42 
TIIK RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 20, 
THAT HORSE-THIEF PROBLEM. 
On page 926 Geo. A. Cosgrove spoke of the 
young man or boy who stole a horse. This 
boy is now in jail for anotner offense, and 
Mr. Cosgrove asks whether he should pros¬ 
ecute him for the horse stealing or not. 
Many opinions have been offered, a few of 
which follow : 
A Pennsylvania Sunday School Discusses It. 
We have in this place a real live Friends’ 
meeting, and First Day school. What we 
call our Bible class is composed of about 20 
adults. To-day I put Cosgrove’s question 
about the horse thief to this class. The 
general opinion seemed to be that he should 
have another chance to reform. No doubt in 
his present condition he feels penitent, but 
will he retain his resolution after gaining 
his liberty if there is not some strong incen 
tive held out to him? If we had formulated 
a plan of dealing witlmhim, I .think it would 
have been like this: 
Let Cosgrove induce the court to suspend 
sentence with the understanding that if he 
commits another offense he may then be 
sentenced for this. Then put him in the 
care of some, one who will try to find the good 
manly qualities in him, and develop them. 
The discussion of the case opened the broad 
question of the proper treatment of our crim¬ 
inals. The thought was freely expressed that 
we want to get away from the old idea of 
punishment, harsh treatment and revenge, 
and to turn our thoughts more to the refor¬ 
mation of the individual and to the bring¬ 
ing out of the better qualities that are surely 
latent in everyone. We recognize that we 
should do our part in the formation of public 
opinion and in the bringing about of these 
reforms. p. a. cloud. 
Pennsylvania. 
Let the Erring Brother Go. 
In reference to Mr. Cosgrove’s problem, 
whether it is his duty or not to send a lad 
to State’s prison for five or ten years, I 
would ask if anyone knows anyone who was 
made better by being Shut up with convicts 
for live years? If Mr. Cosgrove follows the 
heart that shows in his letter, he will not as¬ 
sist in this crime againsl a criminal. All the 
best thought of our times, from Victor Hugo 
to Tolstoy, shows the uselessness and unfair¬ 
ness of our system of punishments. A tenth 
of the money and time and attention neces¬ 
sary to convict him and keep him in a cell 
would send him to the Montana plains, where 
work is plenty and opportunity still open to 
begin a new life—the very qualities of love 
of adventure and desire of gain that make 
him a thief here would make him a success¬ 
ful citizen there. How shall we say how 
much of the young fellow’s crime is his own 
fault, and bow much is due to the training or 
heredity, or lack of them, that he has had? 
How shall you and I say how many long 
years—live or ten, as the judge may guess— 
is the proper term to give him who is now 
a boy, but who will come out of jail a 
broken man? 
Give him his chance—if our brother sin 
against us let us in truth forgive him at 
least the seven times, and let us “judge not 
that we be not judged”—for our judgment 
will probably be wrong—even though it be 
done through a judge. bolton hall. 
New York. 
Let the Law Take Its Course. 
Mr. Cosgrove, page 926, wants to know 
what to do with the horse thief. I don’t 
think there is any special reason why he 
should interfere with the law being prop¬ 
erly carried out. There are no mitigating 
circumstances whatever. lie should bear in 
mind that this man has violated the law 
against stealing, and the question is. whether 
he should prevent the law being executed. 
He wants to reform the boy. In 1840 there 
was a good old doctor in a New England 
town who had a very troublesome son. This 
boy, about that time, forged his father’s 
note for a thousand dollars. The old man 
appeared against him in court, testified to 
the forgery, and the law was carried out, 
the man serving the usual time in State's 
prison for such an offense. Being released 
from prison he became a dentist, and an 
excellent and highly respected citizen in the 
town where he had always lived, and was 
my own dentist for a good many years. The 
neighbors who knew about the case thought 
the father was very hard at the time. The 
old man's argument was that he had no right 
to interfere with the law, whether it was his 
son or some other person’s son. and he let 
it take its course. The result was a cure 
From what Mr. Cosgrove says of his horse 
thief, I doubt if going to jail or staying out 
of It will do him any good : consequently the 
longer he is in jail the better it will be for 
the rest, of us. If w^e cannot put the Insur¬ 
ance thieves in jail, let us put the horse 
thieves there. t. m. d. 
Take Him Home. 
I would suggest that as the boy is now 
in prison, and knows what it is, and prom¬ 
ises to do better, that Mr. Cosgrove give him 
a trial, but take him under his guardianship 
to have full control over him and to work 
for him for board and clothes and be under 
his influence, or to be let out by him to some¬ 
one else, he to collect the boy’s wages for 
one year as a punishment to him ; if he com¬ 
mits' any crime within that time let the law 
take its course. I think the boy would 
turn out better than to go to State prison, 
only perhaps to look for a chance to get out 
and do worse next time. I should like to 
know the decision Mr. Cosgrove makes. 
Vermont. Charles e. baker. 
The Spiritual Side of It. 
The appeal for judgment on the case of 
this unfortunate boy should call forth the 
highest expression of consciousness in man. 
The attributes of the objective mind or 
intellect are: Reason, imagination, judgment, 
perception, conception, memory and ideality. 
Of this septenate reason is the farthest re¬ 
moved from conscience. “Judgment is the 
criterion that enables us to separate right 
from right and wrong from truth and error 
it is guided by reason and conscience. This 
is objective or material metaphysics,, but 
man possesses another septenate of higher, 
hidden, deeper qualities which belong to the 
kingdom of his divinity, his heaven within 
where Spirit, Love, reigns supreme. It is his 
“court of appeals,” from the knowledge of 
which St. Paul and the Christ discerned and 
spoke spiritually or ex cathedra. When the 
Divine Spirit within man is at-one-ment with 
Absolute Divinity, it is given spiritual power 
to see and know the things of the spirit. 
Therefore, dear friend, may I tell thee that, 
to imoress the physical body of (his misguid¬ 
ed youth does not imprison either his intel¬ 
lect or spirit, but may embitter one and en¬ 
velop the other in darkness. Sit alone in 
the Silence, close thy eyes, seek the Divine 
Light within thy inner self (it is positively 
there, for I have seen its colorless beautiful 
Light), and it will tell thee through con¬ 
sciousness what It told me: “I>et the thief 
go unpunished.” Answer thy own question, 
let no one else do it for thee. Love sits 
enthroned within the Spirit ; it cannot lead 
one astray: it is, “truth for authority, not 
authority for truth.” I>et this young man 
come to thee and under thy loving influence 
work out his debt of $30, and both thou 
and he will rejoice. a friend. 
South Carolina. 
Would Let Him Go. 
If reformation of the criminal is what you 
are after it is extremely doubtful whether a 
long term in the “pen” will bring it about. 
Having ackowledged the theft and promised 
reform, he started in the right direction. If 
given a chance he will soon show his sin¬ 
cerity. I believe the very errors of wayward 
youth are often the making of honest and 
useful citizens. Those errors will always lie 
a warning hand to them in future life. Pen¬ 
itentiaries have a poor record in reforming 
criminals. On the other hand, kindness tow¬ 
ard the offender will often bring about his 
reformation. The boy, perhaps, never had 
anything but kicks and cuffs. Then no won¬ 
der he has left the paths of virtue. 
Pennsylvania. h. s. w. 
I would say: Don’t sent the boy to jail 
or prison. Accept his promises as bona fide, 
and give him this one chance that you have 
at your disposal. If he reforms and becomes 
an "honored and trusted man you will con¬ 
gratulate yourself. If he fail you, and con¬ 
tinues the downward way you never will 
reprove the kind heart that prompts. May 
he be led to reform and honor your memory. 
Massachusetts. w T . t. w. 
I read about how “Ben” was stolen from 
Mr. Cosgrove in your paper. I think if I 
were Mr. Cosgrove I should let the thief free 
if he has promised to never steal any more. 
d. s. D. 
(Age 10 years.) 
Cold and Cruel Facts. 
Here are two aggravated cases within a 
year at Holland, N. Y., one of them on the 
farm adjoining my brother. One year ago 
last Fall one morning Mr. G. rose early to 
do his chores, and to his great surprise found 
a $250 team, a good, new double wagon and 
three harnesses gone which he and his neigh¬ 
bors searched for until all hope of recovering 
the property was despaired of. Then Mr. 
G. bought another outfit, and set out again. 
On the twenty-fourth of last November the 
thief again visited him and took the second 
team, a spring wagon, some harness and a 
bicycle and departed as before, but after 
four or five days’ search of Mr. G. and sever¬ 
al neighbors they recovered the goods, but 
the thief, after trying to kill the sheriff by 
shooting, escaped, and so far as I have heard 
is still at large. I could write on four more 
like cases. This man was recognized to be 
a convict who had only been released last 
June from a nine-year sentence to State’s 
prison for the same offence. Let me sug¬ 
gest to Mr. Cosgrove: Prosecute your case; 
let this man of 18 go to prison, and serve 
five years, and when he is released he will 
be 23. By that time he will be old enough 
to reform, if ever, and if he commits another 
criminal undertaking give him the full ex¬ 
tent of law. According to Mr. Cosgrove, this 
man was in Reform School and is now serv¬ 
ing a second time, and a third and worse 
charge to follow. Keep him under cover. 
My experience is a thief will steal when at 
liberty. J. e. l. 
Chautauqua Co., N. Y. 
Root-Pruned Trees.- —Being one of the 
original root pruners (after Stringfellow, see 
short article of mine in The It. N.-Y. in the 
year 1807 or 1898), 1 would suggest you 
dig up a seedling peach tree, and solve the 
“why is it” of root-pruning. To dig up a 
tree is entirely unnatural, and when it is 
done an artificial condilion exists. Now to 
get the tree back to nature, it must be born 
again; the root system must be allowed to 
start and go as nature intended they should 
go, and it is safe to say they will go just 
right, theory or no theory. a. r. b. 
Tioga, Tex. 
Ben Davis Defended. —The Ben Davis ap¬ 
ple has not the flavor of a Jonathan or 
Grimes, but it has a flavor of its own, which 
we think is equally good. Before about De¬ 
cember 25 it is scarcely fit to eat; after 
that date it is better than either of the 
others. They become tough, insipid and lose 
much of their erstwhile fine flavor, while 
Ben Davis becomes crisp, refreshing and 
delicious, remaining so until long after 
the others have become nothing but a memory. 
We consider Ben Davis as one of the five best 
apples for family or market. s. G. c. 
Illinois. 
R. N.-Y'.—The Ben Davis question is one 
that can be settled only like the argument 
in Riley’s poem : “He having his opinion of 
me and I having my opinion of him” ! 
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