The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-08-02

la little hope and something really to
live for, If only In the shadow of the
lprison walls. "If l went with just my
lown story and message" said the
lspeaker, "or representing some group
or organization, I could avail nothing,
lbut / go as messenger from one
above, who looks down in sorrow on
those blighted and blghting lives, and
still loves them as his children. / go
as a voice from Heaven and give
them new hope, new life, and
Ipath to tread and something to live
for"
In speaking of her first visit to the
prisons she said:
"As 1 stood before those men dress
led in those awful stripes and saw
the terrible looks on those faces, the
hardness. the hopelessness. and utter
despair, the tears streamed down my
face ana l cried out in my heart
what right have /, coming from a
happy christian home where all lis
love and protection, to speak to these
men and then / thought If 1 could
bring a little happiness into their
lives, II l could make them forget
for one hour, the miserable today
and the wretched yesterday, II could
take them back to home and mother
and the beautiful world, l could touch
their hearts. So I told them stories
Iof love and happiness, stories of my
lown children as l talked, laugh and
then a sob was wrung from these
bitter unhappy hearts" She told how
she had talked for two hours, and
how at the close she converted hard
ened infidels, with out a hope in this
life or the life to come.
Following her talk at the prison,
Mrs. Booth received many letters
from prisoners. thanking her because
she had not preached on the Prodigal
Son. She related humorously, that
five precedings Sundays, the prisoners
had been given the lesson of the
Prodigal Son. She said, there Is an
other side to the story of the Prodi-
gal Son, there Is the side of the Elder
Brother, the man who dared to wrap
the mantle of his righteousness about
him and criticise his father, because
be could forgive. 1t Is the spirit OF
the Elder brother that makes our
Iprisoners today. Law Is more mercl-
Iful to the convict than society. The
law gives a man so many years and
at the close of that time says go,
Iyou are now free man, go forth and
learn an honest living. But society
draws ner skirts about her and turns
lon him the frown desdain, as she
misses Jail-bird convict. Where ever
lhe goes that haunting shadow fol-
lows, he Is pushed out of society, he
Icannot get an honest mans work, he
lis brand ID, and at last in hopelessness
and despair, the old habits reassert
themselves and the man becomes a
Ihabitual criminal"
"Those within the walls are we'll
worth the saving. They, TO Inc are
mot so many murderers, so many
ldrunkards, thieves, criminals, they
lare men, and beneath that crime
there Is something precious something
for which our Savior gave his very
life blood, a human soul that must
live forever II is then that such
work becomes sacred and worth
while and we should see the oppor-
tunity to save for the coming life.
have seen men who were criminals
from childhood, christians today.
have seen men who were drunkards,
men who were thieves. come out the
lvictors and live christian life a
credit to their community and them
selves. have seen these men put the
the strong hand under the weak and
, help them when the weaker brother
might have become as themselves. !
, have heard the cry that was heard al
: Calvarys cross, within these prison
walls. l have heard that cry answered
j have seen the dark fear and horror
pass away and a look of peace take
their place as the foundations were
laid for the life to come"
The little mother" as she Is known
to the prisoners, next spoke OF the
Terrible tragedies to be seen within the
: Iprison walls. "We and society," are
inclined to feel little sympathy Tor
] the prisoner, criminal. he has sinned
and he deserves to nay the penalty
, II his crime and yet II we read our
bibles, II we call ourselves christ
tians We dar not say 1t, The very
fact that he is a sinner compels US
to go to him. When the criminal pc
gins to realize his deed, when he sees
that he has jeopardized himself ana
his family. when he sees that he has
thrown away all his chances. he loses
!. lconhdence and hope, he becomes de-
|spondent, and 1t is then we see the
tragedy, Poor foreigners, who have
Istumbled into crime, men who have
lbeen slaves to strong drink, under the
i Influence of which, the deeds have
lbeen committed, and then a few VINO
. are innocent" She spoke OF Inc
d lhelplessness Of the families, where
the father and husband has been SEN
ltenced. II do not think II Is rlgnV
a.. said she "to take away the preau
y Garner and leave family destitute
/. land i think there aholIld be law