Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-16

suits TO society at large, of their existence,
is de monstrated by The workings and eX-
istence Of such organizations in England.
Many Of the best and most influential men
and women of the colonies of that empire
are the progeny Of ex-conyicts, aided to
seek new homes in distant countries and
begin life anew, uuhampered by the records
Of their convictions And many, too, are
the descendants Of convicts transported to
these settlements in expiation of their
guilt
Now, if a little island, the size Of Eng
land, and with a population almost one-half
Of ours confined TO a territory no larger
than Ohio, could have achieved the results
we know they have accomplished by
Prisoners Aid Societies, what may we not
hope to accomplish In the solution Of this
imperative social problem when the vast
extent Of this country is considered, added
to the fact that distant colonies now offer
as new and important aid for exploitation
in this field of criminal reformation At
home and in the d slant colonies, protected
by our flag, the PrisonersiAid Societies can
not alone initiate their English fellows, but
improve vastly on the limited field in which
they labor so successfully, as established
by their reports and the criminal statistics
of that country. / believe in voluntary
emigration and Prison Aid Societies.
would not force even an ex-convict to leave
his native land. Voluntary emigration for
ex.pTisoners, properly recommended and
with good prison records is one Of the
solutions of this criminal question see
possible If Christianity has not approved
the replacement Of the aborigines Of Eng.
lands distant colonies by her ex-convicts,
certainly the results have justified the act,
and both humanity and civilization have
been the gamer Van Deiman's Land, once
a name of horror in the ears of Englishmen
as the home of expatriated criminals, is
now the pride and the glory of that far
seeing race and the Empire of Australia,
Queensland, Tasmania, and other colonies
to which the British criminals either volun-
tarily emigrated or were transported for
their crimes, WILL at this day, in the govern
ment and social condition of their descend
ants, compare favoraUly with the civiliza-
tion and observance of law and order, the
protection Of life aud property and in all
the other functions Of society, with either
England itself or this Republic Why, then
may we not hope to see, in the far-otf
Philippines, Hawaiian Islands, or in other
A9AaMA9 u AAN dNAANr a AANAA VI Hlt~AeANAN-i~
for reformed American criminals aided to
emigrate with wives and families by the
Prisoners Aid Societies and kindred asso.
Citations Of the country7 Does not such a
scheme of colonization appeal more forciblY
to even the active consciences of missionary
contributors than the conversion Of the
heathen2 Is there an American man or
woman who prefers the conversion Of a
Ths~asvt,,. to hr,drr aud
Of a fallen American
] would sooner be dog and bay the moon
Than such citizen.
cannot and will not, believe but that
when this subject is properly presented to
/ the Christian churches, and to the Christian
men and women of this country, by
/ Prisoners Aid Societies or kindred organi.
zations, at least portion of the money now
SO lavishly contributed to purchase Bibles
for breech-clouted savages, for heather
Chinese and for the 'unspeakable Turk,
or other infdel will be generously donated
to a fund for the equipment and emigration
of American ex-Convicts, their wives and
children, who may voluntarily seek,hOmel
in our distant colonies.
In the foregoing papers, / have but merely
grazed a subject the solution of which We
have been struggling with, viz. the decrease
of crime and the best remedy for the re-
formation Of our criminals. II is not az
insOlvable problem Far from IT, II j!
within the domain of practical accomplish
ment if the Christian Church will aid o.
take the lead in this tremendously i'm mportan
matter Owing to the unexpected length
to which have brought these papers, an
compelled to refrain from mentioning many
things, some of them probably of more i'm
portance than those to which have
referred. With the sincere hope that wha
! have written may be accepted in the spiri
of my intent-the glory of God and thu
elevation Of fallen humanity-I submit
these papers, for what they are worth t
the sympathetic and the intelligent student
of criminology aud humane public.
1.-THE END