The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-02-12
CRIMINALS ONLY THE
BY-PRODUCTS OF HUMANITY
Warden Robert J. McKenty Of Eastern Pennsylvania
Penitentiary, Draws Comparison Between Them
and Commercial By-Products, and EloquentIy
Points Out Mans Duty to Man.
a GOOD, ECONOMIC, BUSINESS PROPOSITION

breakers are merely the by
product of humanity, and to those
who sneer at prison methods which
reclaim instead of crush prisoners
and scorn such sentiment I-would
put the question, if they think it is
mere sentiment which make great
| corporations recognize the scientific
discoveries which have made their
by-products their most valuable
asset"
This is the answer of Robert J..
McKenty. warden of the Eastern
| Peritentiary, to criticisms of his en-
lightened and Humanitarian methods
Of management of the institution OF
which be is the head, as given in a
recent interview printed in the
Philadelphia North American.
Il have dealt with some criminals
in my time, and have sent some to
the gallows, but even those who
went to the gallows went there with
out any ill-feeling in their hearts for
me. | have always dore my duty,
but I have never found 1t necessary
to do it viciousfy.
Nov / don't want to criticize
]|anybody or any other institution.
Others may have ideas of their own
that do not agree with mine, but I
have no quarrel with them over
that. But in defense of my own
methods that they call sentiment,
want to say that it all depends upon
the point of view.
If you look at the other fellow
from an entirely outside point OF
view you may never learn to
understand him and gain little SYM
pathy from him. But you put your
self in his place and it is different.
There are lots of things yoI can un-
derstand then.
| The Golden Rule
Sentiment! Well it Is pretty
old sentiment to do unto others as
you would have them do unto you.
Nothing radically new about that, is
there? That's all Pm trying to- do
here. When / figure out what /
would like them to do to me if were
in their place, I have no trouble in
figuring out what | ought to do for
them. And l guess / have had as
much to do with prisoners as any of
them have.
A whole lot depends on whose
foot the shoe is on. l have noticed
that some of those fellows who speak
about sentiment do not object so
much to it when it works their way,
when one of their own. their broth
er, sister. son or daughter or some
one dear to them, come into this in.
stitution. or any other institution
like it, they don't say they have no
use for sentiment; that nothing can
be done to save these people, and
that it is no use trying.
oh, no. their point Of view
changes at once. Then they say there
is use, that something can be done
for that one case of their own. it can
be done and it must be done. They
grasp quickly enough then at senti-
rnentalism, or any other ism that
comes to hand.
But remember that everybody
in here is dear to someone, who
thinks there is some use in trying
and that something ought to be done
to save the one dear to them. And
isn't it worth while trying, even if
we save only one single one of the
whole lot? Any human life is al
ways worth saving, if it can be done.
At big FIRE, with a human life
endangered in the flames, do we stop
to consider whether the life is worth
the while; whether the man is OF