A PRISON REFORM.
The highest ideal of prison life is not simply punishment for evil doing, but should be a reformation in the lives of those who are thus incarcerated. We are glad to know that there is really a reformation being brought about in the rules and government of the prisons in our land.
It is said of one of the kings in a country in Europe that, being desirous of knowing how the common people lived, he dressed himself as a peasant or tramp and went about from place to place among the poorer class of people, and while thus lounging about the city he was met by a policeman who demanded him to give an account of himself. Not giving the proper satisfaction, the policeman hurried him off to a dungeon-like cell. The prisons under that king’s domain were in a sad condition—dirty, filthy, alive with vermin, and were most degrading places. Thus the king was obliged to spend the night in such horrible quarters, which was in great contrast to the royal palace. However, it was a night well spent, though but little enjoyed by the king. He was touched as never before by a sympathetic feeling for the poor unfortunate human beings who were cast into such places. He at once ordered a renovation of all the prisons throughout his kingdom.
Aside from our penitentiaries, there are jails, work-houses, and places of imprisonment, many of which are allowed to become filthy, with lice and other vermin in almost every crevice, making the place not only extremely unpleasant but unhealthful to every inmate. No doubt if many of our lawmakers and other influential people of our country were compelled to spend a few days or nights in such prisons there would speedily be a great reformation in the prisons of our own land.
Aside from cleanliness and government of prisons and jails there is a reformation in which we can all have a part, and help to point the unfortunate ones to Him who is able “to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.”—Isa. 42:7. A number of our penitentiaries have comparatively good libraries furnished by the state; some have not yet been supplied with libraries; and even among those that are supplied there are more novels than good, wholesome religious works. However, in some prisons each prisoner is supplied with a Bible of small print, and there has been an earnest plea from the prisoners for good, wholesome religious literature by way of books, tracts, papers, etc. Our jails have as a general thing been sadly neglected on this line.
A few months ago we made an effort through the Gospel Trumpet Publishing Company, of Moundsville, W. Va., to supply jails and prisons with small libraries of good unsectarian religious books, such as would be a benefit to the prisoners and tend to lead them to a higher aim in life. We were soon greatly surprised to realize the demand from prisoners for such literature. A few hundred jails were thus supplied with libraries and religious papers. It was almost astonishing to learn in reply by their letters of appreciation that in many places they had never been thus remembered before. Some prisoners had been in for a number of months without any religious reading matter and scarcely any one to visit them.
Being thus reminded of a lack of duty brought to mind the words of Jesus, as mentioned in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, wherein he was speaking of the end of time when the nations should gather before him and he would separate the good from the bad. And we read where he says, “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.... Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
My dear reader, how will it be with us when we appear before the King in all his glory in that day? Can he say of us that he was in prison, and we came unto him? Or shall he be compelled to utter these words: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me”?