Putnam patriot., 1908-11-06
Prison Reform. Sunday Observance.

sfhe Connecticut Citizen, the or gan of the Conn. Temperance Union, has on its front page, in ils Issue Tor October, a picture of Judge L. M' N ar ner-whfch looks fine. In the same number MT. Warner contributes two articles, one on "Gounty Jails--State Control.a - the other on "Prison Sun day,p and also an article of questions and answers on "Prison Reform
 MT. Warner k Superintendent of Pri- son and Jail Work of the Connecticut Y. P. <. C. l.. Union, and K an ardent faithful worker in the cause of Prison Reform and allied subjects. He Is m demand throughout the State to speak on his special mission. He k also an netive worker for Sunday obsefV' anee, subject that is giving much concern io evangelical Christians, who l remember how religiously Sunday was kept some sixty and seventy years ago, throughout New England. Then sun day, in cities, villages and ham'ets, was never disturbed by anything seeu- | lar Evcrthing was quiet and orderly, and everyone that was able was expec- ted to be at church three times day. crimes were almost unknown on that day at least-and people had beneficial rest. There k more crime committed l In New York city on any one Sunday than during lhe. entire year in all New | England in those days.
 l IL Is no wonder, therefore, that peo- l who are old enough to remember now Sunday was kept in those early days, or have read about Il, so earnestly de- sire 10 see sunday now kept as It WAS then, with its happy results.
 Bn, can It be done? That Is the qnes- ton. Not that good people should cease their efforts te secure all they can to get back to the Sunday of half cen tury ago, if the answer should be nega- tive. The change to the present con l dition began about the time of the up- l rising in Europe to overthrow the ex- isting governments. The latter found the beer houses were the resorts of the plotters and drove the proprietors and such plotters as they could reach, from their ,iominions and they found refuge in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee and 1 other Western cities of this land ot unbounded freedom, where they dis seminatcd their principles not only against Sunday observance but Chris tan religion. They sent back word 10 relatives and friends of the unbounded opportunities to get rich lands for no- thing, and where no oppressive laws l would disturb them. This attractive picture started that class, who tioeked here in countless, thousands, bringing with them their stheistic principles.
 Abou, the same time manufacturing in this country had gained headway, and after getting all the working help that New England had to spare, for eign help was sought, people who had no deep reverence for Sunday.
 Labor being unattainable for the great wheat fields of the West and the growing industries af the East, sn ers of invention set in, and so profitable did il prove in supplying laeor-sasing agricultural and manufacturing ma- chimes that attention WAS drawn te es. ery industrytte lestn where mechanical saving machines could supplement li
 
 not snpplant manual labor. So rapidly did invention increase and spread that agricultural production increased a thousand fold and made farming 90 1 profitable al the West thai New Eng land WAS almost depleted of its young men seeking their fortunes there. The waterways of lakes and rivers 10 the West failed 10 afford adequate