The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-06

believed he had struck rich lead Of
Of benefit to the prisoner in his token
money and bank idea. He was pro-
foundly convinced of 1t. He had un-
limited faith in the convict as a worker,
and a cheerful and ambitious one, under
new system
The roll top desk the warden sat at,
magnificent piece of hard and pol
ished wood was convict made. The
carved wainscoting and the panels and
the cornices Of the room We're all from
the skilled hands of convicts The
warden's head bent forward his gaze
on the parquetry floor Of convict skin,
In a reverie Of innovation. as glanced
about the handsomely appointed office.
lis 1t religion that gives such an
impetus To your humanitarian ideas for
the Improvement of the ConviCts con-
dition?" | asked
ITO improve the condition Of a con-
Wet Is the very foundation Of re-
ligion." he answered. Il told a rabbi
the other day that We of differing re-
iigons ought To- get together ON the
points on which We agree, rather than
to dispute over the points on which
We do not agree. Not every man who
has the label religious ON him VIII help
a convict as he should. On the other
hand any man who VIII help a convict
has religion in him.
Il have long been convinced that
there is no criminal type outside of
prison. within these walls are so many
offenders against sOCicty'S rules that be-
cause OF mere numbers You might say
here Is "A criminal type. And yet Il
statement made by an intelligent eN-
convict to me expresses 1t in "A nutshell.
Men are worse after they leave a prison
than when they enter. This. because
Of the debasing effect Of the prison sys-
TEN.
zone man told me that his criminal
career began when he was baby. He
had been turned over To an orphan
asylum. Institutionalism is the bane Of
body. brain and spirit.
There Is no such thing as a Grim
!nal born. There are tendencies. 20 he
sure. These tendencies may he deyel-
oped in criminal atmosphere, a weak
child of a weak father and mother may
60 wrong more easily than the strong
child. but put even the weak child in
the proper environment and there Is no
necessity for a criminal nothing that
! would justify you in saying here is a
criminal type, a human being who vii!
be criminal no matter what you do.
Why the dearest friend | have il an
ex-gunman!"
"lioRest?' ] said. You nave weighed
the adjective dearest and the noun
friend IN your statement
Absolutely. They stand for and ex-
press exactly what | mean. That does
not mean that all convicts could be my
friends in the same degree. There are
stil classes and grades of prisoners
although all ! have dealings with shall
receive the same treatment until II is
clear that such treatment is OF no
value in their grade.
! 81 do not mean that You can sepa-
rate and classify prisoners the same as
| any Other group OF men. The most
contemplate men | know of In prison
are tho so-cLlled 'stoOl-pigeons who
| trade upon the Weaknesses and misfor-
tunes OF their fellow prisoners. Some.
times II StOol-pigeon will warn war
den than certain prisoner Is Il dan
| gerons man, and that he has :; knife
! in his cell, In ono instance "A stool.
/ pigeon placed u knife in another con
vict's cell to make his accusation good.
IF you We're to use stool pigeons
would II NOT lessen the faith and m,
trust that the bulk of the prisoners
have that you intend 10 treat then
more humanely ana squarcly than ever
before | suggested
1T would said the warden deci
sl"ey. Il do not intend % make Us,
81 any stool-pigcon system. But IN,
main thing | want to have kept n
mind during my citizenship hero IL
that | do not believe that "A prison wa.
| Continued on Eighth Page.