TROISIÈME SECTION

— 401 —LETTRE ADRESSÉE AU PRÉSIDENT DU CONGRÈSparM. CHARLES F. COFFONsur la coopération de la Société des Amis dans l'œuvrepénitentiaire.3232 Groveland Avenue,Chicago, July 5, 1910.Rev. C. R. Henderson, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.My Dear Friend:Yours of the lst is received. I should be glad to fournishyou with any documents in référence to the works of Friendson Prison Reform,' which I may find. I think it doubtful, however,about finding anything in the shape that you want.George Fox, the founder of the Society, himself often aprisoner, addressed some of his quaint and forceful epistles onthe reformation of criminal law and the improvement of prisons.From that day to this Friends have been on the sideof Prison Reform.William Penn in the founding of Pennsylvania amelioratedlargely the criminal law, particularly in référence to capitalpunishment and he established milder prisons.The most remarkable Friend, however, on the questionof Prison Reform was Elizabeth Fry, but her works in thatrespect are scattered through a large but exceedingly interestingvolume containing the history of her life. I know of noplace where separate copies of her work on prisons can be found.Some forty or fifty years ago (I do not recollect the exactdate), after the interest of myself and wife in Prison Reformhad been awakened, I presented to a Représentative Meeting(a meeting appointed to represent the Yearly Meeting of Indianain its recess), the subject of Prison Reform. They appointed acommittee, which consisted of myself, my wife and TimothyNicholson. We served on this committee until our field oflabor was transferred to Illinois, when Timothy Nicholson tookhold of the work and followed it up afterwards.The reports of this committee, made annually, contain afull account of their work and the condition of the question atthat time. Thèse are scattered through the records of themeeting and have never been put in printed form, but wereread in the annual meeting and excited a great deal of interestand attention.For more than forty years this- committee stood, onlyrecently, I understand, has it been released as being unnecessaryunder the présent condition of things.With kind personal regards, I amYour friendCHARLES F. COFFON-,Actes du Congrès pénitentiaire international de Washington, vol. III. 26