The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-03-19
IMPRISONED men
ARE NOT ALL BAD
Instances Cited by Prominent Newspapers
Which Prove That Men Behind Bars,
When Put to Test, Still Retain Man.
hood and Honor.
The Duluth Herald says

the ILLINOIS, StaCo ponlCouIIary lei
Joliet state prison five months age
to do road work near Dixon.
They had been working eight
hours day, with only their prom
Uses between them and liberty.
And all but one made good
they did their work and returned to
prison, lacking but one man.
In the comments on this inter-
estlng incident there invariably ap-
pears a note of establishment. Says
the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, for
instance:
SIN what assemblage of forty-6ve
men who never were convicts would
every man be true to his word? Is it
not probable that of every group of
ty-fve men one might pick from
the several planes of life there would
be one at least who would fail volun-
tarily to live up to his word? The ex-
perience with the Illinois convicts goes
to prove what many humanitarians
contend, that there is that in every man
no matter how low he may be fallen,
which, appealed to, will awaken a re-
spouse and lead to his regeneration. 1t
is great pity that society does not
take the time to search out the saving
grace in every apparent enemy and re-
claim him to the ways of peace and or
der.
Society, it is good to know, is
showing an increasing disposition
to do that very thing.
Humanity is learning that man 8
a man for a that; and that prison
stripes. though they make a man a
convict, do not make him less a
man.
Humanity is learning, too, that
it's first Office with offenders is n ot
punishment, but reformation and
regeneration. Punishment is for
those beyond both.
The man who is all good and the
man who is all bad never lived. ex-
cept in story. The perfectly evil
villain of the malodrama and the per-
fectly Immaculate hero of melodra-
ma never were members of the hui
man family.
The fact that forty-fve men
kept their word of honor for five
months when ii might have been to
their advantage to break it, is fine
and encouraging, whether they were
convicts or free men,"
From the News-Tribune.
Along the same line, is this edit
orial clipped from recent issue of
the Duluth News Tribune:
Colorado has proved that con-
victs in camps not only work on hon
or, but do honor work. For three
years that state has bad 100 or more
Of its inmates from the penitentiary,
building highway to connect three
of its cities. Most of the time these
men have worked near these cities.
They have lived in tents summer
and winter. The cook and his
helpers have been convicts. There
have been games, books and maya
zines, services on Sunday and every
30 days of work earned 10 days off.
The men sent out have been care
fully selected and very few have
betrayed the trust placed in them.
1t is five years since the first of
these road gangs was sent out. The
first was a small one. Now nearly
800 are constantly at work some
where on the states roads. Nearly
1000 have belonged to these gangs
in this time and few have worked
longer than two years before being
paroled. From every point of view
the plan has been a success.
But most notable of all is the
character of the work. 1t has been
thoroughly scientific and has been
done in way that makes these
prison roads models, They are in
deed honor roads. The men are
turned out efficient roadmakers.
They have learned to work we'll;
they have learned the value of thor
oughness and the right way.
This three-city triangle is seen
lc highway winding through the
mountains. Grades have been cut
from II to 9 per cent. There are
steel trestles and concrete bridges,
There is every character of engineer
ing known to road building. 1t has
been a veritable school for these
men.
What better thing could be done
for them? They are out in the
open, at honest labor that requires
brains and is the best of it's kind
a constant example of integrity.
They are on honor, are trusted in a
way to arouse all the good that is in
them. They are given hope, cour-
age and new outlook. They have
only to deserve this t. have new
chance with their past not forgiv-
en-, but what is far better. forgotten -