New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-26

4. =
fools Of themselves over CRIMINALS
than there are people willing to take
,~ intelligent interest IN them. Many
-, do the sentimental thing. but few
arc ' N,;,:-o 70 do the hard thing If those who
@ g. At the treatment Of the prisoner
@' ~, ,nr- TO and set him job when he
VIZ icon .hev would DC public benefactors
''c On, took Office there were I95 organiza-
..r;,h wished 20 hold religious services
-. c,tv fesormatories under my control
- 70 refuse them. We have Catholic
o-.,,e,a,f and Hebrew chsplains, and we con
go devotional services to their leadership
,-,s not because did nos believe in the
II ~ these organizations or IN religious
80 az institutions Nor would ] chal-
80, ,heir motives 1t was because each OF
80. ,os thinks 10 is the only one 10 be con
,;s.r,d no, realizing that # one he admitted
n rrust be. and that this would be impossible.
tn. &c an example of unintcligent interest on
a.. art n the public. Il all the members OF
,so., ,os organizations would help the pris-
.n.,s - find woi k that would be intelligent
interest
Ey,n here there would have to be co-opera-
80, member Of certain committee on
prison reform spends one afternoon every
r,.k on Blsckwell's Island arranging to help
n. men when they are dismissed. She and
=, members OF her society are those rare
,v,,ntions who are willing 10 do the hard
hing Il taxes one man all afternoon to bring
n. nrisoners to see her and to escort them
h,ck 10 their work Now if 500 people should
,,,,rpt 10 call on the prisoners there would
\, no work dong But if those 500 people
yould ioin. say. the New York Prison Associa-
nor. and If they would cooperate instead OF
zach thinking his own way best, then they
would be rendering genuine assistance.
p,ople are about prisoners like children
,bout Christmas tree. During the last holi-
d,vs an organization Of young girls wished to
visit the prisoners l would not allow it.
But we want 10" they said. And the men
would like 10 have US" OF course they wanted
70 and Of course the men would like it. They
wanted to hold their hands. hguratively speak
mg. But II was best neither for the men nor
for those pretty young girls.
There are two extremes in regard to pris
on.rs. both equally bad There is, on the ont
hand the sentimentalist, who wants to idealize
III. criminal. who will give him more oppor-
tuntes than he would give the honest, indus
trious man that keeps out OF prison, who is
swsyed largely by sense Of romance. He
feels the same kind of dramatic appeal which
is in plays where the prisoner is hero. Such
plays can only exert bad influence, because
crime triumphs; you will always come to a
beautiful end if you start out as prostitute
or a criminal The hero usually marries the
prostitute and the heroine marries the pris-
oner. The only play of that sort l know in
which crime did not triumph was in Rachel
Caotherss Ourselves" and that play was
not a financial success. / believe it was too
true 70 life Il IS not that l don't believe IN
giving prostitutes and criminals chance, but |
don't believe in d public representation which
glOrhes what il should deplore. 1t is dis
couraging to the hard working, honest citizen
when he sees 50 much money and interest
spent on the man who has broken the law.
Tn. real danger is in turning crime into hero
ism.
The second class, on the other hand, regards
the criminal as a beast, who has no possibili-
ties in him. for whom it is no use to do any
thing. With this class the criminal has prac-
deally no chance; and if it is woman and
pTostitute-ior since prostitution in women is
the analogue OF criminalty in men, / could
count on the fingers of my two hands the