Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-24

first ofense should not be confined with the |
old criminals. He believed that all offenders
should be given a chance, something prob
ably they had never been given before, but
he desired IN giving the criminal a chance
that society be protected and the persons
attending to the prisoner should use COM
mon sense and not try to make a reforma-
ton with flowers and wasted sympathy.
Attacks County JaiIs.
Colonel Charles f. FELTON, Of Chicago,
once superintendent OF police OF that city
and once sheriff OF Erie county New York,
went after the county Jail system in his
paper. This association should spend its
time and talent" he said. Tin changing the
present county Jail system. Prisoners. good,
bad and Indifferent, are herded together.
and there the first offender, whose heart
is good, Is taught to be a criminal" He
wanted the wardens OF the country TO
have power to remove those who served
| under them at will in order to get better
| discipline, and he wanted the officers In
/ charge given the greatest latitude in deal
ing with the affairs OF their institutions.
He gave many personal experiences OF his
work with prisoners. and he warned the
association about choosing from among the
convicts Instructors for prison schools This
| 7soNoAif ht sdtus ndu resulted III many IN
stances in much harm.
Handling Of Women.
Mrs. Frances A. Morton, superintendent
OF the women's reformatory at shanborn,
Mass. delivered an interesting address on
the work in her institution and what was
| done for the uplifting of the fallen women.
| Mrs. Morton said her system was to get
well acquainted with the inmates and work
with them individually and to keep them
| constantly busy. In most instances, how
ever. she said, the sentence Of the women
was too short for the impression made
upon them to continue. resulting in many
| or the women who under careful teaching
might be made into good citizens falling
back into theirIlives of sin. OF the 23s
women who were discharged last year she
said Is per cent came back to the institu-
tion This, she said, was due to the fact
| that In many cases when the women were
| released they found their husbands had
secured divorces and their children had
scattered, and, discouraged, there was little
TO prevent them from falling Patience
and self-control on the part of the officials
OF the institution, she said, were essential
10 success in dealing with criminals.
MISS Rhodes, superintendent of the girls
retormatory OF Indiana, in a short address
said the young girls and the older women
and that many families in the town had
their washing done at the institution and
the girls were always kept busy They
are taught music and from among the in
mates there had been organized two bands
ana an orchestra. She is endeavorinE, she
said. to secure for her institution all
women who had been given jail sentences
Frank l.. Randell of st. Cloud, Mimi
presided at the meeting.
Meeting of ChapIains.
Al the meeting of the chaplains' depart
ment this afternoon President William j.
Bait of Massachusetts eulogized the late
chaplain Hickox of the Michigan prison
and then introduced Rev. David Judson
starr who delivered the principal address
Of the session. Mr.. Starr spoke of the
improvements that had been made in the
conduct of prisons during recent years and
held out strong hope for the future. Chan
lain d. r. Imbrie of the Allegheny county.
pennsylvania, workhouse. and Rev. M. A.
Bullock OF Lincoln both delivered talks
the latter on THE Chaplains Work from
the Outside Pastors View" Captain c.
Wright, for thirty-three years the chaplain
at Allegheny, Pa, told of the develop
ment of the prison from the old bastile
down to the present time. Captain Wright
had attended every meeting of the ma
tional congress since its organization and
was given hearty reception by the dele
gates.
Lindsey Compliments Nebraska
st. Pauls church tonight was crowded
, to hear Judge Ben B. Lindsey of Denver
r on childhood and Crime" Judge Lindsay
3 gave number of his experiences with the
t juvenile court law and complimented Ne.
braska for the best law that has ever beer
r enacted by any OF the states. In discus.
4 sing his method OF sending boys to the
Industrial school without an officer he
said some day one of them may fail &c
get there. but II that ever happened he
would call 1t one of his failures and not
n a failure on the part of the boy. Under
4 the juvenile court law the child was moi
n made felon and was not convicted OF
4 crime or the stigma of a convict placed
!. on him; that he was looked after and
a helped and given confidence In himself H,
4 pleaded for the appointment of probation
A officers and judges who really loved tn,
: work and who would look after the child
A like a father. He said:
X Reforming the Children.
> A child is the most valuable thing ii
: the world. Nothing on earth has within
y It the same possibilities Nothing is NOR
e delicately and wonderfully constituted /
II is the wonderful human machine and We
a we very often expect to accomplish result
with this wonderful little machine b,
'e placing IL I'm charge of the most bruta
and unskillful of men. in the case o
- placing II In Jail with hardened criminal
. and men who are educated In the way
II of force and violence and the methods o
e hate and despair. Therefore, the FIRST ste
a has been to take the child ont of the jai
y and away from the communicating sur
Is roundings, to place II under good infiu
ences. with skillful men and women who's
labor is n labor OF love; whose ways ar
those of kindness and heipfulness and We
L irmness that commands respect and tina
is does not produce hate. And so in dealin
= with these children you must provide tn
> necessary machinery you will be liabl
to fail You must have the detention hom
or school, you must look upon this wor
as the most sacred which the state ca
perform; you must provide the most skill
full men and women in dealing with tn
errors and weaknesses, the failings an
n the faults OF children. You must neVe
consider the question of expense.
Jails win never reform children. Jail
may scare children and they may refral
from unlawful acts because of fear, bu
in the end. unless some higher and noble
principle comes into the life OF the chill
as a reason for righteousness, his futur
% will never be safe. The child must be mad
to understand that he is making his ow
future: that his character is everything
Al that II he cuts of his finger he can neve
Ut his 4 nGafuI io 4