The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-02-02
UpIift of Men In Fort Madison Prison
10 Being Accomplished Through
Such an Oreani-
cation.
PLENTY OF PREPARATION
Subjects Arc Assigned Four Weeks
In Advance and inmates Have
Time to Secure Their
Data.

An Historical and Literary society
has been organized at Fort Madison
penitentiary. How this society has
helped In the uplift Of the prisoners
is told in the following article from
the Cedar Rapids Gazette:
Practice gives perfection. It also
gives ease and stability, and practice
is sometimes synonymous with habit
Wherefore, get habit and practice
it. Get a good habit-several or
them; habits that make for mental
and moral uplift. There isn't any
thing stronger or more gripping. They
will stay with you through thick and
thin, build you up or drag you down
and some day you will understand,
IL you do not now, that habits are
really the bedrock to character.
A wish to provide good habits is
responsible for the prisoners Historl-
cal and Literary society of Fl. Madi-
son. The habits acquired there are
strictly mental and moral, but after
all, 1t Is the mind that counts-its
thoughts, its expressions and the
broadening scope of it's exercise.
Society Seven Years Old.
The society WAS organized in 1908.
Since then it has existed as a golden
opportunity for many men. 1t is re-
garded as one of the finest Of the
many good things which have been
done for the prisoner, and-to use
the language of one OF it's charter
m embers-'many of our number who
had but limited education and no
ability to voice a word before an aud
fence, have become excellent writer's
and good speakers" They have be-
come very much more than that for
we are told their viewpoints Of life
have changed and that practice in the
discussion of educational topics has
had a decided effect on their char
acter. 1t has made them more toler-
ant and just, given them sfluency,
broadened their vision, enlarged their
understanding.
The society meets every Sunday
might in the schoolroom of the pris-
on. Subjects to be discussed are
scheduled four weeks ahead In order
that members to whom they are as
signed may have ample time to be-
come intelligently informed concern
ing them. The meetings are con.
Quoted as nearly as possible In ac-
cordance with parliamentary rules.
To each topic there is appointed a
leader with two assistants, all Of
whom are expected to prepare them
selves upon the subject and to com.
municate their views to the society
in writing or verbally. Discussions
touching on religion or politics are
prohibited, the aim Of the society be-
ing to eliminate all sectarian, parti-
san or personal matters, and to de-
vote itself to topics Of an informative
nature. At the present time there
are forty members. Their meetings
are usually limited to ninety minutes
one hour for discussion and the
transaction of business, and one-half
hour for sociability. The men be-
longing to it are the most advanced
and best behaved, some of them with
previously acquired attachments surf
cient to distinguish them in other
places. They are all OF the unanimous
opinion that their society is an ad-
vancement In the way Of penal up
lift. Some will tell you, with aston
ishing ease and fluency, there is no
better spur to manhood than the en-