The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-29
PRISON WORK
 IS DISCUSSED Mass Meeting at Court
 Street Church. COUNTY JAIL IS CRITICISED Place for Religious Worship Should
 Be Provided. speakers Advocate a Juvenile Protec- tory for Boys and Girls of Crim-
 final Tendeneies---Ursed Local Interest.

Southern Juvenile Protectory move ment, Rev. J. A. Rice. D. D., pastor of the Court Street Church, in the course of a brief address endorsing the work of juvenile reform. used these words m speaking of a situation that has been | long discussed. In earnest language | pr. Rice called the attention of the au- dience and people of Montgomery to | the fact that there is no place either at the county jail or the city prison where religious workers can meet pris- oners or where the prisoners can go | for religious services. He branded the {. iation as shameful and urged the
 gems of Montgomery to confer with those who have charge or the county jail, ito wipe out this shame. Turning to the gentlemen seated on the rostrum, nr. Rice asked who had charge of the county prison and was | informed that 1t was under control oi 1 the County Board of Revenue.
 pr Rice then asked that the Boart of Revenue include in the plans ioi !! improving the jail a place where the prisoners may meet religious WorKef' and have religious services - Later in the evening, Judge W. Fl Thomas of the City Court Of Mont l gomery. replied to pr. Rice. saying tna, be feit the Board of Revenue would | incorporate such a place Tn ms proposed plans for remodelling the Jail
 Tine audience, which last night at-
 tended the Methodist Church. was talr.
 " large and the sentiments uttered in favor of redeeming the wayward
 boys and girls received the hearty ap- proval and endorsement of those as- sembled fin the house of worship. Judge Thomas Presided.
 The meeting was presided over by Judge Thomas, who, with Rev. Craw- ford Jackson, of tAtlanta, Rev. w. M. Cox. of the Dexter Avenue Methodist Church, Rev. Charles A. stakely, D. b. of the First Bartist Church. Rev. J. A.
 Rice, b D.. of the Court Street Metho- dist shurch. and D. s. Hausman, we'll
 known attorney, were seated on the
 rostrum. Rabbi A. J. Messing was to
 have participated but he was last night called to Chicago on account of the illness of Mrs. Messing. He, however, sent expressions of regret at his in- ability to be present and expressed his
 sympathy for the movement.
 The meeting was opened at 7:3o o'clock with the singing of the nation
 al anthem. "Amerioa," by. the choir and ] the congregation. A prayer was doliv- cred by Rev. ". M. Cox, and then fol-
 loked song number by the choir.
 pr Stakeiy read scripture lessons | from the 61st chapter of Isaiah, pre- facing the reading with remarks in
 which he said this portion of the script | ure was in harmony with the senti l ments of the meeting.
 Judge Thomas was the first speaker From the standpoint of Jurisprudence i he reviewed the history of work look
 ing to the reformation of children and
 iu connection. herewith. he cited th' laws of England under which de l fendant had no legal right to an ap peal to q higher court but could onl!
 reach a higher tribunal by a writ O
 error The New Engian6 people, h. | said were the first in America wht
 saw the need of reformatory fo children. indeterminate sentences ant
 the like The members of the church
 he said, had been informed at the morn | ing services that no collection woulG
 be taken at this meeting but if 0 col lection had been taken over the entir
 State. 1t could have found no bette
 cause than this work for the chlldrel
 of the country,
 Judge Thomas presented statistics il
 the Southern States, regarding tn
 amount per capita of population tha
 had been expended in each State dur ing the year for benevolent purposes
 Oklahoma ranked last in the scale witl five cents per capita while Alabam;
 stood third with nine cents. The high I NpA OL GhAAy A9pAthHIH Oldlt was 04AtEGi
 cents. He contrasted this with Nev
 York at $1.76. California at S1.74, ant
 Massachusetts at S1.37. Remarks of MT. Jackson.
 Tn introducing, Rev. Crawford Jack | son. chairman of the Interstate Juve
 nile Committee, Judge Thomas said 1
 was fortunate that the audience haC
 with them a man to present. in it's tru,
 light, the great question of child re | formation.
 From the beginning of his thirty min
 utes address, MT. Jackson drew th'
 closest attention of hIs hearers to
 recital of the importance and urgen
 necessity for the establishment of ar
 institution for the uplifting of chil dren. The motto of the great move
 ment, he said, was ''co-operation," anC
 1t meant to reach out and take in those
 children of every section sex and con
 dition, regardless of race or creed. Judge Thomas, who preceded him
 said Mir. Jackson had spoken of tll' | question from the standpoint of jurIs
 prudence because he had been in d DO sition to meet these children while II
 the discharge of his duties on th'
 bench. One of Montgomery's attorn | eys, referring to Mir. Hausnan, woulC | speak on the question from the stand l poInt of a lawyer, and there were three | of Montgomerys ministers on the ros' trum, who were going to deal fully with the question in all it's phases | Why, then, should not the movement be success in Montgomery when sucf | men as these were interested and ready | to support 1t, he asked.
 | In connection with the recent meet ing of the juvenile committee at the White House in Washington, MT Jack
 son paid a glowing tribute to Presi' | dent Roosevelt for the aid which he is rendering the committee. When tho | President of the United States Is Inter. ested in uplifting the children he said Il the movement cannot fail.
 "Children need real intelligent sym pathy and friendship" exclaimed MT | Jackson, as he began q series or Illus
 trations bearing upon the importance | of the work. He spoke Of ms work n | Atlanta, first in securing the Juvenile court and then the State Retormatory ! He told of a young boy. John by name one of the many children lr Atlanta | who had been benefited. John had
 been arrested, possibly the twentieth ! time He had served in the stocksdf ' twelve times. His mother was dead and his father was worthless. John was bad and the police said that If Mr | Jackson could reform John he ceulc | perform a wonder He appeared in the police court, pleaded for the boy, had