LITERATURE IN THE PRISON

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1132, 20 May 1911, Page 9

LITERATURE IN THE PRISON

The report of the Departmental Committca, appointed by the Homo Secretary, in i9lO, on the supply' of hooks to prisoners in His .Majesty's prisons and to the inmates of the Borstal institutions, lias Icon issued. It is stated in an appendix that each prison was asked to name the six favourite authors among its own prisoners, and a table is printed with figures opposite each author's name showing the number of prisons at which ho or she is ono of the six favourites. Sn:je of the chief favourites arc: — Mrs. Henrv Wood, 58; Charles Dickens, 46j G. A.'Hontv. 20. Hkler Haggnrd, 20; Sir Walter Scott, 19; Vilkic Collins, 17; Captain Marryat, 13; Alexandre Dumas, 12. Over fifty other authors are mentioned, however, including Charles Kcadc (0). .Mr. Ball Cainc (0), Sir A. Conan Doyle (6), Thackeray (4), Mark Twain (I), and Mr. Anthony Hope (1). The report remarks en the extent to which the works of the host English novelists are either spontaneously asked for by prisoners or accepted and rend with pleasure when recommended by the chaplain. Th 're is always a- considerable number of prisoners who rend Scott, Dickens, awl other standard writers, and even prefer them to other books. A distinction has to he drawn hero bptVi'Pii the inmates of convict unci local prisons. What may be called the "educated demand" io chiefly to he found, amongjj'.couviets,

Among local prisoners it is tho.exception to lintl persons of any substantial degree of education. In .the smaller local prisons they are almost unknown. In the convict prisons, on the other hand, such peisors are by no means uncommon. At Dartmoor, lor example, besides Dumas, Mr. Rider Haggard, and Mrs. Henry Wuod, Dickens, Thackeray, Scott, and Shakespeare were found to be in regular demand while Pope, Soutliey, and Chaucer have also their adherents. A still larger clais of prisoners, who find Scott, Dickens, and Thackeray tedious, take pleasure in such authors as Charles Reado (whoso "Never Too Late to Mend" is a great favourite in prisons), Marion Crawford, Seton Merrimaii, Kesant and Rice, Mr. Clark Russell, Mrs. Henry Wood (whose clientele among prisoners is perhaps larger than 'Ihat of any other author', Charlotte Yongo, Miss Ilraddon, Sir A. Coiian Doyle, and otfiot popular authors, all of whom are well represented in prison libraries. Among the women at Holloway. Mrs. Henry Wood is an especial favourite. At Borstal it ivas found that her pre-emin-ence was just maintained against tho competition of Dickens, Mr. Clark Russell, Mr. Henty, Fcnnimoro Cooper, Charles Rcadc, Sir A. Conan Doyle, and Marryat. But, besides all these., continues tho report, there is always a certain number of highly-educated prisoners for whom even the best works of fiction are not sufficient. .Such ri'.eii are mostly to be found among convicts, the averago quality of whose reaii'ng is considerably superior to thai of the local prisoner. For these even fcott, Dickens, and Thackeray require to be supplemented by historical or philc.sophicU authors of tl.e first rank. Among the convicts at Maidstone tliero are men who will seldom read novels, but ask for such authors as Ftoulo anJ Freeman. Maeaulay, Burke, and Gibbon, Ruskin, Carlyle, Spencer, and Mill. Devotional Looks, the Bible, Prayer Book (in the case of Roman Catholics the "Garden of the Sou!''), and Hymn Book, form a part of the furniture if every prisoner's coll, -as the official phrase runs. Bonks of moral instruction differ according to the religious persuasion of the 'prisoner. To Anglicans are sniiolicd cither "The Narrow AYav" or "The Traveller's Guide." to Roman Catholics "Think Well On't," "The Roman Catholic Penny Catechism" or "The Poor Man's Gifochism." and to Nonconformists "Pil"l'im's Progress" and the Methodist' Hvmn Book's, and to all prisoners alike "The Wcelth.v Homo and Ho* to Keen It." Books of this character are kent in every prisoner's cell throughout the sentence.