Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-07-06
NEWC0MB REPORTS
PROGRESS OF WORK
STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF so
GETTY FOR THE FRIENDLESS
TELLS OF WORK.


TELLS OF WORK.
Report Published in Official Journal Of
Society-conditions in State Are In
teresting.
The following report was printed in
a publication called the First Friend"
which paper is the official journal Of
the Society of Friendless, of which
organization the Rev. George New
comb is state agent. The report is
rather an interesting document and is
produced in full as follows:
1t is with pleasure we write of our
new experience in that particular field
OF labor known as the Society for the
Friendless. Each weeks itinerary
takes US into new community and
thus it comes to pass that everywhere
and all the time the upturned faces
which greet the writer wherever he
makes addresses are curious at first,
then expectant, then sympathetic, so
that the society in North Dakota is
making friends and it is now safe to
say the work may be considered we'll
on toward establishment.
AS time has been found, or rather
snatched, from the field work, it has
been devoted to creating a literature
adapted to our needs. This we found
early in the year quite a necessary
asset. 1t is usually considered that
the average print shop makes it rule
not to make cash donations to elee-
mosynary institutions on the ground
of being proverbially "short" in re-
sourceful collateral. However, a num-
Der of publishers have proffered as
sistance by Offering to donate to the
society any printed matter we might
need. This has materially aided us.
Since the last week in March seven
trips have been made to the state
penitentiary, interviewing some "a
men, who either desired to see me or
whom some one l met in travelling de-
sired to see me. Since January IS
letters and Is postals have ben writ
ten on behalf of these several inmates.
The different requests coming from
these visits have cost much time in
fulfilling, but it has been a labor worth
while.
Work has been found for the men
leaving. or having left the institution,
and numberless other items have come
to us to look after or into and more
will continue to come as the society's
work comes to be better understood.
This state has no reformatory nor
is there any provision made for seq
regation of the inmates in the penal
institution and hence, as was said by
public man to an audience composed
in part of public officials some time
ago: North Dakota is making more
criminals than she cures" We hope to
overcome this wrong by the time an
other session of the legislature meets
two years hence, and so are publicly
agitating the same.
Since January LIST, 100 addresses
have been delivered, 10 being in the
public schools, and the people reached
were 1922. Total number of letters
written, 223; postals, IS; calls and in
terviews, 4,405; miles Travelled. 4,484;
about $500 were received and ex-
pended during this period. Five coun-
ty seats were reached and as many
jails visited. Our Jail system is bad,
but the hope is that ere long some
thing may be done to make these de-
tention places suitable-1 may say,
habitable.
We have especially good news to re-
port from the reform school at Man.
dan. In the early spring revival
was held in one of the |
churches in Mandan, and the family |
manager of the school took special
pains to bring the boys under it's in
fuence, and with the blessed result |
that most of them made public pro-
fession of the Savior. The writer Sc
cured a grant of song books bibles !
have also been asked for from Bible |
house, from Chicago house for the
school.
The writer has been appointed by |
Governor Burke as delegate to rep !
resent the state at the American |
Prison association, to be held in Oma-
ia this fall.