Page:The collected works of Theodore Parker volume 7.djvu/51

Rh indefinite period, and forty-seven for an additional period of solitary imprisonment. In what follows I mako no account of that. But the whole remaining period of their sentences amounts to more than 544 years, or 198,568 days. In addition to this, in tho year ending with Juno 9, 1846, we sent from Boston to tho State Prison, thirty-five more, and for a period of 18,595 days, of which 205 were solitary. Thus it appears that tho illegal and convicted crime of Boston, in one year, was punished by imprisonment for 217,163 days. Now as Boston contains but 114,366 persons of all ages, and only 69,112 that are over ton years of age, it follows that the imprisonment of citizens of Boston for crime in one year, amounts to more than one day and twenty-one hours, for each man, woman, and child, or to more than three days and three hours, for each one over ten years of ago. This seems beyond belief, yet in making the estimate, I have not included the time spent in gaol before sentence; I have left out the solitary imprisonment in the House of Correction; I have said nothing of the 169 children, sentenced for crime to the House of Reformation in the same period.

What is the effect of this punishment on society at large? I will not now attempt to answer that question. What is it on the criminals themselves? Let the gaol-books answer. Of the whole number, 202 were sentenced for the second time; 131 for the third; 101 for the fourth; 38 for the fifth; 40 for the sixth; 29 for the seventh; 23 for the eighth; 12 for the ninth; 50 for the tenth time, or more; and of tho criminals punished for the tenth time, thirty-one were women ! Of the thirty-five sent to the State prison, fourteen had been there before; of the 1228 sent to the House of Correction, only 626 were sent for the first time. There are two classes,—the victims of society, and the foes of society: the men that organize its sins, and then tell us nobody is to blame. May God deal mercifully with the foes; I had rather take my part -with tho victims. Yet, is there one who wishes to be a foe to mankind? Here are the sons of the poor, vagrant in your streets, shut out by their misery from the culture of the age; growing up to fill your gaols, to be fathers of a race like themselves, and to be huddled into an infamous grave.