Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-26
Her LIFE WORK
PRISON REFORM
MAUDE DARLINGTON BOOTH IN
THIS CITY
WILL DELIVER SERIES OF ADJ
DRESSES
Noted Field Chief of Volunteers of
America Reviews Progress of
Her Work During Past Fif-
teen Years

Mrs. Maude Ballington Booth, field
chief of the Volunteers of America and
co-worker with her husband, President
| Ballington Booth, second son of Gen
| eral William Booth of the Salvation
| Army, arrived in Los Angeles yester-
day afternoon over the Southern Pa
| cific from New Orleans, where for the
last week she had been inspecting the
prison farms and reform work of the
| Volunteers.
Mrs. Ballington Booth, despite her
long Journey did not seem the least
| fatigued when interviewed last night
| by a reporter of The Herald, at the
home of Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Allstrom,
| 719 Catalina street, where she will be
their guest during her sojourn in Los
| Angeles.
Mrs. Booth spoke cheerfully and with
much enthusiasm regarding her work
of prison reform and moral uplift,
| which in the last fifteen years has
brought her into world prominence.
Mrs. Booths itinerary includes many
western cities and lectures from two
| to three times daily. She is strenu-
| Gus worker untiring in her efforts to
reform the practices of the various
state prisons and confident of the de-
sired results.
During the fifteen years of her work,
Mrs Booth says, the lock step, stripes,
| Oregon boot, thumb-Screw, whipping
| post and other barbarous practices, IN
| Guiding hair clipping, have been ellml-
mated from many of the penal institu-
tions, and in Louisiana, where con-
victs are leased out for plantation
work, their condition has been greatly
| ameliorated and their treatment rem
| dered more humane.
Mrs. Booth is scheduled to speak
| Sunday night in Pasadena at the First
Presbyterian church. At IL O'Clock
Monday morning she will speak at
speak at Redlands, and for the day
| there will be the guest, of Mr.. and
Mrs. Albert K. Smiley, WITH whom she
has been intimately acquainted Tor
many years.
From Redlands Mrs. Booth will go
| to Riverside, where Wednesday night
she will deliver another address, and
returning to Los Angeles will go to
| Long Beach, where sic is scheduled to
speak Thursday night. The next day
| (Friday) she will go to San Francisco,
and probably speak there in one of the
churches Saturday night. 1t has been
arranged for Mrs. Booth to deliver an
address Sunday morning at San Quen-
tin prison.
Fifteen years ago, at Sing Sing, New
York, Mrs Booth organized her first
prison reform league, with less than a
score of members. The work continued
until today there is total MEMBER
ship in the various leagues of $4,000.
Mrs. Booths first inspiration for her
work was received while on visit
at San Quentin, where the hopeless
ness of the men and women there in
carcerated imbued her with deter
mination to improve their treatment
if possible.
At that time Mrs. Booth and her hus-
band were still in command OF the
American branch of the SalVauon
Army, but governed as it was by ar
bitrary rule in a foreign country, she
saws she found it impossible to ex-
pand her work, so in March, 1895 she
founded the Volunteers of America,
with prison reform as one OF its special
objects.
Mrs. Booth states that whenever she
visits a federal or state penitentlary a
holiday Is declared, and the greatest
consideration is shown to her. War
dens and superintendents generally are
anxious to help her in her work. Until
a few years ago, however, she met
with much different treatment.
Mrs. Booth spoke last night with
much appreciat. n of the work being
done in Los Angeles by the Prison
Reform league established here by
Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, and ex-
pressed profound sympathy for its
work, and hope for it's ultimate achieve
mentS.
Mrs. Booth is both comely and en-
tertaining. She speaks succinctly and
with clear, musical accents, which have
made her famous as a lecturer. she
has a thorough grasp of her subject,
and is acquainted with prison life from
every phase and angle. Her lectures
in Los Angeles and vicinity will deal
with her experience in prison reform
work. and tend toward the further or
ganization of the work in this section
of California.