Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-05-25

within its walls IL .296-l6 per cent o
them were totally illiterate: AZ PEI
| cent were barely able to read anC
write, giving total OF 81 per cent
either entirely unable TO read ant
write. or barely able to read OF write
| and rs per cent more OF tnem, or 9
| full third, had left school somewhere
cent had as much as high schoo
education or better. My people are
gone into captivity for want of knowl
edge The unframed mind, followed
by the unskilled hand-aud wneu you
go over the reports of the nationa
bureau of education, you will observe
that only one out OF ten of all the men
in our prisons are thoroughly skilled
tradesmen. An unframed mind, and
an unskilled hand; the idle man S
head, the devils workshop. Toe same
Is TRUE of the boy. Then follows wan.
dering about over the land. from
town TO town and city to city--rest.
less as savage. and by the very dint
and force of circumstances. driven
sometimes TO crime over bite to eat
or something to wear, OF place OF
shelter; and as a, penalty for that,
one year, two years, three years, be-
hind prison bars and branded Con
vict' for the rest Of ais life.
There was An ancient adage that
All roads lead to Rome;' and 1t was
therefore, just as true that all roads
omanated from kome-trace all these
influences contributing TO q shocking
condition like this-trace them to
what you may-all this had its origin
in bad home, or the want OF home.
Good old states like Massachusetts
and Rhode Island can strike the av-
erage, rom reports made over peri
Sds embracing ten years time; from
these you will learn that nine out OF
ten boys at the state reformatories
have had, either no homes at all. or
came from positively bad homes. Do
not forget that nine out OF ten OF tnem
never had such a chance az you and
have enjoyed, in the days OF our
me, I was raised in Methodist
home: my father WAS pastor of this
or another churcn;' but these are the
exceptions No matter whether they
knew better or didn't know better, for
his sake. for your sake, for my sake,
for the sake of everybody the duty
lies upon us to reach forth a helping
hand, and make is possible for that
man 70 get out of the influences from
which he has suffered into better
circle of Influences, TO a better and
more hopeful life. with the new posi-
bilities OF Il redeemed man among
men,.
Now, | want you for moment, my
friends to consider the case Of tiae
prisoner. as he comes forth from these
doors. No wonder one poor fellow
said to the clerk who sat in our of
flee and to my good wife. What We
need. ladies', when We come out from
that institution, is some good mother,
who will take us BY the hand and
say, be strong-you can be a man
How is 1t possible for them to leave
the ranks of criminality, unless you
and | say to them word OF hope, and
seek, with all our minds and hearts,
to give tnem another chance? O.,
They go out branded--just as well
aware of 1t as you and perhaps
with wife and and one or two boys at
home watching him, with awful ex-
pectancy. One boy. watching the
horses, as ne drove me up to town
a few days ago, said TO me, Mr. Col
lett, you are the only friend l have;
for ] want to tell you. get into trou-
BILE. man or boy, and from henceforth
the world is down on you And l am
telling you, as told him. am using
every bit of strength and spirit
have to wake an interest in you, to
lift you up, and that II / didn't think
| was meeting with some measure Of
success in helping you, would quit;
for | don't nave to do this thing un-
less | want to.
In the dark ages they took and
VIZ thttAhho cA VIC SAiho ny
on the offender, today there may be
no brand OF the hot iron upon them.
but when they are discharged, In the
cheapest shoddy goods that manufact-
uring science knows how TO produce.
yOI can tell one of them-that merry
Gus twitching OF the eye, those quick
movements and jerking Of the hands,
tell the story Of iron discipline. The
soldiersailor whose limbs we're liter
ally shot to pieces by the Cninese
Boxers in the compound Of PekIn.
saved by the skill of Japanese eur
geons, when American surgeons per
haps would have chopped them on
and thrown them away, that man said
10 me / am 50 nervous that nard-
ly know what to do with myself.
Yes, you can tell nim; he Is q brand
ed man; he has been in the midst of
the debasing influences Of prison life
We need to learn a lesson from Mas.
sachusetts, an older state. For years
Massachusetts and New South Wales
have mad law punishlng nrst offend
ers. When he goes forth again, ne
goes out weakened by the very diet
on which he has been maintained: be
Is further weakened by his enforced