wding of
herds of men and women, without regard to age, sex, character, or crime,
into foul underground dungeons, damp, dark, unventilated, often
unwarmed, with insufficient and unfit food and clothing, without beds,
and many in chains. Such were the sights which met his gaze at every
turn, and moved his soul with shame for his country, and a slow but
deadly anger that, once kindled, died only with his life. Thoroughly and
systematically he continued his investigation of the jails and prisons
of England, until he had been over them all, which consumed nearly a
year's time (travel was a different matter a hundred years ago, from
now), and then made his report public, for which labor he was called
before the bar of the House of Commons and received the thanks of that
august body.

More satisfactory still, he had the pleasure of seeing two bills passed,
one making the office of jailer a salaried position, thereby abolishing
the whole iniquitous system of special fees from prisoners, the other
having reference to improvements in ventilation and other sanitary
matters.

The text of these bills he had printed in large bold type at his own
expense, and sent them to every jail and prison in England. A few months
later, being desirous of seeing whether or not the requirements of the
new laws were being put into execution, he made personal inspection,
riding by chaise or on horseback from city to city and from town to
town.

Toward the last of this year, 1774, Howard made his first and last
venture into the arena of political life. Being a man of strong, stern
political convictions, and feeling it his duty to stand by his
principles, he listened to the advice of friends, and made a stand for
the House of Commons. Fortunately for the world he was defeated by _four
votes_.

On such small hinges swing the doors of life. Had he been elected he
would doubtless have sunk out of sight and been forgotten, and his great
work would have been given to some other agent.

Though greatly disappointed at his failure, Howard's mind at once
returned to the question of prison reform, and his next journey led him
over Ireland and Scotland. The former he found worse and the latter
better than England.

Being desirous of publishing a book upon his investigations and their
results, he at the close of this year left England to examine the
prisons of France, Flanders, and Holland. It surprises us much to learn
that he found the prisons of Holla