The sun., 1915-06-10
A VISIT TO n PRISON.
Effect Of the Present Sing Sing on Its
Brooklyn visitors.

hundred members If the Monday Clubs
| OF New York and Brooklyn, social work.
ers ALL visited Sing Sing on Saturday.
| | regretted that no reporter was with
| us; and so. lest you lose the message
| OF the unusual experience, ! venture t.
present IL to you ana TO hope that you
will present 1t TO others.
As our boat drew In to the dock NJ the
gates " the prison yard We saw be-
/ hind the high iron fence n yard full or
men In gray trousers and white shirts.
| a uniformed official or two at the gate
the prison band drawn up. playing mu-
| sic as we docked, and towering back OF
all, gray or yellow wings OF buildings
with sitted walls We specula'ed
whether we we're to enter through that
prison gate. into the yard full Of gray
clad men.
Into the yard we went. mostly women.
| and there stood the warden. Thomas
| Mott Osborne. the big. thoughtful man,
| not like the conventional Official with
the commanding presence" but OF
greater demeanor than one who could
| be 80 designated for this man IL
stripped of the self-consclousness and
| self-overestln alton that ldr2ey shape a
| commanding presence" This brother
| of men stood among his charges with
| head a little bent. and We who nad
| not known him before recognized with
! a lttiiHs SDHl'tlilS Llh' "a thi liA 'iit nv"
| prophet that hath arisen among ".
| There were no keepers about. only. to
be sure. yard full of self-keepers. For
| those men. those "felOns,' II YOU Will.
wore green buttons OF the Mutual Wei
fare League, which means that they
govern themselves, they kecp them
selves. and they keep tho faith with
| Warden Osborne.
The Monday Clubs marched into the
mess hall building and up a Night OF
steps into the chapel or assembly hall
| Mr.. Osborne gave us his do'trine.
wish that | could have fixed his words
| in writing. They were corrective and
an antIdote against such maldescrIptions
OF the surface appearances OF the Sing
Sing plan and such cheap sarcas'ns as
have been reading lately In certain
New York papers. and they might have
clarified the adroit mlsunders stand ings
that compounded them until they had
pitied themselves for their past perform
ances as others have pitied them.
Mr.. Osbornes system Is based on the
rock fact that excessive vengeance breeds
Increasing bitter hatred: that a prison
sentence which sends an III used pr!s
oner back to the community bent on
greater vengeance is worse than useless.
"Ill used" hard headed ones may quote ::
Does "A convict go to prison. then. TO
receive good use?"
ne SllDu4ut u ne upfSH L NfpNri Va
a man in prison Is anything that helps
20 build up good man out OF the
remnants or the bulk OF the good that
= in him. Every prison, In short, should
be "A reformatory as well as a place OF
punishment or a safety vault for stor-
.Hg the dangerous elements % COM
munity.
For every prison inmate the samo
prescription: Work daily; mans
wages To pay his board In prison and
20 toward keeping those who are de-
pendent or him, prison rule from with
in. that sclf-goVernlnent without which
human character decays whose DIS
: Dipl!ne neither destroys the se!f-respect
iha; might have been left in a man nor
. cngendcrs hatred in tho way punishment
does when IL Is bestowed by n uniformed
keeI~ who represents the social order
that stands aloof: space finally for
hea,thful rest at night.
See the cells al Sing Sing and you
Will understand why Mr.. Osborne keeps
his men out OF them as much as posi-
bic. During ths old regime II was s4d
that an average OF eighteen men n
month went insane IN them. They are
holes In the wall, : feet long, 3 feet 2
inches wide and : feet high. They are
faced each with an imprygnable small
door laced cr!sscross with Hat bars a.!
iron placed as far apart as their own
width. which is about an inch. The
bed IL two feet wide. and Is folded
against the wall when not in use,
In many cells there are two hunks
one above the other. While uuCom-
for,a able for human beings or animals
the Sing Sing cells afford every con-
vencncc TO germs. which lodge IN them
IN Infinite numbers. tie tuberculosis
baciNi especially awaiting themselves OF
the hospitality Of the state. The state
vouChsates It's men hut little O; is air.
which filters through Sits three feet
deep in tho corridor walls
Iusidious vengeance OF tho state upon
rs maleflctors Shall We let 30 continue
20 say: For whn you have don" !
shall. impan: disease IN your body, DIS
oricr IN your mind and despair iu your
soul. Then when yog come ou, ot
prison, should you spread tne d.-"as"
| gave you and perform IN. insane
plans and wreak the hate | t0s;erod.
why. never fear but that ] shall Ind
you out, seize you again and hcs'oW
. added disease. disorder and despair ''
Thus N" vicious trI'u is lIid, save unW
=, tor Mr. Osborne. lic has ml,igl'rd the
FhaS.y imhociI;y o. the prison system
AZ sing sins In rs aiw'uist-s' va de-
tails. tV' 40 L,El>iltUr' refused Mr..
Osborne appropriations fNr merely de
cent quarters IN place OF what Is now.
by Us failure t. act, lis own sHarEeIhl"
disgrace. the cell block n' Sing sing
Moving IiH. Urcs. hogrUlEoi NY the
free lecture or MAY. baseball on
Saturd ys. these are powerfully useful
TO CNuU'urtCt tho SOU, and body ma
( rtsmus mon undergo in the holes In the
wall at sing sing. "Whateve~ tends 10
. keep "a man .u the right frame Of mind
toward himself society and his oh'.ga-
r. TON, s.l.l use to keep him so.' said
the WHrtc'.
, As tho NOr1gV t''uhs Nuisbad ,Na,-