The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-13
Practical Aid To Criminals.

The Prisoners Aid Association is one of
the philanthropic societies in Washington
of which it may be said without qualifica-
ton that its influence is entirely good.
The business of the association is TO seek
prisoners. especially first offenders, when
it is possible to redeem from a life of
crime, and give them another chance.
The people of Washington should sup
port this work most Loyalty, for in it lies
! one main hope of the diminution of crime
There is time in the life of almost every
offender when he or she could be won over
| to law-abiding life if the proper methods
/ we're used; but unfortunately. that is the
very time when thirds of the good
and lawabiding people of the community
choose to turn their backs; for it is apt to
be when the person in question has gotten
into particularly bad scrape.
There is an old saying that one cannot
touch pitch without being defiled, but it
should be remembered that there are more
kinds of pitch than one. There is a spirit
of pharisaieal self-righteousness and cold
ness which is quite as contagious as any
other Objectionable thing. In fact, it SO
even more dangerous to many tempera-
ments than the more disreputable forms
of sin; but it is sin, just the same, and
responsible for a great deal of the wick
edness of the world.
1t sometimes seems as if there might be
significance TO the phrase being born
again which is not theological a man
is not wholly made up of the temperament
which he inherits from father and moth
er; there is generally evident character
which does not exactly correspond to
either, but which is his peculiar and sep
arate individuality. This mysterious some
thing may be weak or strong it may rule
or be ruled by inherited qualities; but
there comes crisis in his life when it is
brought to the surface for good or evil.
The child OF vicious and degraded parents
may have. underneath his inherited ten
denotes, a soul capable of good; the child
OF respectable people may have hidden
tendencies toward evil.
With the latter it is important that at
the critical moment he shall be surround
ed with all good influences, everything
that will confirm him in the way in which
ne mas DetU lTdiHtu. anu Sublut VI Trans
mute the evil by the power Of good. With
the former it is necessary to appeal to
the good in him that it may conquer the
bad He may be an atavistlc product Of
modern life. inheriting savage qualities
from some ancestor; then the thing de-
sirable is to civilize him, or, failing that,
to make him as good as savage can be.
He may be a very bad specimen of the
civilized man, in which case the task OF
reformation is more difficult; but at any
rate it must be remembered that souls
are not saved in bundles, nor can civiliza-
tion be made to progress by general meth
ods; 1t is necessary to deal with each in
dividual find out why he is a wbreaker.
and then if possible. make him inclined
to be law-abiding The old transportation
methods were not bad. They put the
semi barbaric violator of the laws of civ
ilized society into a place where there
were no laws. and sometimes he made a
good citizen.
The Prisoners Aid Association seems to
be doing this necessary Individual work.
and it is to be hoped that ii will be in
ereasingly successful.