THE "STAR OF HOPE."

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12415, 31 January 1905, Page 7

THE "STAR OF HOPE."

Tho "Star of Hope," written, published, and printed by prisoners for prisoners, stands alone among jou mates, and only in such a strenuous country as America coud tho idea- Jiavo been conceived and grown possible.

Two men, inmatus of Sing-Sng Priam, both claim the origin or tho idea, which yyaa readily approved by the Superintendent of Prisons and received tho hearty co-operation of all the officials. Thus on April 22nd, 189, the first issuo of the "Star of Hop»' appeared, consisting of eight pages, contributed solely by the prisoners of SingSing Prison.

So rapid was the success of the paper that in July the fame year it was enlarged to sixteen pages and the privilege of contributing extended to two other prisons, Auburn and Clint-cm, both of New York State, and in December 1900.the New Reformatory at Napanoch was added to' tho roll, bringing up the circulation to 5,000 copies, divided among the four prisons mentioned. Tho paper is published every fortnight. It is well written, well printed, and handsomely got up. As an evidence of the importance of this prison paper many of tho big libraries in America have" endeavoured to keep a file of the journal, and some of the early numbers are now very raz-e and costly to obtain. Tho circulations is entirely private. Each prison subscribes for a certain, number, enough to give each inmate and officer a free copy, and a few additional copies are sent to persons interested outside the prison. The public may nob .secure them aava by courtesy of the officials of tho prisons. The prisoners write in their own time "at leisure" and cm their cells, except tho editors, who are generally given work which enables them to devote a portion of the day to the work of editing copy selected as worth for-, warding to the main office for final decision by the editor- 'in-chief. All prisoners are supplied with pencil and paper, -and a book or board placed across the knees forms the table. They select their own subjects, the only restrictions being that they shall" not comment too fr-eely on social conditions or prison management. The local editors are expected to use some little judgment in their selection. The anonymity of ail contributors is preserved under the prison numbei*, and the eidtonal staff appeai-s thus— Editor-in-Chief, 'Sing-Sing. Prison 50,----946. Assit. editor, Sing-Sing Prison 52,----430, with the following local editors, who*"collet uiia forward on a"l literary matter from their respective prisons:— Clinton Prison, locai'. editor, 3,965. Auburn Prison, local editor, 25,818, Napanoch Prison, local editor, 80,115. The Women's Prison at Auburn, local editor -321 Th.3 impenetrable veil that cloaks all tho contributors by these numbers j heightens the mysticism of this journalisrtK Thus we get a highly soentifio article on "The Revolution of Chemistry," by Sing-Sing 53,890, and one feels that behind those ambiguous"ciphers the brain of a great man lies .fettered for somq grievous lapse. . Who was h© when he was of the world? one wonders*— Sing-Sing 53,890. This is no illiterate pen that can writo readily 3,000 words on geology, biology, physics, and chemistry, and quote no aptly from Pisto, Capernieus, Kelpe-r and Newton. Again a schaarly article on the Nicaragua Canal by 4,574, an inmate of Clinton Prison, impresses one as being a mast brilliant comparative history of tho Suez and Nicaragua Canals. Yet thero ia considerable individual- - ism- even '.in these mystio numerals, and wo find that the" local editor at Napanoch isA.,geiWfl|ilr^siman (80,115), whose humordJ&^wTitin'gs 'in brogue aro quit<Tai:&£ature iii''eve-Fy'-issue.. ;■*-,■ Poetical contributions aro.;.pifflatif.uL» Most of them ar<i sent!imentat|^|hia> ocf .casionally one comas acr-ose il humorous effusion written by somo prisoned jester. "Clinton 4,353" asks "What's tho Us©?" a:i follows:-' - What's the use o' bein' gloomy And a-frettin' all the time? If the path of life is rugged, Full o' pitfalls, slush, and gr me, f "Taint a-goin' to make it smoother, Goodness, no, so what the deuce Is tho usg o' ia.o fret-tin'— :.Teil me, frien', mow, what's the use? ■Yes, the world is full o' honour, Full, o' chesr aajl frien'ship, too; Keeping a-huttin' till' you dnd em, For they'll never oome to you. Keep a-jeg^ng 'long as aasy As .-you can-r-don't <•<*!! a truce . 1 Till you find what you are after: So don't worry, /hat's tlio use? Here are some humorous sayings: — An exchange says: 'Get your name in the paper for a start mi life.' WeU, some of us did, and we started for Sing-Sing. • , ■ ■: We recently read in a, paper: ''The b<?s* method for reforming criminals is '. to marry them off." Well, we're saif.sS.ed; bring on the ladies. I do not like tliee, morning bell, Tho reason why I simply tell. That when you "strike I know full ' • well ' ' . I I must arise and sweep tho cell, j Many a man is in prison because he j • had a pooi1 lwa-yer. | To learn eudi an easy lesson, j Need I go to Harwaxd or Yale— That the honest man is happy, While the - burglara go to jail. An officer was heard to remark that tho "Star of Hope" ought to be put in tho soup. We all wish it was. It would make good soup. Trying times, ain't they? Parted without pain—our 'hair. Good singers ought to bo found in SingSing. To be a good. mus.cian you must keep time. Any musician deficient can have ours. Occasionally a suggestion of grim humour is to bo found in tho "answers to correspondents." For instance: — Sing-Sing 52,853 —The maximum^ penalty is flvo years. You are eligf bie. Other prisons in America have similar publications, though on' a very much smaller scale. Many of the prisoners have by their experience on tho prison Press qualified thmselves .to take up good positions with various ■newspapers in tho United States upon their release. Tho writer of this article is indebted to one of tho prisoners, a graduate of Harvard, for tho statistic.! eonta'iied herein.