The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-08-27


AS was eloquently said by Southern
orator not long ago: "a nation OF
molly-coddles might meekly lie at the
feet of popes and kings, while schools
were being abolished, libraries burnt,
scientific research penalized and the
great mass of the people plunged into
ignorance, superstition and slavery;
but such nation never reared a
Washington monument or drank patrl-
otic inspiration on battle fields where
brave soldiers died, or broke out into
enthusiasm when tie flags were flying
and the bands struck Dixie Grape
iuice dreamers may cry, Peace; peace,
but there is no peace, anywhere, nor
was there ever any. The elements
have no peace; the stars have no rest;
the clouds toss and tumble, float or
fly forever; tie ocean always murmurs
and always moves; the rivers do not
stop, and the dews are ever going up
or coming down; the storm is gather
ing it's forces, or spending them, all
the time; there is no peace. 1t seems
to me, I remember something about
smobs; and, strange to say, these mobs
are described as being pioneers Of our
independence and institutions. There
was that Boston mob whose picture
used to be in all our 3istories at school.
You can close your eyes and see 1t
now; the British soldiers, standing in
well-dressed line, muskets at their
shoulders, and the smoke and flame
bursting out at the muzz!es-and the
members of the 'mob" falling to tie
ground. The firing on the Boston mob
fired the American colonies, and the
cry went all the way down to Sagan-
nah-'The cause of Boston is the cause
of us all"
The chief executive of State has
not a more serious duty nor graVer
responsibility than the obligation i'm
posed upon him in dealing with pr1s-
oners-and by prisoners I mean to in
clude those in Jail awaiting trial, with
the presumption of innocence thrown
around them by tie law, as we'll as
those serving sentences after convlc'
ton. The aim of the law-not some
Of the iniquitous laws written by man
but the great Moral Law of God, which
, was in the beginning and shall ever
be-exists for the benefit of society
and not for tie punishment and deg,
!Nredation of offenders against the law
| It is necessary to deprive men of thell
liberties, and sometimes of their lives
for two primary reasons; to remove
them from society until they may be
reformed, and to deter others from
committing like offenses. To SO be-
yond this is barbaric, inhuman and II
violation of the highest law. A State
or a nation Unat allows its prisoners
to suffer cruelties is guilty of greater
crime than the prisoners themselves
; nave committed.
We have prisons and prison methods
in the United States today which are
a disgrace to any civilization, and
there are thousands Of prisoners Wao
might we'll describe their condition in
the words of Lord Byron's Prisoner
of Cnillon:"
"My aair is gray, but not with years
Nor grew it white
In a single night,
AS mems have grown from SUDDEN
fears.
NV limbs are how'd, though not with
toll,
But rusted with vile repose,
For they have been dungeons spoil
And mine mas been the fate of those
To whom the goodly earth and air
Are bann'd and barr r'd-forbidden fare. .
Or we might describe some of these
prisons in IT, words of Cellini, written
in a jail in the sixteenth century, four
hundred years before our boasted civ
i!ization of today:
mark we'll how Glory sleeps her sons
in gloom.
You nave no seat to sit on, save the
stool;
Yet YOU were active from your moth
er's womb.
The knave who serves hath orders
strict and cool
To list no word you utter, give you