Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-16
PART ILL.,
FoRrY-srxrH PAPER.


Christendon. And we are. We we're born
in sin-the sin Of our FIRST parents-and the
great struggle of a Christian life is TO die
free from sin. The basic. distinguishing
Characteristic and upon which all the others
are built between civilized and uncivilzed
man, is the charity with which the former
regards the shortcomings of his fellows and
the unrelentiug vengeance of the savage for
his foes. The foes of society, or the civil
lized state, are the criminals immured be-
hind stone walls and those at liberty en-
gagged in warfare against law, order and
morality Christianity and Paganism differ
in one essential which more particularly
accounts for the triumph Of the former
than any of the other opposing principles
that separate the illuminating and immortal
doctrine Of the Nazarene from even the re-
fned and cultured mythology of the Greeks.
And that essential is, our acknowledgment
and public confession Of the universally OF
sin.
Christian civilization prompts and directs
us to attempt the succor and reformation of
our more degraded fellOw.siuners. Pagan
ism is pride, Christianity is humility. The
Pagan would claim divine hOnors as being
free from the weaknesses and vices of his
fellows, but the Christian bows his head,
ana cries. feCCANl t'-~l nave sAhuSNs
Hence, instead of posing before our fellows
as men above the temptations and weak
nesses of the Resh and of moral superiority,
we humbly acknowledge our common frail-
ties and common humanity.
iswith this feeling and conviction write
of prisoners and the obligations and duty of
the state toward them. Now what are the
obligations the state owes and what are its
duties toward the prisoner The prisoner
is a sinner per Sc, he is morally and
LEGALLY fallen. His EXPLANATORY pro-
nOuncement that he is a sinner is unneces-
sary. He has been found out There is
this remarkable difference between sin
found out and sin unconfessed-the former
degrades him who commits II, not alone in
the eyes of his fellow-men, but in his own
estimation or inward consciousness. So
peculiarly constructed is weak, vain man
that he is enabled, by a system of m mental
logic 20 convince himself Of his entire re-
spectabilitv, correct behavior and good citi-
zenship while committing sin OF violating
the legal statutes, until his fall or discovery.
1t is needless to say that he is accepted by
society and his fellow-man at his own moral
worth. But when discovered-when he
falls his reasoning faculties bring home to
him his moral turpitude and degradation,
ana MS IellOW-C -ClLlNeuS ASp puuldAS MS ASAApW-
ship. He then becomes prisoner to the
state, and is compelled to pay the penalty
which the law provides for his particular
sin or crime. And now the state entrusts
his reformation and the exaction Of this
penalty to it's delegated servants-the prison
officials While the admission is public
that we are all sinners, it is a cousoling
thought, and the hope of humanity that we
are NOT all EQUAL sinners. And the state,
as we'll as the Almighty, who knows, recog-
nizes this fact Now, the frst obligation
the state owes the fallen sinner, whom II
has imprisoned, is to surround him with
environments that shall not further degrade
him: and, its FIRST duty, to entrhst his keep
ing to servants who shall not, Pagan-like,
assume the attributes of gods but who shall
be conscious of their common human weak
nesses to temptation and sin. Who shall,
in fact, be conscientious Christian men and
women. feel grateful that have lived to
see both intention and evidence in this free
land of ours to place in charge of our penal,
reformatory and correctional institutions
men and women of known probity, humane
feelings and Christian morality. Society
has about realized, what men and women
engaged in charities and corrections have
known and emphasized with pen and voice,
another in our modern and advancing civil
ization calling for a respectable order Of
moral attributes, Christian practices and
observances, aud the exercise of the human
tiles, it is in penal, reformatory and cor.
rectioual institutions. The states FIRST and
imperative duty to the prisoner demands,
therefore, his proper environment and his
Christian custody.
What are the proper environments which
should surround the prisoner And in what
manner shall the state exact Of him penance
while in custody with a view to his Tefor-
nation and restoration to society," The
state owes the prisoner healthy habitation
sufficient food suitable clothing and medi-
cal attendance. These comprise but the
physical obligations There are moral ones
as obligatory and Of superlative importance.
both to the prisoner and society, whose in
terests the state, in this sense, serves Idle
ness, the fruitful parent of all the vices,
should be provided against. The prisoner,
physically and mentally. should be fully
occupied during his waking hours. In
dustry should be the unvarying rule, but
toll should be softened by encouragement.
Moral instruction, by practice and preeept
in the chapel, at the guard stand, IN the
school-room, and in the administration
omcesi snoulu never DC negAeCheui HnN
the prisoner should be made to feel
that the servants Of the state, from
the chaplain to the warden and from the
schoolmaster to the guard are MORALLY
worthy of their trusts. He should also be
impressed with the fact that the state in
furnishing him exercises charity and Is not
exacting vengeance. That the preservation
of society and obedience to law are para
mount necessities Of civilization That God,
nature and civilized governments alike ex-
act penalties for violations Of both the
moral and the physical laws and that legal
peuance is not the satisfaction for crime 80
much as it is an effort on the part Of the
state to reclaim the fallen citizen'and restore
him to society. The states duty 10 the