Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-23

ranging from eleven months to life
During this time we earn no money.
No provisions are made for dental
work, excepting the services of the
visiting dentist, who charges prices
which would be reasonable outside Of
a prison. Where does this leave q
man with a toothache who has no
money?
ut is true that the prison physician
will extract our teeth upon request,
but It would only be step further to
cut off our toes for corns or ingrow-
ing nails"
In commenting upon a new back
drop" painted by two artist-prisoners
for the chapel stage, the editor says,
with pleasant humor:
mo matter how unfortunate Mr..
Wolfe and Mr.. Rudnick may be in
sojourning with us, the inmates and
the authorities are certainly to be
congratulated upon their work In the
prison studio
The story of how Christmas was
spent in the prison is told very vivid
ly by Peter Van Vlissigen, a prisoner.
His articles begin in this way
Gully two hours before time to
get up this morning the cell houses
resounded with the calls of the very
early Tisers, who were determined
that the late sleepers should arise.
Such indecorum is possible only on
holiday when the prisoners all know
that they are allowed every legii-
mate freedom
"Joe-in his little four by seven feet
room-called to Dick, who was on the
same gallery. and the exchange of
greetings was the usual Merry
Christmas BY way of variation l
heard, Harry, are you going to the
show" and Slim, what is for dinner
| today?' then Hurrah for Christmas!
and so on.
within a few minutes after the
earliest risers had decided that all
must get up, the cell houses rang
with the exchanges of good-natured
remarks and kind wishes. Not a
vulgar word was spoken and not one
suggestive remark INDUCED in.
AFTER entering the dining hall for
breakfast 1 noticed a large Christmas
tree-which had been installed Sc
cretly during the night-at the north
end of the room. After all the men
were seated the electric lights in the
dining hall were turned off and as
curtains covered the windows the hall
was momentarily in total darkness.
An electric button was turned and
the largest Christmas tree 1 have ever
seen was illuminated by a thousand
electric lamps of all the colors in the
rainbow.
"At that the voice of Captain Mi
chael C. Kane filled the room, saying
Warden Allen wishes you all merry
Christmasl' Then pandemonium
broke loose and continued until the
captain called the men to order and
suggested that If they wished to cheer
Warden Allen he would show them
how to do It, Waiting a moment for
silence, Captain Kane proposed three
cheers for Warden Allen, which
brought the maximum response from
every throat. have never expert
enced a sensation in my life equal1ng
that moment I realized that, for the
first time in many years the spirit OF
Christmas was here, and that this day
would lift more men, at least little
towards a better life than any previ-
Gus day since the entrance to this in
stitution of it's first inmate"
The editor apologies for the fact
that there is nothing of interest to
women in the prison magazine. In a
note headed 1.-THE Women's Prison."
he says:
VERY little is said in this issue
about the womens prison. This Is by
reason of lack of time. In the Feoru,
airy number the women's prison Will
be discussed