The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-12
SINFUL WASTE OF MONEY.
Building of Battleships Should Be Super
seded by Road Building, Etc.

At the First Congregational churel
last evening, the pastor, Rev. j. w
Barnett, preached on "Prison Labor ant
Other Problems" and outlined a solu
tion of evils which are to be founC
in prisons Of the country. DR.. Barnett
spoke in part as follows;
at is evident to all who are at al
conversant with the situation that W.
have come to a new day in the treatment
of prisoners. And it is inevitable that
there should be criticism, because it is
inevitable that there will be failure il
many cases.
''The old idea was that erimh &
criminal, and it is his own faul,< CIV
be is one, Therefore the same treat
was meted out to all, regardless of cir
cumstances They were all kept to.
gether and kept in idleness; or if en-
ployed at all it was in contract labor
which is manifestly unfair to honest
labor outside of prison walls.
''But new day has dawned; and we
are beginning to see that it is bad both
for the prisoner himself and for society
for him to be kept in idleness, and men
are seeking for a solution of the prob
lem
What is the remedy? /. We must
abolish the contract system entirely. q
These men and women must be EN-
ployed, and the question comes from the
honest and self-respecting man, Shall
these men and women be given our
work? When there is not work enough
for all, | answer, BY no means take
the work away from those who are try
ing honestly to support themselves and
their families. But still the problem of
the support of the prisoners remains,
and the men who labor must contribute
of their earnings to keep these, ii they
are kept in idleness. What, then, shall
be done g. 1t is up to the state
to furnish constructive and rewarding
work for these prisoners, and ! offer this
suggestion:
Let us stop the sinfnl waste that
is going on in the building of battleships
and fortifications in the preparation for
wars that will never be fought, and
then turn this money into the channels
of peaceful pursuts-into the develop
ment of the resources of the country,
i. e., /. Build roads that win open up
large farming districts TO easy markets.
A recent news item is full of suggestion.
1t states that in the last two months
100000 bushels of potatoes came into
Boston from foreign countries. Why
should not these have been raised in New
England? 2 Plant the large tracts of
denuded and otherwise useless land 10
forests and thus conserve the future, as
well as the present Ii the money that
the government spends each year in sim
full waste was used in these ways. there
would be plenty of work for all the
prisoners and for all others who want
to work. and the high cost OF living
would be greatly reduced
And all of this must be done with
q view to character building. to educate
these unfortunates and To fit them into
their rightful place in human society.
To this end we need: /. A commission
OF experts, who shall examine these un-
fortunates 10 discover, il they can, the
causes that have led to their present
condition; whether or not it is due to
some physical, mental or moral defect.
2. Expert criminologists at the head of
all the institutions where these are kept,
who win know how to treat them. so
that as far as possible they may be cor
ffttfu. At pitStHA W ttAt ulttt at
the head of these institutions are hard
politicians, who know absolutely nothing
about the causes of crime or The treat
ment of criminals. 3. We need manual
training and domestic science made
part of our public school curriculum
lot of crime is traceable to bad cooking
"The state must get out of the nefari-
ous business of making criminals by IS
alliance with the rum traffic. and by the
laxness with which the liquor and other
laws are enforceda laxness which Il
due to the lethargy of the public, for no
law enforcement rises above what the
average citizen wants. The official does
simply what the average citizen would
do we're he in his place. And the state
must furnish substitutes for the saloon.
Every community ought to have a pub
lie gymnasium. with free baths and
reading and game rooms, where the
young people may have the social life
which the saloon furnishes, but have it
under proper direction.
But the solution of these problems
rests finally in higher type of citizen
ship and especially in regard to public
office. We need a citizenship that sees
he real facts of life and that in the |
'pirit OF the Master rises to change these |
facts as they are to-day into what they |
ought to be. Nothing but the ideals and
he spirit of Christ will do this.
These problems are big problems, and |
hey are challenging us to-day. Shall we
iall before them or shall we rise up and [
solve them? IT is for us to say