The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-26


where in their lives the beginning of their
downfall was whisky or the bad associa-
tons that they early formed. 1 do not
want to leave the impression that this IS
the cause of all the trouble and crime that
humanity suffers. but il is the cause OF
very large per cent. of 1t.
when we speak of reform our mind
usually goes back to the boy who is from
fifteen 10 twenty years OF age, or even a
little older. and it is this class OF people
that we usually find are most susceptible to
reformation. / believe the opinion of those
who handle such persons will in almost
every case be that there IS far less nope
of the reformation of the man VINO Is
twenty-five or thirty years old. 1t is true
that we can do him good in institutions
by treating him well and treating him, not
in vindictive way, but in way 10 make
him see the better side of life. The great
est benefit, however, will always come, not
from reformative methods but from pre-
ventive methods: and these methods we
must use when the boy and girl are small,
and even before the time that they know
right from wrong. IL the people or this
State, as well as other States, would spend
more money in kindergarten schools, and
would take the boy and girl from the
slums and the streets and put them into
such schools, and follow them on into the
public schools, until they bloom into man
hood and womanhood, / believe that good
results could be seen from this work in
but generation from now by the popula-
ton of our reformatories and prisons
diminishing.
SUGGESTION TO TEACHERS.
az have a suggestion TO make to the
school teachers of the State, and would
emphasize 1t with as much energy as 1 can
command: 1t is that every teacher should
report TO the local charity organization,
or direct to the secretary OF the Board Of
State Charities, any case of neglected
child coming under the teachers observa-
ton. II parents or guardians cannot or
will not insure proper schooling. nourish-
ment and protection TO the children in
their charge, the State must see that these
necessities of life are provided; and as
we have an intelligent and sympathetic
person in the office of teacher in every dis
trict in the State, presumably knowing the
habits and condition of every family in
such district, the machinery for such re-
ports as / suggest is ready to hand; 1t
only needs sympathetic understanding
to put it in motion 1 would also suggest
that the members of the charity organi-
to approach all teachers in their various
districts. insurlng that such interest in the
neglected Children be encouraged.
Il have made q careful comparison of
the population of the Indiana Reformatory
in the past five years On Oct. 1, 1898, the
population of Indiana was 2,451,9S4 On that
day we had 923 men in the Reformatory,
or 376 per 1000 of the population. On Oct.
i of the present year the population of H.
diana was estimated to be 2.62S,4 IA. and on
| that day our inmates numbered 924. or 3.52
per 1000 of tho population. But we are re-
ceiving fewer men now than We received
| five years ago. During the year ending Oct.
IL, 1898, there were received Cos men,
2.47 per 1000 of the estimated population
of the State. But during the year ending
| Oct l, 1903, we received only 404 men, which
shows 1.54 per 1000 of the States popula-
| ton.
There is no doubt that the chief rea-
son for this decrease is the indeterminate
sentence law itself. The confirmed criminal
hates that law because he knows that it
| lengthens his term of Imprisonment. The
confirmed criminal. the man who has been
sentenced agaln and again. is giving the
| that If caught in this State and his record
is known society will be protected from him
by his being compelled TO serve out the
maximum term.
GOOD OFFICERS ESSENTIAL
! las I have said before, the reformatory
side of the question of Imprisonment must
receive most watchful attention. and this
relates not only to the kind of work in
mates are given to do, but also to the
class Of men who have charge of them. 1t
it necessary that every officer in our re-
formatory and penal institutions should
be one who can set good example before
! the inmates of whom he has charge and
| he should while on duty conduct himself
at all times as a gentleman. Officers
should be the highest grade men that it
| is possible for the management to employ
/ with the money that is given by the Legis-
latures. No man should be employed i'm
institutions of this character who comes
| just for the money that there is in il.
| Unless he has an interest in the work
which he comes to perform we'll as an
interest in humanity he should not accept
| the employment 1t is impossible, in my
| judgment, to reform any man when an
/ officer who has charge of him does the
things which the rules of the institution
| do not permit the inmate to do. The un-
| fortunates that are sent to such institu-
tons are weak, they lack self-control, and
| those who have charge of them should be
able to teach them how to DE better men
and strengthen them along lines of self
| control. Unless an officer is honest with
himself and honest with those he has
| bring about any degree of reformation.
1T is along these lines that the man.
| agement of the Indiana Reformatory is
working. and when We find that we have
| an officer that is not In full accord with
our ideas i'm this way he will not long
hold his position. We are seeking such
of applications that we receive there are
but few who come up to our ideal. AS an
instance of this, may say that a few
days ago there walked into the office u
tall, hearty-looking fellow. who asked for
an application paper for position guard
and then explained that he had been work.
to have job at the Reformatory to rest
up bit. He got the application form but
need hardly say his appointment has
For the heads of the departments and
all the superior positions We must have the
| best men Obtainable-trained men, ener-
getic, enthusiastic, sympathetic The State
| has shown itself willing to pay such men
| for their services, and they on their part
ought to be ready to sacrifice some of the
social advantages-even preferments they
may enjoy in another field of labor, for
the sake of reScuing these human derelicts.
To any young man in this audience who
| is anxious for a life work in the service
| of humanity, rather than a brilliant ca
reer, l would suggest and urge such a
sphere as our Reformatory offers.
THE BAD CONTRACT SYSTEM.
1--WE shall not obtain the full benefit of
the reformatory idea, as L have said. until
the present contract system is ended, so
that we may have full charge of the in
mates, not only in the way of discipline,
but in the manner of instruction. It is for
this reason that L am advocating the MAX
ing of schoolbooks in the Indiana Reform
atory, not for the purpose merely of ef-
fecting a great saving to the taxpayers of
| Indiana, but because the nature Of this
work would be beneficial TO the mind OF
the inmate. 1t is very important in bring
ing about reformation that the inmate 5
whole view of life, in labor, in rest, in
pleasure. must be changed. To insure this
his handicraft, as well as his habit of mind.
must be such as will be suitable to the
changes that are being produced and the
result that is constantly in view-namely,
his reclamation. He must be given work
to do that is elevating, and then, with an
officer who fully realizes the responsibility
given the right kind of work and kept at il
| continually. definite results will be OBJ