anship.

We had repaired the books of the library, added nearly two hundred
volumes, obtained a new catalogue, two large blackboards for drill
exercises in arithmetic, &c., a set of charts on penmanship, a set also
of outline maps in geography, purchasing likewise such books or material
as appeared needful to the school, expending in all $260.45, being
allowed to use in this way the money gathered from the admission fees of
visitors, all of which we did not use.

We endeavored to do what we could towards beginning what we confidently
hoped would soon become an institution duly established by the State
with all needed provision for security. The Sabbath school continued
with unabated interest from the first, numbers varying but little,
seldom falling below eighty, average, eighty-six.

28. _Religious success._ From my first day at the prison, the religious
state had been encouraging, nothing to mar the interest transpiring.
True, there had been no revival at any time, but a steady, healthful
drawing in the right direction, that from which the most is ever to be
hoped. A goodly number had, at different times, become professedly fixed
in the determination to a thorough reform, while the others had, to
appearance, largely lost their prejudice against religious truth; and
entered more freely into conversation upon those subjects, many
admitting the justness of their claims. And, taking all things together,
our prospects had never appeared better than at the end of the year,
indicating that, should our rulers possess wisdom enough to select the
right man for warden, still more cheering results might be anticipated
from subsequent efforts.

But we could not presume to judge correctly as to how much of this
profession was well founded. That we had to leave for God to take care
of. We had one important certainty, however, connected with this
matter,--the certainty that all true good is found with just such
surroundings as we had at the prison, the love of prayer, interest in
God's Word, delight in attending meetings, desire for mental culture and
a professed seeking for holiness; but not with the contrary, such as
swearing, contentions, hatred of God's truth, and the like.

29. _Fourth of July at the prison._ The Fourth came with no new warden
appointment. Therefore, the incumbent determined that he would celebrate
this at the prison as his own yearnings prompted, and as it would be
observed at some other prison