disadvantage of the prisoner is all a sham.

The prison, if rightly conducted, possesses certain means of reform,
which can not be had outside. To illustrate: Here is a young man, who
has never entered a school-house, or a place of worship, but has spent
his time with vicious companions and in vicious habits. He falls into
prison, where his home is a cell and silence his constant companion.
Here he is removed from his former surroundings and opportunities for
sinful indulgence. The loneliness and tedium of his condition soon
become unendurable. He must, in some way, have relief. But no means lie
within his reach except those connected with reform appliances. To these
he is forced, by the pressure of his nature, to resort, simply for
self-gratification, which he can find in hearing the human voice and in
the connected exercises. He hears truth which he had never heard before,
but which is permitted to fall on his mind with its full weight. He is
thus led to reflect, repents of his sins, and becomes really a reformed
man, a brand plucked from the burning.

The tendency of things, then, in a properly conducted prison, _is_
reformatory. Therefore, let ours be managed on that principle, and all
in our State, worthy of such a place, be there assigned for the
requisite time, and, no doubt, one good, devoted, wide-awake man could
do them more good than they now receive from all the religious means and
labors outside put together.

"The sight of a woman is demoralizing to a prisoner." The reader will
readily understand in what respect. If this be true, what a demoralized
class must be our grown up, unmarried sons, our bachelors and widowers,
with women constantly in sight. Then how wickedly does the warden
himself proceed in taking certain of his men among the women to work;
and in permitting women and girls dressed up in their finery to
perambulate freely about the shops and buildings in sight of the men.

"But," it is answered, "the men are not allowed to look at visitors."
True, but not being allowed is one thing, and not looking is quite
another. If any man can make himself believe that, when a woman is
conducted right into the presence of a prisoner, he will not obtain a
sight of her, he possesses more credulity than falls to the common lot
of men. The fact is, visitors about the shops are seen by the prisoners
and thought of and talked about by them, no matter who pretends to the
contrary. Every one knows this, who know