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Mrs. MAUD BALLINGTON BOOTH
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HE recent visit of Mrs. Maud Ballington
Booth to Atlanta cannot be said to revive
or accentuate interest in this remarkable
woman or her wonderful work, for
she is one of the few personalities in
whom interest never flags and her work
is among that rare class of effort which
wins for itself at all times the fullest
commendation from all classes. Yet the
presence of Mrs. Booth in Georgia cre-
ates a desire to know specifically the
present status of her world-renowned endeavor to
alleviate as far as possible the hard lines of the
criminal classes and to bring them to a mental at
titude in which reformation and repentance shall
bear the adequate results. Feeling that our readers
would welcome a report of this kind from Mrs. Booth
herself, a meeting with her was- arranged for a rep
resentative of The Golden Age in order that some
accurate account of her work in American prisons
might be given. We say “accurate” advisedly and
yet it is impossible to cover the extent or the effect
of the work that Mrs. Booth does. It is unique in
its character and quality, and as it is di-
rected toward the moral regeneration of
the prisoner it serves as a most distinct
and decided benefit to society as well.
Some ten or twelve years ago, Mrs. Booth
and her husband became the head of a
philanthropic movement in this country
known as “The Volunteers of America’’
and separated from The Salvation Army
of which it 'was originally a part. The
American organization differs from the En
glish one inasmuch as the “Volunteers
are governed not by an individual but by
what is known as the Greenfield Council
composed of officers of the order above the
rank of major, and to this Council all
questions of government or of policy are
submitted, each member being empowered to
cast a vote, a majority of wffiich decides and
determines the action of the body. This
council has thepporerw r er to elect a leader and
Mr. Booth has been chosen for this position
for a number of years and has recently been
re-elected. Both he and his wife are actively
engaged in general philanthropic work, but
Mrs. Booth herself has, specialized, as it
were, by devoting herself almost exclusively
at this time to the prisoners of the country.
Her First Prison Work.
She was first attracted to this work when
about eleven years ago she was in San Fran
cisco on business for one of the charitable
institutions of the Salvation Army, and she
received an appeal from the prisoners at San
Quienten (the site of the state prison) to
address them at a Sunday service. She is, a
regularly ordained minister of the Gospel
and hoping that she might have some mes
sage for these men she immediately went
to the prison, the visit being the first she
had ever made to an institution of the kind.
She was so impressed with the difference
within those sin-darkened walls and the beau
ty of the wonderful western world without
that her heart was moved with pity even
before she saw the inmates. How much more
deeply the sight of those sad faces moved
her womanly sympathy may be understood from the
fact that from that time forward she made it her
chief work in life to help them whenever and wherev
er she could.
Her Method of Work.
When Mrs. Booth was asked her method of ap
proaching the prisoners she said:
“I make it a rule never to seek an interview with
any individual prisoner; I think this would be both
unwise and dangerous; if they feel that they need
me they have only to say so and I go to them. And
they do send for me and write to me —I get hun
dreds of letters from men I have never seen and
even more from those I have seen. It was with a
deep desire to keep in close touch with these men
even those living in the most distant cities that I or
ganized what is known as ‘The Prison League’ and
it is to establish a branch of it in the Federal Prison
in Atlanta that I am here at this time.”
This “League” is one in which al Iprisoners join
who really desire to lead a better life and to make
of their term of punishment a period of probation and
of benefit, from which they can gain strength to
The “Little Mother” of the Prisoned Criminal.
erect a new future. The pledge signed by the pris
oners includes certain promises of obedience to all
prison rules, together with promises to perform cer
tain religious observances, reading of a little helpful
“Day Book” and also of an earnest, honest effort
to lead a better life”
Mrs. Booth then said that this League had in many
instances so helped prison discipline that it was
endorsed by the prison authorities and she was not
only permitted but encouraged to work among these
prisoners freely and without the usual restrictions
placed upon visitors.
The Vast Field of Effort.
It seemed impossible for Mrs. Booth to adequately
describe the vast extent of the field of work open
to those who would enter the prisons and seek to
aid the prisoners. She said that crime was more
often the result of early environment and of densest
ignorance than of mere viciousness, and that while
many believed reformation impossible for an adult
criminal she knew from her own personal experience
that the fullest possible reformation was not only
possible but had really resulted in the cases of the
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MRS. MAUD BALLINGTON BOOTH.
most apparently hardened and indifferent criminals.
Drink the Greatest Barrier to Reform.
When asked what was the most difficult factor
with which she met in her work of reformation,
Mrs. Booth answered without hesitation:
“Intemperance is our most gigantic stumbling
block. We have reformed men whose whole lives
have been steeped in crime and we have led them back
to paths of usefulness and even honor, but for those
whose lives the curse of strong drink has entered we
often labor in vain. When such men go back into
the world of work they meet companions and com
rades who urge on them the baleful ‘treating’ habit,
and when cold and tired and a bit discouraged the
temptation is not resisted and soon the ex-prisoner
is again back in the old sinful paths This evil we
fight as best we may but it is an evil almost too
great for human will to combat; especially with the
present unrestricted laws of our land. Without this
one huge evil we can win even the most sin-steep
ed lives.
A Reformed Burglar.
I have in mind now a man whose first imprisonment
The Golden Age for December 20, 1906.
occurred when he was but seven years old and
who during a long period of years was guilty of an
incredibly long list of crimes. He was regarded by the
police as a most ‘accomplished’ burglar, and one so
reckless of consequences that he was again and again
captured and imprisoned. Finally, I spoke at Sing
Sing, New York, one Sunday and this man was among
those who asked for an interview with me. His
heart had been touched by my talk and he wholly
gave himself up to Christ Soon after he was taken
sick and at the time of his discharge from prison he
was too ill to stand alone. He somehow managed to
make his way to Hope Hall, the home I have estab
lished for discharged criminals, but he was too ill
to remain there. I had him taken to a hospital where
after many weeks he was finally cured. Then he be
gan to grow,eager for work and I believed he would do
well if the chance were given him. My hopes were
justified, for from the first week when he brought
me a roll of crumpled bills saying, “Little Mother”
this is the first honest money I ever earned,’ until
today, he has never once taken a single backward
step. He is now married and it so happened that his
own little home was entered and burglarized
on one occasion. He told me he had never
before fully realized what this crime meant,
and when the thief was apprehended and
was proven to be the son of the janitor of
the house, a young boy whose first offense
this was, the man, William, refused to pros
ecute him but said to the trembling mother,
‘You just send that boy to me; I’ll give him
a talk which will do him more good than
the prison!’
“From this it will be seen how far-reach
ing was the eect of the reform in one life;
we cannot estimate the extent of the work
of this kind.” said Mrs. Booth, “for ‘Wiliam’
is only one of the many men who have learn
ed their lesson and who are eager to pass
it on.”
Prisoners Help Each Other.
“Do the majority of the discharged prison
ers w’hom you visit seek you when they are
free?” Mrs. Booth was then asked.
“Many of them do,” was the answer, “but
occasionally they have some family to whom
they can go. I recall a case now in which
this same man William helped a fellow pris
oner. One winter’s night while William was
asleep a knock came on his door and he
awoke to find a man, who had recently com
pleted a twenty year sentence and who had
been with William in prison, standing out
side. On being questioned, he said he had
been walking the streets for weeks seeking
work but had failed to find it. He had not
gone to Hope Hall for he had an aged moth
er and on her small savings they had been
living. But now the fund was exhausted and
on his return to his home that night he had
found the mother had been ejected for non
payment of rent and as she was bedridden
she was then in the street. William at once
decided to take the woman into his own
room and he and the son carried the mat
tress from the bed down the streets of New
York until they reached the woman and
brought her back to William’s own room.
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Neither man having any place else to go at
that time of night, they sat on the landing outside
the door until morning. William determined to get
work for this man but on consulting his own employ
er he found there was no place in the factory, ‘But,’
said William, ‘the man must have work or he will go
back into the old life’ The employer was sorry but
he could not place him. William left, but returned
at noon to announce trimuphantly, ‘l’ve found a place
for my friend.’ ‘I am glad of that,’ replied the head
of the factory. ‘Where will you place him’? ‘Well,’
said William, ‘I want him to have my place; you
can give me a character after these two years and
I have no family myself, so I can find other work.’
The gentleman was so impressed with this that he
created a place for the new man and it was William’s
pride and pleasure to note that his protege well mer
ited the trust placed in him. Today both these men
are doing well and are simply two examples of the
results of this work —results which are growing great
er every day.”
Compulsory Education for Prisoners.
Above all else, save the spiritual influence, Mrs.
Booth is a most ardent advocate of compulsory ed«