The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-03
THE GREAT UPLFT ].
X.-RecLaimingC Crinsinols
By Frederic J. Haskin.
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Mansfield, Ohio, Dec, 3-The glory of an afternoon light falling through barred windows, searching out the cor ners of the white walls and falling on the faces of 1000 men and boys in clean Sunday clothes. while, led by an orchestra and trained choir. the melody of 1000 strohg young voices rings beyond the walls and across the brown hills. chorusiug Count your many blessings. see what God has done" It is the Sunday afternoon ser vice in the Ohio State Reformatory' and they who sing have already be- gun to count their many blessings and are realizing what God has done for them through the enlightened people of the state of Ohio. These have been worsted in the fight for, existence. They went into life poorly equipped for the battle, under the handicap Of weak character. ignorance. incompe- tency and untrained hands and were defeated
 That is why they are here They are to be made fit for the fight. When they leave this institution to take their places again in the field they will not be weddings but men who have learned manhood and its responsibilities. The work here Is to reclaim the criminal and make of him a good citizen, fitted for moral and industrial life.
 This is 0hio's method of dealing with her men criminals between the ages of sixteen and thirty. The idea was that of General Roeliff Brinker- hoff, one of the worlds greatest penologists It might have been only an experiment had 1t not been turned over to J. A Leonard. sometime school teacher, sometime special Indian agent Men make institutions and he has made this. Born for such work he has already proved in the eight years he has been in charge at Mans field that three-fourths of the nations criminals could be saved to citizen ship if the nation would only go about 1t in the right way.
 This is a jail~with the conventional things-impenetrabl stone walls. the high barred windows. the long ranges of brick and steel cells, and the un- relaxed vigilance of officials. But the lock step has given place to the milf tary tread; the striped clothes are gone and neat military uniforms take their place; hand-cuffs. whipping posts and chambers of torture have given place to a simple. bare meditation chamber" where the offender is sent to think out matters for himself. and the guards combine with their over sight the additional duties of instruc- tor in some branches of literary. tn- dustrial or agricultural education.
 These are all convicts. remember. Each has been tried by the laws of the state. has been adjudged guilty of some offense against society. and has been sent here to pay the penalty under a sentence that may extend any where from one year to thirty years according to the nature of the offense. The old way was to put these men at work, or place them in solitary con finement until the expiration of the time named, and then send them out to become even greater offenders against society, bitter from confinement, with hands still untrained and still un- cured. Modern philanthrophy sees in the prisoner one who is morally Ill and who has been downed in an un- equal fight It means to cure him. How Is thi@ to be done?
 Three-fourths of the crimes com mitted in the United States are crimes against property. People want prop erty that other people have, and not be- ing trained to earn it, and not know ing how to get it otherwise, they take it. or destroy it. and the Common wealth comes in. proves him a felon ana OTuSTS that He pay tue peHdityt IOF the law-abiding members of society must be protected. Here at Mansfield they mean to so teach and train the in- mates that when each goes in the world again he will know that the property of another must be held inviolate. but that he can have like things If he will earn the money and buy them. And he will be able to work at some trade and earn for himself. As soon as man or boy enters the Ohio State Reform atory the superintendent has long talk with him. as man to man. The aims of the institution are outlined, its restrictions and its privileges defined. and a book of rules regarding conduct, study. and the way in which the parole may be earned. is given.
 Each inmate must go to school whe- ther he wishes to or not. Teachers from the best training schools are here, and the boys and men are taken through the eighth grade. Each inmate must learn some trade, by which he can make his living when released. Each Is given military training. and each is given spiritual instruction by a chap