Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-03-16
-, $40 $50 So 80 -ssssAig
\ \ Jackson Letter. \
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State Retormatory Question Noticed
March 9th 1906.

EDITOR HERAL In the house to-
day bill was introduced to establis
in our state reformatory. That is
school TO which bad boys can be
sent-boys that seem to be born with
a nature not compatible to any law
or Government; who are obstinate
incorigables, and can there be gov
erned and. trained and if possible
make good useful citizens out of
them. This informatory, if | under
stand it, belongs to and is supported
by the state. In some states thus a
farm belonging to the state is culti-
waited, work shops etc, are set up in
which boys can learn different kind S
of trades. They are to be also learn
cd morality. They get an ordinary
book learning. They are confined
there an can t leave as they please,
but must remain there to certain
age. They by this control and gov
ernment, moral and religious ira n
ing, in most cases have grown out of
that obstinate and incoragible nature
they once had, and while if it had
been eft uncontrolled, they in nine
cases out of ten would have grown
UP fit subjects for the penitentiary
convict farm of the state.
This bill by motion was indefinitely
postponed which ms its death.
1t was strange to me to hear the
81 ee hes made against it. They said
their fathers and mothers are to
blame for the conduct of the thou
sands of worthless renegades now in
Testing this state. Why do these
faith rs and mothers neglect their
duty and burden the state by such
neglect? The fathers aud mothers
neglected to perform their duty
while they had their children with
them. This is true in some ms, an
ces, but are there not lots of fathers
and mothers, and always will be, lots
of them, who are unfit to train chill
dren; who don't know how to train
them, for they never had any train
ing themselves, s.lch parents don t
care what the children are doing.
When they are out some where and
the old folks don't care where, so they
are out of their way.
am great deal more convinced
of the necessity of such institution
since [ visited the State Convict
farm. There are boys there under
the age of twenty, working out q
sentence under the penitentiary law.
spent whole day there talking to
and mingliEg with those unfortunate
I. people, and say that some of these
younger convictS ought not to be
there. Mos OF the youngar ones
look, speak and act like gentlemen
and every turn and act of theirs
show the imprint of a gentle mothers
training. But by being influenced
UHVy tIc tueTe. Inere Tor a term O
years, associated with the hardest
criminals; criminals whose whole
natures are impregnated with evil.
who have by age become careless as
to what becomes of them; every i'm
pulse of good Las become scared as
with hot iron; if they ever had any.
Is this fit place for boys and Young
men to be? ! say MOI MOI! No!!l
The treatment of these convicts is
just such as a good man would give
a bunch of mules; driven from day
light till dark, and it makes no diff
erence about rain, cold, slop or mud.
they must go; with no smiles of kind
ness for them from the outs lie world.
After release, every one that knows
them, remembers the stripes thew
once wore.
One of them who looked to be
about forty told me that one THING
was strange to him, and that one
strange thing was, that no preachers
ever visited the place. II was in
prison and you visited me not. y
There are several preachers who 7
know live not more than 8 or 10
miles OF one of these farms. Why do
they never go among these unfortu-
nate people you ask? I don t know
unless they are afraid they would
loose their rep, among the fashiona-
Die people for whom they preach.
NOW under al these conclusions is
1t any wonder that these people GROW
harder and harder every day. The
world Losses sight of them, and the
preachers act as though they had no
soul as soon as sentence is passed
upon them, perhaps by half drunk |
Judge
Oh you, all of us, who are hidino
7ehlnd an ecclesiastical collar and
coat; let us remember that Christ
dldn walk over man because he
was down; Christ did not pass bv on
the other side and leave it to some
one else to POOR oil in his sores. No.
ne llited them up, put them on their
eet' and in one instance said to q
poor fallen creature, where are thine
'ccusers, they do not condemn you;
lelther do |, go and sin no more.
These people will come out of their
PRISON life hardened, every impulse