempts t
, | overthrow it. Not even tantrums, the time
honored privilege of~the sex, are permitte
now. This is a hardship, still one grow
used to almost anything. Probably tan
| trums would not be much of a comfort
| anyway for most of the women are not O
? the nervous and impressionable sort. Tie
S are as class, lumpish in body and rnnG
' prematurely old and dull of countenance