Evening journal., 1907-01-26
FRIENDS SOCIETY
OPPOSE WHIPPING
David Ferris Makes a Strong
Address to Legislature
Bearing on Subject
TRUSTEES SIGN PETITION

Special to The Evening Journal
DOVER. Jan. 26.-1n a strong appeal /
to the Delaware lawmakers to abol- |
ish the whipping post, David Ferris, Of |
the Society Of Friends, Wilmington |
standing on the speakers stand in the
Senate chamber yesterday, said in part: !
Il do not expect to go into an elab- /
orate argument about the whipping |
post in Delaware, but claim your atten- |
tion while / go over a few indisputable
facts which I think none here will deny. |
Our new wOrkhouse at Greenbank has
been carefully planned, and built TO
conform TO the most approved reform
atory penal institutions of our country.
The Trustees selected to plan and erect
our worlxhouse travelled into many
States OF our Union and carefully in
spected a number Of prisons and penal
Institutions. With good Judgment
and great faithfulness these trustees
proceeded to erect our workhOuse, mod
eled upon the best penal institutions OF
our country. The whipping post was
moved from New Castle Jail to the
new worlkhouse against the protest Of
many good citizens who felt the incom-
patibility OF the degrading torture.
with highest objects Of prison discipline
but the lower brutal feeling prevailed
and the whipping post is stin there 10
thwart and hinder the management Of
our workhouse.
Trustees Sign Petition
Warden A. S. Meserve and the Off
GERS OF the workhouse feel the greas
hindrance TO the management Of the
convicts from continuing the whip
pings; everyone Of the fve trustees
have signed the petition to abolish the
post. Surely these men, upon whom
devolves the care and responsibility
Of managing this institution and who
know just how the whippings affect
their management, should induce our
Legislature to remove the unmitigated
evil from our statute book. for there is
no good in it.
John Howard was followed by others
who had kind. human hearts and had
made the discovery that there was a
power in Christianity to save and to re-
form the most degraded In our coun-
try, this great principle has been ap-
piled with the best results. OF later
time a host Of our best and noblest
Americans have taken part in this
great work. among them Dorothy Dix,
Isaac T. Hopper, Lydia NJ. Child, John
G. Whittier, Z. r. Brockway Joseph
r. Scott, and now most successfully
working for the boys, Judge Benjamin
B. Lindsay, who in the last two years
has done and is now doing such Won
derful work in saving the boys. You
need not tell any of these noble work
4 Il II
that they can only be reached by tor
ture; they have proved the contrary
BY. reaching the hardest and most de-
graded, who have become good, hon.
est, industrious, self-respecting citizens
They have become such through
Christian love and by the grace OF
God, which brings salvation, recon-
.pended to them by the example and
aching of such good noble men as
Goldsborough Griffith, who says: wv
give especial attention TO the mora
and spiritual needs of the prisoners
We believe in reaching the heart as wei
as the head"
Heed Petition
my friends Of the Delaware Legisla
t1re, 1 ask you TO heed this petition @
the five trustees Of our workhouse. To-
they know and feel that this outgrowl
barbarism is in insuperable bar to max
ing our workhouse the good reforma
tory institution we all desire 1t to be
Come up out Of any faith in this saw
agery into the glorious light Of prog
tess and truth, which is daily growing
Fighter over our favored country. To
10. 2, all too long, has our little Dela
wal been kept In rear Of our States J.
enlig tened progress. To you who hav
any lief in the good Of whipping.
would ay in the language OF our poe
John Ga 3enieaf Whittier:
Soften heir hard. cold hearts, an
sht
The p ,wer which in forbearance lie
And let them feel, that mercy now
Is be- -er than old sacrifice.
'Ohl never yet upon the scroll
Of ie sin stained, but priceless soul,
-.ath Heaven inscribed Despair?