OUTCASTS!

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 286, 3 December 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

OUTCASTS!

IV/[Y sympathy for the offender IVi who has made himself an outcast from his fellow citizens has, much apainst my wishes, nn "' « ommon knowledge and 1 am often asked to give details 1,1 ■ | M'l-il-11. .T~. 1 1,,1- . -b \ i(HM reasons rha vi> nlw ays " 'll.i-t ly I'• 1 111 To (In. lint ii |,| i,.| 1 ' 1 11,1 " 1 iiiii y i■ 111-I HU H i_'r ' I'b-v ei 4 '' i a-sis t in I lie work I ''' "' hi being ii inl.-rt .i k, I, I,y in \ A'(-". I '"•I"' if' '"'I .'is (in ' I" «I" 11 '_•! 11 M■ | 1,, V " U''l- 'I 1 '"•> ■II <' sliding 111 '1■ 'I • !.l t I.MI ,1 1,,1 mi \ . ' ' i 1 1 i liil iii. man ~r woman " '' ■111 I- Ml* floor to stlll't •'Hcsi« "i' too i.ir <|o\\' M "ill,. n|iji|„. rv I" lio Unable t,, recover his o'r I"■ r [-11 inn. I'..nil one should realise. however, flint. ri| "' "'"■' l «in t lie lil'llt liv theil '•' ln ''' '"i ".nun ion. Hork, ii in I conduct. , U 1 '" M " '"''(—•l i'i 'lie pa-t 11us »-•-' '-r -'-"I- I her a p ' " 1 "II Hie riulll I'll I li. career lis a judge jn ' '"'HI- I have been impressed IM . " "'" 'i -f kili'l I t ..I people " " ll "- 1,1 i-i-l I lie weak n ikl 1 " "" " l "' 11 1 l ""ii 11 eiil ion is .I ireeled I" .i |' ii l (. nl.n- , U l"'".'M'r .i newspaper report appeared "• I'l-M'.nei- a 11,,, alter spending ' M, 'ei part, ol lih or her lite in I" 1 /""- ""W wanted an opportunity to ! 11 \ received |~| | work Iron, employers, in ditrerent I'" '"try. Not ill f re.pien 11 y I'fi'l'le tendered tiuaiieial assist". ;i nee. In my experience, if nn employer was -ifi-flfd that lie hurl been told the "•'ist iibnnt, n man ho would take the eh inee of employing him. \Vhn+. nppnrently is nhvavn avoided is '• nyii-Ting ,1 man whose past is not k iKiwn. f re in em her instance* when prospettive employer* after an interview with nn C\ eonviet, even provided clothe* to enable the man to commence work. In other eases work ha« been offered nnd accepted to test the ex-convict's nl.ilily. and when his work has proved call-lactorv rapid promotion hn H fol-l.-wed. providing the man with generous remuneration. Thn ex-prisoners themselves? It i« my pleasing privilege to be able to report that a largo proportion faithfully responded to any aid I have been able to give, them. Most nf them volunteered the promise, "f will never let you down," and I per-

J By--j Sir Holman Gregory, ' Ex-Recorder of London

sonall;/ cannot recall a case in which a promise has failed without even "* i —' I "t a struggle to keep it. From t iiri<• to time many of them have voluntarily ri*ported to me what was happening to them. When t hey prospered, some actually sent, small sums of money ex prey-in;: a desire that it should lie expended in ' v i"- "some other poor pi'i-oncr I ne same chance that I had." "nlv n small proportion faltered ami fell hack. Utteu T am greete«l in public places iiy one and another who have come hefore me, and whom I have been aide to help. A particularly encouraging example wim the son of prosperous parents from whom he was estranged owing to his criminal acts. "lodav he is in a responsible position with a city lirm. organist at, a place of worship, and. what, he values most, again on loving terms with his father and mother. Ret..re me I have a letter from a man who had spent more tjian 20 years of Ins Life in prison arid penal servitude.

.stating that he has a situation where lie bundles hundreds of pounds each week. He isyiow living with his mother, over Sll. after heini' disowned by her for nearly .'III years, lie added that lie could ii"t. today understand his '"misguided act ion-" ven iy. a uo. No man or w oman should he con dciuned us past redemption until all the tad- arc known. In common with iuo-t "l nr. in youth they cadi had their o« ii phy-ieal or mental weak nc-scs, but unlike i ill r-(d ves they lacked I lie -Ireii'jth ot ch.iracter or tirmncss "f nerve to resi-i temptation when pre-sed by their be.citing sin. llaviiiL' once I.illcn their weaknesholds them dovv n and they reach a level where unaided it is practically impossible to rehabilitate themselves. * ♦ ♦ ♦ Tt is (litlicult, to describe what influenced 111 e in deciding whether a man I" the dock before me was worthv of. or likely to re.pond to. assistance. Some inflect ion ot the voice or action "f the individual conveyed the fact of sincerity. I remember several years ago an ox "*"n\ jet was ficfote nie to answer ma nv 'Ctittn. elia lit burglary and housebreak ill'.' C >in in it t e,l after his la . t release 11' "II coiiliiieuieiit. and even after he had teeeivid what he knew to be "cnuille ■• ti eiVs ~f assist a nee. it appeared that F 11.>.1 a man befoie me who wa h an avowed enemv "f society, but after the facts of (he "tlciice and his antecedents had been

stated, the prisoner, a cultured mar begged f or an opportunity to reform i a voice and manner that cxprcsee sincerity. I took tlio chance of providing helt I wan not mistaken. A few days late I bound him over to come up for sen tence when called upon to do to an released him. Since then I have received rcliabl intol niation that lie is leading an hone- 1 life and earning a living liy writing, am t hat many friends wlio acclaim hi prowess and efforts anticipate a success fill future for him. Another man, an oflieer in the Arnn during the war. was in the <locl< charge! with forgery ami false pretences. H< pleaded guilty, ami after he had beet f-ked by the clerk of the Court if in desired to put torwaid any reason win he should ii"l In' sentenced. said in i quiet. \ I >ice, "Oh. that 1 could, lie jiivel an oppni t unit vof conimenciii'_ r afresh!"' I vv as -o iinpressed with his sineeril \ and decided tli.it he should have th< ciiaiice. ||i>, inn. was '"1111111111 over.' after work hud been found for him. When Should Birthdays Go By the Board? At first he was cmplnved addressing envelopes by an advertising linn at a remuneration that just provided sufficient money for simple Tood and a mean lodging. H if. work was sat isfaef ory and he was quietly promoted. Within a vear he was in a |«'ii laneiit situation earning a A week or so ago the date of mv bil l Inlay war. mentioned in a daily newspaper. (Like tht l late Sir Thomas J.ipton. T tliiuk that after 70 birthdays should In' forgot ten.) .Next d.i \ 1 received a letter from an e\ pl i-cincr I had ar--.i-.ted. tendering lils contra tul.it ions ami stating that he was now a. partner in a nourishing advertising 111 ir. 111 e—r-. It 11111 -L not be as-uined. hnwever. that the path to sin-cess is ca-y or, imleed that 1• \ cry ma 11 :n liii'Vcs i|. 11l thi-. ciiiineclii.il | ,mii reminded of a touching letter I received last winter trom the u ite (it a man who had been helped. Shi- wrote that lie ■ husliand was >t rugL' lill g on ■1 s ;i clerk, though they found it extremely difficult. She continued tliat for the past three years her husband ha<l worked satisfactorily, lint owing to his history 110 promotion had followed; tflat they lived in a suburb, which entailed daily expenditure for railway travelling, and after reiit and railway fare was paid they had le-w than .'io/ a week to^pend. Recently, ehe added, she had had a babv, and had not ftylly recovered. Her husband was suffering from bronchitis caused, she feared, by beiug too lightly clad, as they could not afford to purchase an overcoat. She later came to receive a thtrk overcoat and then said that her husband was "a wonderful man." He had determine-l never to fall again and she believed lie would starve and die rather than do so. To her credit she added that so soon an she was strong enough she would again go out to work to increase the family income.