Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-23
THE SUNDAY GLOBE WASHNGTON. d. o. FEBRUARY 28 1902.

Of their situation. Think OF the agony Of a
srailened cell to the man who has been an
exemplar among his fellows upright,
honest, studious, admonishing Others to
VIRTUE and right living By his practices as
well as his precepts; who has been sent 10
the peniteniiaiy by combination Of preju-
dice, envy, suspicion undue haste, or other
malignant influences. Separated from
mother, or wife and family, cut of from an
honoted station in society whether high or
humble a sensitive soul may suffer the
tortures Of the lost without meriting them.
And we know not who they are. The same
clamOr and false report that convicted them
pursues them to the prison, and we have
no means Of knowing the man Of good char.
acter save by his conduct in confinement
Many men get into crime and prison
through carelessness the result, probably,
Of imperfect training in youth, or its oppo-
site error, overtraining, and their careful
ness and consciousness must be re-awakened
and put on the alert Then they will pause
and think before they violate a rule Of the
prison, and the same wakeful habit Of mind
will continue with them after they become
free and admonish them, in the same way
against breaches Of the law They will be
Ah"AN NAANlAA III AlEll ADEAANl ever h1Icl~
ward.
Under this plan, similar to that of several
retormatories. each prisoner is provided
with pocket manual, which may be said
TO be compend Of kindly counsel and reg.
ulations. In il he will find rules concern
ing the writing Of letters, receiving Wis
itors, the conditions upon which privileges
will be granted, list Of violatious-more
than forty-five of them--the table Of good
time allowed by law on different sentences.
and several tabulated pages, embracing one
whole years calendar. with spaces opposite
each day in the year, in which he is to
enter the number of marks gained by him
daily thus keeping tab on his own depoTt-
ment. This conduct diary makes him the
book-keeper of his own behavior Every
time he opens it or makes an estry in il he
is reminded that he is the architect Of his
own prison fortunes, and a sense Of his pei
sonal responsibility grows within him. Il
makes him anxious 10 improve the time
and be careful about the quality and guam
tity Of his work, for he knows that poor
work means loss of standing. By this care
fulness Of work his technical skill is in.
creased and the value Of his labor en-.
hanced
The full number of marks with which he
credits himself daily is in the nature Of
reward repeated with each setting Of the
sun, which tends TO make him hopeful OF
his future and ambitious that each succeed.
ing day may bring the same cheer and
profit.
Beyond all question, success along these
lines builds up his self respect, and that
will strengthen him. when he goes out, to
be self-sustaining.
In this manual he finds las already re-
Inarked) a number Of rules and regulations
that must be strictly observed. Yet they
are not difficult, not onerous; but they re-
quire his attention and tend 10 concentrate
it, keeping him as wide awake and as mind
full Of the conditions that confront him as if
he we're on an open plain surrounded by
hostile Indians. In short, Spartan discip-
line prevails. but without the Spartan
harshness, for with this penalty Of environ.
ment he has encouragement and assistance
TO reformation There is not a vestige Of
hostility, yet the prisoner who runs the
gauntlet Of temptation and opportunity, as
forty.nine out Of Fifty do, has tutored his
spirit to a careful, watchful submission that
keeps him alert from dawn till night Yet
they are cheerful hopeful and industrious,
because this is a cooperative plan in which
prisoners and officials are partners for good
order and the best interests Of society and
all concerned, If continued good conduct,
and industrious habits, without lapse,
through many months Of prison life, are
sound proofs Of reformaton-and I know
of none as reliable-may we not conclude
that this system is a successl
ITO be continued