Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1940-08-19
Problem OF
Ex-Prisoners
Is Presented
Rev. L. A. Watts
breaches at Union
Services; Says Men
Being Rehabilitated
Need What Church
Can Give; They Want
Helping Hand.

The problem of rehabilitation OF
ey-rris0ncrS in North Carolina today
is challenge to the ChrlStiatl
Church, and a challenge when the
church is only partially mcetihe:.
Re-, I.~WrcnCc A. Watts, director Oh
religious activities of the State FRI
son system. told congrcgatlN N at
the First Presbyterian church sun
day evening.
It was the seventh in the series OF
eight summer Sunday evening union
services of five cooperating churches
Oh The city. Rev +. Norlleet Gardner'
pastor of the First Baptist church,
presided, in the absence OF Rev. W.
D. McInnis, pastor of the host church,
who is away on vacation.
The invocation was by Rev. L. j.
Whitehead, pastor of Christ Metho-
dist church, and the benediction by
Rev. J. Frank Apple, pastor OF the
Congregational Christian church'
The Scripture reading was by Mr..
Gardner, and Rev. Mr.. Watts text
was from the incident of Peter and
John meeting the poor man at the
Beautiful Gate Of the Temple, Sill
yer and gold have | none, but such
as | have give | to thee.
Miss Elizabeth Jenkins, daughter
of Mr.. and Mrs. J. w. jenkins, and
voice student at Converse College,
Spartanburg, S. c., gave solo,
This Is My Task" with Miss Alice
Harrison at the organ.
Mi. Watts thanked the ministers
of Henderson for their cooperation IN
work at the prison camp near here,
and depressed at the outset to say
that all hands were safe from the
Roanoke river floods at the Caledonia
prison farm in Halifax county.
The church has a message for dis
charged prisoners, said the minister
1t can point them to Jesus Christ to
offer them hope of climbing higher
and higher in restoring themselves
as citizens and part Of their COM
munity. They need us, he said, and
we need them, and they are not ask
ing for money, but sympathetic,
helping hand.
Half the people in the world, the
preacher said it is estimated, 60 to
bed at night without having had SUI
ficient food during the day. And the
picture in North Carolina is that OF
the 3 l-2 million people, fully two
million are not church members.
Twenty thousand criminals annually
pass through the prisons Of the State.
About half of them are white and
about half colored, about half are
unmarried and about half under 30
years of age, many even under To-.
They are the products of environ
ment in the State. They are like Us,
he said. When they are in need, we
send them to the WPA or other forms
of relief. and then criticize them for
taking it.
Many people have the idea that
contributions to the community chest
or the Salvation Army is their whole
duty, but Jesus took an entirely dill
ferent attitude. He didn't spend
much time with people like us, the
congregation was told. He spoke to
the sick, the poor and the despIscd.
Religious, recreational and educa-
tional programs are being carried
on by the prison system, and in these
are receiving the cooperation VI
many laymen.
Prisoners think of their loved ones
back home, and of their friends, and
also of the crime they have commit
ted the preacher said. They want to
90 back home and prepare for a bet
ter life, and many of them 60 back
determined to achieve that. But they
have a prison complex, and feel that
those about them are reminded OF
the record, w!~th:r they mention il
or not.
MIR. Watts said the prison system
was trying to build up rehabilitation
bureaus in each Of the one hundred
counties in the State, and asked the
sympathy of the public in the un-
dertaking.