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 If 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 30 per cent.
of the ordained clergymen in Philadel-
phia.
Hardly day passes that does not carry
to Bob" Mckenty CWho has ever heard
him called Robert?) stacks of invitations
to speak at all kinds of religious meet
ings and the warden loves so much to
talk practical Christianity" that he can
always he counted on to accept invita-
tions to speak, unless he has made pre-
vious engagements for like service. During
last winter he gave almost 500 talks at re-
liSious meetings, and he has made fair
start this season by addressing one after
another in the same day during early
September.
FOR "PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY"
practical Christianity"-that's the
until highland sometimes far into the
night, for many are the times when 1t
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
tn NAL lEa f'ipnIe vi no ri re
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 a member of the city de-
tective force for 20 years, and Director
of Public Safety before he assumed his
duties within the stone walls, and he
declared q day or two ago that he knew
that the majority of the cX-convcts
sought some hiding place in the slums,
with the result that most of them fell
back into the company of other eX-con-
victs ana the kind Of crowds that had
sent them ''up" first. and every soon they
We're back in the cells again.
Because Of those observations. Warden
law permitting the parole of prisoners,
which was adopted by the State Legis-
laturc I'm 1905 and, Notwithstanding the
frequent criticisms that have been
heard against the system, the records i'm
the pcntcntiary Office show that il has
been wonderful aid to those trying to
reform tine convicts and to make real
men of them. But would il have been
such % success without Warden McKenty
20 prcpare the men for II? In answer
.o this question, stop a moment and
"" what ne has to say about the work,
,ni then the reader may decide
MADE CONVlCTS FIT.
THE first thing to be done as I saw
said the warden, after / came up
"lC, ia order To make the parole svs-
nH success. was to start 10 make the
is ncrs fiji To be parolod with tho pos
Ale exception of the difficulties that
v-conVicts used TO have In obtaining
ork, there was nothing so much against
r"ir reformation as their Inability TO do
MY definite thing well. For this reason
started to work 10 see that every man
nS given chance 10 learn some trade
rat would make his future when he
~ us OF service 10 himself ana to the
w0rld.