The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-01-12
Cellmate Warns Up
to No. 1924 and Talks
of Prison Reforms

tlnusliy haunted by the mem
DRY OF some abiding sorrow.
Later. I was able to account for
u and understand II.
lie spent his entire time when
In tho cell In reading or making
curlos He was employed IN tho
machine shop OF the mill and had
plenty OF leisure and facilities for
curio-mnlting. lie had several
boards In tho cu 10 room, filled
with articles Tor sale % visitors
end hts work Was always In de.
mund
"lusurlca" Not for Him
Yet he never bought fruit. gro
corien or other Injuries available
for those with money In the office.
A can OF cheap tobacco each week
Was HIS only purchase Vaguely
wondered what he did with his
money. rs had heard that HIS nc.
count IN the office wac never large.
Later. when learned. ceased 10
wonder at HIS preoccupation or his
long silencea
Occasionally. however. he would
trlk. and no talked well lilo had
read extensively and had learned 20
think for himself tits viewpoint
was always original and often
rtartllng.
A Sane Radical
he was radical. but Il was the
radicRlism OF the thinker. not OF
the Unbalanced enthusiast He had
learned life thru sclfstudy. and his
Judgments. strangely enough. were
without bitterness or harphncss IA
: learned something OF his philos.
cphy. | WIS able 10 understand him
better and grew TO esteem him
worc.
ono evening. after he had read
lor upwards Of an hour. he closed
HIS book and glanced up at me as
| lay on my bunk. staring into va.
cAncy.
Well. are they reforming YOU"
10 asked dryly nA he filled his pipe
'Reformine net" I exclaimed. Il
feel that year or 80 Of this will
trre But" added with view TO
drawing him out. no one can re-
form a man bat himself The state /
can't do Il. II must come from
within
Discusses Reform
No impaticnuy knocked the |
ashes from his pipe.
The statement that reform must !
come from within has been tho ex
cuse for inefficient prison man.
agemcnt for ages. II has done |
more TO perpctuAts stupid. slovenly. |
lnhumane methods than any other
one thing. And It's power for evil |
lies In the fact that II Ia largely /
true. II f. true IN the same sense /
that there f. no royal road 20 /
learning Both learning and reformR. /
ton can. however. be greatly accel. /
Grated by favorable environment ]
Most Of the ohB,ructions In the way ]
OF either can be removed by pre-. |
ccpt. example and Encouragement |
N We say 10 the immature stu.
dent. You can never master this !
subject. his announcement Will /
probably result In cessation OF fur.
thor effort II We withhold from !!
him tho necessary tent books. he /
viii be unable 10 pursue his
studies. no matter how great hia
desire for achievement Similarly. II
Until the state surrounds her Grim.
iuals with an atmosphere con.
duciyc TO reform. the prison prob.
lem as We have Il today viii re
main unsotved.
Have Prisons Improved
Look" he vehcmcntly contln.
ued. at our condition here The
steel cells. the bolts and bars. the
lack Of modern sanitary equipment.
the numbers plRcarded on our
backs. excessive punishment for
trivial and often unconscious in
Of the rules. lack OF re-
curse from the edicts OF subordi.
n1te officials who are often preiu.
Heed or mistaken. tho fact that We
have lost the right to resent. the
deprivation Of our earning capac.
~. TO say nothing Of our loss OF
liberty these. and much more. J
!