The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-15
.Ess;7t;II. ;II.:,2l!I:E1
The conyicts of Alabama.

tne returns rom the laDor or ner coi vets Is now so much greater under th' direct management of the State than 1T | former years when leased to the minin; companies. But there is one feature 1T | rior to the former. Much less is being done for the reformation of the convict! man when they were under the care Q the companies. This is not intentional and 1t is a reproach which must be re moved from the fair name of the State Tn the contracts made with the compa mes the State expressly stipulated tha wherever hundred convicts were worked the company should provide schoolroom and mission-teacher, who should bt paid not less than $40 per month. It was night-school for all the men who wishec 10 attend, teaching only those subjects absolutely necessary to good citizenship ir,eeading, writing. arithmetic. and some also morning school for the men em- ployed in night work. One of our mos prominent judges told me that on one of his circuits a good old farmer talked to him with almost a broken heart about the fate of his son-a young man whom the judge had been obliged to sentence to year in the mines. On the judges almost 5ubilant; Judge" he said. "I je. want you to look at this! Here's a let ter my sons writ me with his own hand preacher newspapers! Why. Jedge, he didn't know a letter in the book when you sentenced him His time in prison IS a-goin' to be the maxim of him. .'' ing prisons who are too old for the re- formatory and utterly ignorant of the nrst principles of knowledge. Some of these gladly avail themselves of the priv ilege of a night school. These schools help to abolish the IA per cent. of white lliteracy with which Alabama is so often reprimanded. wish had kept list of the men who have learned to read in the night schools connected with our min ing prisons. The number is large.
 @ But to teach the three R's is not the teacher. He is the friend and comforter of all. He is the one who holds open the door of hope to the criminal and makes him feel that he still belongs to the brotherhood of mankind; that he is not utterly an outcast. Oh, would that 1t were possible for those who are living In happy. quiet homes to imagine the feelings of decent man who has struck too hard blow in a moment of pas slon, or in the stress of temptation has committed some other crime, when for the. first time he sits on his bunk and looks around at his one hundred room- mates, many of them the vilest brutes, gambling. swearing, fiddling. uttering the most obscene language, committing crimes imprisoned It is a hell on earth--it is worse than hell for in hell at least there IS ruler; but. in the dormitory of a mining prison there is no authority but
 
 guards are stationed in these dormitories unless by recent rule, of which I have not heard. l have heard authorities say again and again, that they have found card may be confiscated, but in a little while the men will be again well sup piled. Now think what a relief to a re- spectable man to escape for two hours from this horrible pandemonium, to q pleasant. wellwarmed, well-lighted room Where gentle-mannered, kindly, cour- Nhrt ia. rt H. come. If he has sufficient education not to need the elementary instruction that Is given, there is a table where he finds papers and magazines; and he can join in the songs with which the school scs- sion opens and closes. I have heard men say that the difference between their con- dition after the mission schools were that between Heaven and hell,
 Perhaps the most important work of the mission teacher Is in the hospital. where he is also the daily visitor. One of the dreariest places on earth is prison hosiptal. All is clean and orderly. The daily medical attention Is excellent. But most most of the inmates are far away from other hospitals the cheering visit and kindly inquiries of friends and relatives. Many of them cannot read to while away the weary hours of convalescence. Those who have no hope of recovery can not Write a last message to the lonely wife and dear old mother far away in the ioS-cdDln nome. Inlnk what 1t must be to those sad sufferers, to expect the cheery face and pleasant voice of a real friend: The mission-teacher comes like a ray of sunshine to this abode of gloom. He has book for this man, a flower for that one, a pleasant word for all. He writes last letter to his home for tnI dying man and listens sympathetically to his talk of his little chaps" at home whose chubby faces he will never see again. He prays with those who wish his ministrations. One of our mission teach CTS held every morning short school session for the convalescents; and the slate and tablet were a great source of pleasure and quickened their recovery. I saw this plan. in 9 German hospital and It worked we'll The. teacher also read book after book to the group of conva- lescents for a half hour each morning.
 Now 1t is not because the State is too parsimonious to do for these helpless wards what she has required of the com panies. that these schools have been sus- pended; but solely by an accidental omission in the new law. The President of the Board of Convicts has prepared a bill to remove this reproach from tno State. and it should take precedence of all other business. Alabama must be the true mother, not the harsh step-mother of her wayward children. "Remember them that are In bonds as bound with them. Julia s. Tutwiler