The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-01-02
BROWN ASSA|LS
PENAL SYSTEM
Says He Would Rather Be the
Lowest Inmate of a Prison
Than to Be Its Keeper.
SYSTEM MAKES THINGS
OF MEN AND WOMEN
Speaker Says There Is More
Hope for the Prisoner Than
for His Keeper.

Holding that the penal system of the
country is enormously based on the idea
that slavery is the lowest form of humili-
alton man can suffer. William Thurston
Brown. in an address before the Modern
school at Hirschman's hall Sunday. de-
clared that he would rather be the low
est inmate OF a prison than TO be its
keeper.
Our penal system" said Brown.
takes freedom from mon and women
and treats them as slaves as things.
for and In the criminal inside the prison
than for and in the keeper. There is
more hope for the so-caed criminal In
The penitentiary, than for the men and
prisoner believes In freedom and takes
every, risk TO obtain 1.-THE people who
uphold the system neither believe In
freedom or seek il. They are hopeless, ="
Future Uncertain.
Leading up to this Brown said:
None OF us know what the coming
twelve months will bring us. One Of
our comrades, who was with us only
ci,srco few weeks Sd s. ago Is dead m Whstcver
thing. was measured-though he didn't
know it-hy d few days. IL he was TO
do or oe something worth while, lie had
10 do IL right then and there.
Not all Of us Will be here year
from now. Existence is the one uncer-
tsinty. We are here today-we are gone
tomorrow. But there is one thing OF
which we can make sure-at least In
measure-we can live, II we will. We
can live now. and there isn't any other
live tomorrow-tomorrow never comes.
Living and existing are two different
things. Existence alone isn't worth
while for human beings. Life alone is
worth while. And we live. or can Eve.
only in the measure In which VIC are
free. We can exist as slaves, as beasts.
We can live only as we are free. Free
dom is far more the mark Of a man
than anything else in his anatomy, It
is YOU who are 10 ive-not some one
and silly customs and cramping pre-
Judices or superstitions through you.
You must gain your own freedom. II
isn't gin-it Is an achievement,
But, after all. -four walls do not
prison make Prisoners and slaves are
not all in jails or convict camps or peni-
tentiarics. Merely to be shut in for a
time by four walls is the least awful form
OF enslavement the world knows. To be
cooped in by the narrow diemnsions of
some old superstition or prejudice or
custom. even though it be supported by
"A priesthood or a government or untold
wealth. is an incomparably more degrad-
arc living their lives from the indie
pendent impulse and motive OF their
own souls. and not merely by force of
the momentum OF old habits and customs
and ideas which have in them not par
ticle OF sense or truth or worth?
Walt Whitman spoke as divine a word
as was ever uttered when he called 20
men and women TO be rebels 10 think
lightly OF laws and governments and
customs OF every kind We have moth
ing 10 give 10 another. though that other
be the person we love most except it
be ourselves. We provo ourselves the
Teriest cheats. shams. counterfeits
frauds. if we do not see 10 Il that the
thoughts VIC think are our own thoughts
tho words speak our own words "a nd
the life we live our own life. Whoever
would prevent us from thinking our own
thoughts. from speaking our own words
or living freely and ioyously our own
lives Is moi our friend
You cannot name q really great or
noble soul In history whose life does
not illustrate the three PRINCIPLES which
are the price OF life for all OF us