Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-04-29

hO AAlCA CoL III Pl1oOh A1AC - Aos
SO much human interest as de-
light in the abstract. When a man
commits crime and is jerked from
public view to a mansion of cells,
he loses part of his humanity and be-
comes an abstraction. His lot is faS-
cinating to those whose minds are
wont to fasten on system and sched-
ule People declare their fondness
for liberty, yet to the same degree,
too, they gloat over the possibilities
of discipline. They love to examine
into the methods that one man die
tates for another's obedience. That
is why they are vain of written con-
stitutions that are cumbrous to
amend, rules, bylaws, strange man
ners of etiquette, styles, heraldry,
caste, machine politics and countless
other inventions. The imposing of
mathematics on humanitys infinite
wishes makes the victims interest
ing as a puzzle. The captive in Siberia
is a more curious and edifying object
than the tramp who has park bench
for his sofa. The former has been
stamped with system. The cruelty
that has been practiced ON him be-
comes theatrical. He interests not
because he is a man but because he
is a working model of another mans
torture. The tramp on his side, is
an emblem of freedom. Yet on ac-
count of his local color and the Gus
toms to which he adheres would de-
light more readers than the affections
to which he does not get an opportun-
ity to adhere.
Now, in a penitentiary, food comes
and goes by weight. Every dollars S
worth is supposed to feed a certain
amount of criminal. Seven hundred
people nourished day by day with
the same food, munching the bread
of punishment, chewing the meat of
rule and regulation, carry out the
schedule provided for them. All ap-
petites are met with the same supply,
all tastes the one satisfaction. Vag-
rants, burglars, miscellaneous misde-
meanants, attempters of murder,
thieves, consume the same fare to
thrive through their term. The right
of selection is eliminated. Rejection
of one dish would be likely to dis
rupt the rejecter's whole meal.
The lodging places of the Lom-
brosoites are examples of crime in
architecture fitted for crime in the
person. AS the warden says, the
sleeping places are built on the plan
of the Pullman palace cars, two
berthS, one over the other.
The resemblance to the palace car
is in economy of cubic measurements.
The cells for the men are contained
in two sections of the main building,
one for the long-term men, the other
for the short term. Down the long
room are six parallel rows of cells in
a block three stories high, back to
back. Skeleton stairways and plat
forms of iron lead to them. The cell
block is just large enough to hold
uncomfortably these few hundred
men filed away for reference until
che expiration of their terms, when
they are taken into the Office and re
leased. Each cell car hold two men
The first man to get one of these com
partments takes his choice of the
berths.
Out in the yard are acres of ground
seemingly for no other purpose than
to keep the several buildings of the
institution far apart from each other
Some good-sized and airy sleeping
places could be built there, ON a the
ory not too airy or impractical with
the designs of prison life. especially