Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-26
WARDEN M'KENTY
FIRM BELIEVER IN
THE PAROLE SYSTEM
Head of the Eastern Peni-
tertiary Tells How Con-
victs Are Made Fit" to
Face Life Again.

Warden Robert McKenty, of the East
ern Penitentiary, is generally becoming
known as The Preacher Warden" and
it will not be surprising II some of the
colleges and universities award him the
degree of doctor of divinity before many
more commencement seasons pass. If
they do, they will certainly be giving
the honor to man who has done much
for the cause of good and to one who has
done more preaching during the last few
years than have more than 90 per cent
of the ordained clergymen in Phlladel-
phia.
Hardly day passes that does not carry
to Bob" MCKenty (Who has ever heard
him called Robert?) stacks of invitations
to speak at all kinds of religious meet
inSs, and the warden loves so much to
talk practical Christianity" that he can
always be counted on to accept invita-
tons to speak unless he has made pre-
vious engagements for like service. During
last winter he gave almost 900 talks at re-
ligious meetings, and he has made a fair
start this season by addressing one after
another in the same day during early
September.
FOR "PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY"
Practical Christianity'-that's the
thing that Bob" harps on from morning
until highland sometimes far into the
night. for many are the times when II
Is after midnight when he arrives home
from the outskirts of the city, where
he has been driving home some of his
common sense" arguments in the hope
that there may be sufficient aid to great
ly reduce his official family.
When he became warden, six years
ago. one of the first things McKenty did
was TO make friends with the prisoners
and to try to make men of them, so that
when they had finished their terms they
would not dart out the big iron doors
like frightened wild animals, and, with
hanging heads and fear of the criticism
Of their one-time friends, seek some den
in the Tenderloin or slum. where they
might forever hide themselves from
those they had known.
Bob" was Il member of the city de-
tective force for 90 years, and Director
of Public Safety before he assumed his
duties within the stone walls, and he
declared a day or two ago that he knew
that the majority of the cN-convicts
sought some hiding place in the slums,
with the result that most of them fell
back into the company of other eX-con-
victs and the kind of crowds that had
sent them "up" first. and every soon they
were back in the coils again.
Because Of those observations. Warden
Mckcnty was a strong advocate of the
law permitting the parole of prisoners,
which was adopted by the State Lesis-
laturc in 1905, and, Notwithstanding the
frequent criticisms that have been
heard against the system. the records in
the peHitentary office show that II has
been Il. wonderful aid to those trying TO
reform the convicts and to make real
mon Of them. But, would It have been
such n success without Warden McKcnty
% propare the men for il? In answer
" this question, stop a moment and
SEQ what he has 10 say about the work.
nd then tho reader may decide.
MADE CONVICTs FIT.
Tho first thing to be done, as I saw
" said the warden, "after | came nm
Gro, in order to make the parole sys
N a success was to start To make the
"isr n"rs fit To be parolcd, with tho nos
HE exception Of the difficulties that
'-conVicts used to have in obtaining
ork. there vas nothing so much against
cir reformation as their inability To DO
ny definite thing well For this reason
rtarted 10 work TO see that every man
MS givon "a chance 10 learn some trade
1t would make his future, when he
- rs, Of service TO himself and to the
orld