The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-07-17
MORE RUSSIAN AuMANlTY.

m
"A announces that the car has abol-
ished "castigation with cudgels and
eat-o'- nine-tails, claiming to the car,
shaving the head. which were still in
nicted for certain of1enses on persons
exiled to penal settlements or to the
mines" Continuing. the dispatch naive
~ states that TIE castigation not in
frequently ends IN death" The cudgel
and the cat are to be replaced by pro-
longation Of sentence Oh by solitary
confinement up to zoe days on bread
and water, except every third day,
when one not meal will be served. Cor
poral punishment "for light offenses
and misdemeanors" win be continued.
however. up to 100 siows with birch
reeds being perHmtted. the matter to be
left entirely to the discretion of the
priser authorities or the local GOV
stssrs
This statement suggests two
thoughts The first is that the car
who makes great pretensions to hui
name instincts. has taken a long time
to correct the conditions that have
heen notorious in prisons throughout
bis domain for generations past. he
has been the ruler of the Russias for
several years now, and on any day Of
any one Of all these years he could,
with word. have ended the barbara
ties that have been practiced by his Of
feials He IS entitled to little credit
for doing now what an enlightened
Christian would have done years ago.
TIE other thought bears upon the
first in a measure and raises a ques-
ton as to whether the change in the
fortn of punishment is really an ale
Walton Of the fortunes OF Russian
prisons. 1t Is said by prison author
tiles that one cannot appreciate what
solitary confinement means until it is
experienced. Think what 100 days Of
such Treatment would be. Imagine
yourself. IN a narrow stone cell. black
as the sit with but a 1.-THE grating to
admit AR Your food-lbread and
E'er-is thrust through this grating,
YOU % not see t'e eIa2 who brings
-. nght comes nor the
49, HannOt see your own
form. tiIea.9s of your dungeon, the
stone where you lay your frame to rest
You sleep all you can. but the terrible
strain soon renders your sleep fitful
nervous exhausting-. There is nothing
10 do none but yourself to talk to. NJ
sound penetrates the inky darkness
What 100 days Of this means to a mar
Of intelligence is not hard TO guess. i
means madness, and the castigatioT
would be infinitely preferable to ever
week in a loathsome, black dungeon
The personnel of the inmates Of tbs
czars many prisons has bearing OF
the question. His political convicts
many of them. are men of Intelligence
and education-gnen too high-mipde'
TO endure without protest the tyran
nicai form Of government under which
the Russian people groan. To them tn
dungeon would be an inferno and thei
reason would not bear uD under con
fnement I'm It. The other class o
prisoners the criminals. in the car
prisons are mostly OF a low order o
intelligence. To them the castigatiol
would probably be the greater punish
ncnt. Being more on the animal order
~ inferior sensitiveness, the aWfu
darkness and silence, I'm which the in
teliigent mans imagination and fame,
runs away with his reason. would b
less trying to them. They could an
would sleep a great part Of the Tins
and having but little to occupy thei
thoughts at any time would likel
come out Of the dungeon in physics
and mental condition almost as goo
as when they went in. Thus to on
class OF the cars prisoners the chang
may mean amelioration of punishment
while to another itemeans torture in
anitely greater. The matter OF punish
ment having been left TO the local au
4 thorities is a strong indication that tn
intelligent convicts will get the cor
nnement and the ignorant ones tn
birch reed lashings. The cars jailei
may be trusted to do their utmost
make each mans punishment as heav
as possible.
9, just wat has inspired the car
- - action at this time IS nc
Il he hopes to secure CON
-f~es'Iilzed people he wi
Sc eEDointtd. He ~ doubly Ger
surable first for not abolishing n
cruel and mufderous castigation year
ago. and second for not abolishing wit
it solitary confinement with its attend
ant horrors Russia is STIR In the daI
ages. and the man who sits on Z
throne has get to show that he
81 touch with modern humanity an
Sterilization.