Article July 12, 1900 Issue

Prison Work in Detroit, Mich.

BY MRS. HATTIE M. FREDERICK.

Not until one has had the privilege of breaking the living bread of Truth to those in bonds at the city jails, can he realize what a wealth and diversity of experience accompanies this particular field of labor. To proclaim liberty to the captive; the opening of prison to them that are bound; to tell of man's dominion over the beasts of the carnal mind; of peace on earth, here and now,—not afar off; to see the eager faces, sobered and saddened by the rough hand of sin; to hear the earnest inquiry and astonishment, when told that within each individual consciousness lies the same Christ power to annul material law and sin, so wonderfully demonstrated by Jesus—all these and many more such sacred experiences are written with the finger of God on the tables of memory as enduring as stone.

That there is a great field of work, rich in its yield, open to Christian Science in this direction, is proven beyond doubt in the brief period of our effort. When first it was decided upon that this work should be taken up, a committee was appointed, two of which visited the prison to obtain permission to present the subject of Christian Science to the inmates the following Sunday. Consent was very readily and cheerfully accorded. It being customary for representatives of different denominations to hold services there on Sunday morning, we were given that privilege with the others. The men are classified into different wards, the nature of the offense determining the particular ward to which a prisoner is assigned, the time of confinement varying from a few days to several months.

At the appointed hour the inmates are generally in waiting at the bars for the one assigned to their ward, the turnkey with his great key turns the heavy lock that raises with a clang the lever which unlocks the iron-grated door, it opens, you enter, and again the clanging of the lever indicates that the door is locked. One cannot but notice and respect the modest attempt to present as tidy a personal appearance as their limited resources will permit. These men, though awaiting trial for various degrees of crime. have not lost that sense of courtesy inborn in every heart; immediately they silence any loud talking that may have been going on, while with brightening faces they draw toward convenient places the wooden benches for seating. With the look of expectancy and folded hands, they seat themselves, waiting like hungry children to be fed from the Master's table. Here we find all phases of human thought, the lame, the halt, the blind—physically and morally. Some with one eye blackened by sin and some with two, all ignorant of their God-given legacy and needing to know the Truth which alone can make them free.

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