The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-06-13

Oui CuuCSptsOH u SiuO a1
! fled religion is to ''lift up the fallen"
to have compassion for the weak" :"
to lead into the paths of right-doing
those who have gone astray."
If we have a right understanding
of Christ's mission upon earth it was
not to drive out sin by harsh and rig
orous measures but to overcome it
by tenderness, forgiveness. compass
, sion and with the splendor and beau
| ty of the beatitudes.
Though thy sins be as scarlet, |
shall make you whittier than snow"
That is what is taught in the
churches and the foundation for that
creed is the Bible.
Moses, the. ,meekest of men, was
guilty Of murder, but he found for
giyeness; David placed Uriah in the
forefront CT battle so that he could
be killed in order to possess hinsalf
Of his wife; Paul was at the stoning
of Stephen and became the chief 3f
| the Apostles: the prodigal son was
received with outstretched arms by
his father, he was ornamented with
jewels and the fatted calf was killed
in his honor the thief found pardon
upon the cross; the woman caught
in the act Of transgession was told to
"go and sin no MORE
Then, too, so many are falsely ae-
cused and imprisoned wrongfully
Within the week it has been revealed
that w, G. Dees, Who was in danger
Of being lynched by citizens in the
vicinity Of Tampa for almost as foul
a crime as was ever committed in
! this state, was afterwards convicted
and sentenced to be hanged, but his
sentence was commuted to imprison-
was governor at the time; we say It
| has almost been conclusively proven
that this man is entirely innocent of
the crime for which he was charged
After five years of serving in the
| Florida prison camps, it is discovered
that he was the victim of a family
conspiracy to put him out of the way
4 So these revelations. that are con
stantly occurring causes us to have
more or. less compassion for those
in affliction
i A name, perhaps, more reyered in
English history than all others, not
exception Wiberforce's and Glad.
stones, is that of John Howard, who
largely helped to reform the prison
i systems of the world
i Howard was instinctively a phiIan.
/ thropist. On voluntarily going te
Lisbon to help alleviate the sufferine
caused by the great earthquake nt
i 1856, he was taken prisoner by &
French privateer and witnessed the
inhuman treatment of prisoners o1
war. He conseerated himself to the
reformation of these awful abuses.
! Howard was contemporary Of
John Bunyan and met that famous
prisoner in Bedford Jail.
Howard's labors extended through
out Europe and among the worlds
philanthropists his name leads all the
rest.
+. He was, indeed, benefactor and
even until now the world lays tri-
butes at his feet.
] In the work of reformation we want
I to do our part and we would ask no
richer reward than to have our name
linked with such a name as John
Howard's.
With that end partly in view we
/ have written about the reform recent
ly instituted at the Florida prison
farm and note in big letters the mar
velous success that followed so quick
] ly upon the change.
Sunday before last memorial SER
vices were held there for the first
time for those who had died there.
Until Senator Bitch took charge bur
ials took place without any funeral
services, and this new feature OF
granting these outcasts Christian
burial, sad and solemn as it is, has
given great comfort and consolation
to the inmates.
/ At the first memorial service the
following letters were read, which
we have been asked to print, showing
how the prisoners are being made
better, happier and stronger under
the religious instruction allowed