The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-06-14
The Seventh Man.
What the Superintendent of a State
Reformatory Said to the FortY-two
New Arrivals.

The following is from an exchange
name not known:
| The chaplain and superintendent
OF the state reformatory sat one Sat
urday just after the MONDAY meal
facing the 40 new arrivals of the
week. The chaplain asked of each
man his name, age nationality. re-
Iglon, offense and certain questions
concerning his family and friends.
These answers he entered in a cata-
logne. The superintendent had little
to say i'll this part OF the meeting.
but watched each man closely and
noted the answers. Then the sup
erlntendent gave little talk, whose
effect upon the young men a visitor
lslttlng beside him had a peculiar op-
portunity of noting. What he said,
III substance, was as follows:
The first thing we should like Won
young men to be sure of is that we are
your friends. When say that do not
mean that you are to look for an easv
time This is prison. You have been
sent here instead of to the penitentiarv
not because you did not deserve to 90
there, but because being young men there
was thought to be hope of your refor-
nation. But you must not assume
that you are here to play; the way ofth
transgressor is hard.
I'm the hard experience that is before
you we want you to believe, if YOU will.
that we are your friends. Do not under.
stand that to mean that we are going
TO take immediate steps to secure vOur
pardon; and do not take the first op-
portunlty to tell me or the chaplain
that the guilty man escaped and that |
you are innocent. You are not sent here |
ior trial; and your experience leads us to |
oelleve that very few men are sent here
Tor being good. We shall get on better
II we all assume that you are where Won
ought to be- "
There are ~ Of you That number
is divisible by seven, and enables me to-
prophesy little. Thirty of you men. if
Inc average OF our statistics holds good
VIII leave here permanently better for
having been here. Six Of you will leave
ABOUT as you came. The other six will
lnd the worst men in the institution.
ma make them their associates. They
VIII resist our best efforts to do them
rood; they will be suspicious and unrulv
ma Will leave here worse than when
hey entered, and become a permanent
edition to the criminal class We shall
lear from them afterwards at the state
PRISON and they will spend their short
ives in crime.
i have been looking in your faces try-
ne to find those six men. Let me count
eglnnIng at the end. One, two, three
our, five, six, seven-No, not wont Yon
re one OF the two married men md
ave little child! | should not like to
max 1t would be you! You must be q
nan Tor the sake of that wife and babvi
VIII begin at the other end. One
wo, three, four five, six, seven-but that
rings it to the lad from North Carolina
nose Old mother is a member of the
hurch, and will be praying every dav
'r her boy. | should not like to thinI
young man with so good a face as
on have could break mothers heart
don believe you will. Let me see.
here shall begin?''
by this time the atmosphere wos
ense. There was searching Of
carts as on the night when the Dis
pies asked Lord, is it II" II
The superintendent said at last II
| Will not count again, for the truth II
, cannot tell which of YOU it will II
e. But you can tell. Each one of II
gu can make resolution this min II
te that with Gods help you willnot II
the seventh man." III
Inc young men went to their cells
thoughtful mood. The lesson II
as one which most of them will re- II
ember all their lives, and some of Il
lem will heed. 1t is a lesson good
r Others also; for the matter OF sta
sites OF human conduct becomes q II
after OF personal choice, and each L
'terlnlnes for himself whether he will II
the grace of God, or will not he
e seventh man. .