VISITS TO CONTINENTAL PRISONS.
Contrary to the general practice of mankind in matters of pure
benevolence, Mrs. Fry looked around for new worlds to conquer, in the
shape of yet unfathomed prison miseries. Many, if not most people, would
have rested upon the laurels already won, and have been contented with
the measures of good already achieved. Not so with the philanthropist
whose work we sketch. Like an ever-widening stream, her life rolled on,
full of acts of mercy, growing wider and broader in its channel of
operations and its schemes of mercy. In pursuance of these schemes she
visited prisons at Nottingham, Lincoln, Wakefield, Leeds, Doncaster,
Sheffield, York, Durham, Newcastle, Carlisle, Lancaster, Liverpool, and
most other towns of any size in England. She extended these journeys, at
different times, into Scotland and Ireland, examining into the condition
of prisons and prisoners with the deepest interest. It was her usual
custom to form ladies' prison-visiting societies, wherever practicable,
and to communicate to the authorities subsequently her views and
suggestions in letters, dealing with these matters in detail.
But her fame was not confined within the limits of the British Isles.
Communications reached her from St. Petersburg, from Hamburg, from
Brussels, from Baden, from Paris, Berlin, and Potsdam; all tending to
show that enquiry was abroad, that nations and governments as well as
individuals were waking up to a sense of their responsibilities. Both
rulers and legislators were beginning to see that _preventing_ crime was
wiser than _punishing_ it, that the reformation of the criminal classes
was the great end of punitive measures. This conviction reached, it was
comparatively easy for the philanthropists to work.
Before proceeding to the Continent, however, we find notes of one or two
very interesting visits to the Channel Isles. Her first visit was made
in 1833, and, to her surprise, she found that the islands had most
thoroughly ignored the prison teachings and improvements which had been
gaining so much ground in the United Kingdom. The reason of this was not
far to seek. Acts of Parliament passed in England had no power in the
Channel Isles; as part of the old Duchy of Normandy, they were governed
by their own laws and customs. The inhabitants, in their appearance,
manners, language, and usages, resemble the French more than they do the
English. Nothing deterred, however, Mrs. Fry made a tour of inspection,
and then according to her custom sent the result of her inquiries, and
the conclusions at which she had arrived, in the form of a letter to the
authorities. That letter is far too long for reproduction _in extenso_,
but a few of its leading recommendations were:--
1st. A full sufficiency of employment, proportioned to the age,
sex, health and ability of each prisoner.
2d. A proper system of classification, including the separation of
men from women, of tried from untried prisoners, and of debtors
from criminals.
3d. A fixed and suitable dietary for criminals, together with an
absolute prohibition of intoxicating drinks.
4th. A suitable prison dress with distinctive badges.
5th. A complete code of regulations binding on all officials.
6th. The appointment of a visiting committee to inspect the prison
regularly and frequently.
7th. Provision to be made for the instruction of criminals in the
common branches of education, and for the performance of divine
service at stated seasons by an appointed chaplain.
After adverting to the fact that the island was independent of British
control, she alluded to "the progressive wisdom of the age" in respect
to prison discipline and management, and urged the authorities to be
abreast of the times in adopting palliative measures. The whole penal
system of the islands required to be renewed, and it promised to be a
work of time before this could be effected. We find that Mrs. Fry
exerted herself for many years to this end; but it was not until after
the lapse of years, and after two visits to the islands, that she
succeeded.
The hospital at Jersey seemed to be a curious sort of institution
designed to shelter destitute sick and poor, as well as to secure the
persons of small offenders, and lunatics. Punishment with fetters was
inflicted in this place upon all those who tried to escape, so that it
was a sort of prison. Mrs. Fry's quick eye detected many abuses in its
management, and her pen suggested remedies for them.
At Guernsey, the same irregularities and abuses appeared, and were
attacked in her characteristic manner. In both these islands, as well as
in Sark, she inaugurated works of charity and religion, thus sowing
imperishable seed destined to bear untold fruit. Finally, after more
visits from herself, and special inspectors appointed by Government, a
new house of correction was built in Jersey, while other improvements
necessary to the working out of her prison system were, one by one,
adopted.
In January, 1838, she paid her first visit to France, being accompanied
on this journey by her husband, by Josiah Forster, and by Lydia Irving,
members of the Society of Friends. True to her instinct, she found her
way speedily into the prisons of the French capital, examining,
criticising, recommending and teaching. She could not speak much French,
but some kind friend always interpreted her observations. From her
journal it seems that solemn prayer for Divine guidance and blessing
occupied the forenoon of the first day in Paris; after that, visits of
ceremony were paid to the English Ambassador, and of friendship to other
persons. Among the prisons visited were the St. Lazare Prison for women,
containing 952 inmates, La Force Prison for men, the Central Prison at
Poissy, and that of the Conciergerie. The first-named, that of St.
Lazare, was visited several times, and portions of Scripture read, as at
Newgate. The listeners were very much affected, manifesting their
feelings by frequent exclamations and tears. Lady Granville, Lady
Georgina Fullerton, and some other ladies accompanied Mrs. Fry to this
prison on one visit, when all agreed that much good would result from
the appointment and work of a Ladies' Committee. Hospitals, schools, and
convents also came in for a share of attention; and after discussing
points of interest connected with the prisons with the Prefect of
Police, she concluded by obtaining audience of the King, Queen and
Duchess of Orleans.
On the journey homeward the party visited the prisons of Caen, Rouen and
Beaulieu, distributing copies of the Scriptures to the prisoners. She
notices with much delight the united feeling in respect of benevolent
objects which existed between Roman Catholics and herself. Her own words
are "a hidden power of good at work amongst them; many very
extraordinary Christian characters, bright, sober, zealous Roman
Catholics and Protestants."
In the commencement of 1839, the low state of the funds of the different
benevolent societies formed in connection with her prison labors,
exercised her faith. None ever carried into practice more fully the old
monkish maxim _Labor est orare_. Refuges had been formed, at Chelsea for
girls, and at Clapham for women, while the Ladies' Society and the
convict-ships demanded funds incessantly. A fancy sale was held in
Crosby Hall, "conducted in a sober, quiet manner," which realized over a
thousand pounds for these charities. After recording the fact with
thankfulness, Mrs. Fry paid her second visit to the Continent, going as
far as Switzerland on her errand of mercy.
At Paris she was received affectionately by those friends who had
listened to her voice on her previous visit. Baron de Girando and other
philanthropists gathered around her, oblivious of the distinctions of
creeds and churches, and bent only on accomplishing a successful crusade
against vice and misery.
Among the hospitals inspected by her were the hospital of St. Louis for
the plague, leprosy, and other infectious disorders; the Hospice de la
Maternité, and the Hospice des Enfans Trovés. This latter was founded by
St. Vincent de Paul for the bringing up of foundlings, but had fallen
into a state of pitiable neglect. From the unnatural treatment which
these poor waifs received, the mortality had reached a frightful pitch.
It seemed, from Mrs. Fry's statements, that the little creatures were
bound up for hours together, being only released from their "swaddlings"
once in every twelve hours for any and every purpose. The sound in the
wards could only be compared to the faint and pitiful bleating of lambs.
A lady who frequently visited the institution said that she never
remembered examining the array of clean white cots that lined the walls
without finding at least one dead babe. "In front of the fire was a
sloping stage, on which was a mattress, and a row of these little
creatures placed on it to warm and await their turn to be fed from the
spoon by a nurse. After much persuasion, one that was crying piteously
was released from its swaddling bands; it stretched its little limbs,
and ceased its wailings." Supposing these children of misfortune
survived the first few weeks of such a life they were sent into the
country to be reared by different peasants; but there again a large
percentage died from infantile diseases. Mrs. Fry succeeded in securing
some ameliorations of the treatment of the babes; but sisters, doctors,
superior, and all, seemed bound by the iron bands of custom and
tradition.
The Archbishop of Paris was somewhat annoyed at her proceedings and
expressed his displeasure; it seemed more, however, to be directed
against her practice of distributing the Scriptures, than really against
her prison work.
At Nismes, under the escort of five armed soldiers, because of the known
violence of the desperadoes whom she visited, she inspected the Maison
Centrale, containing about 1,200 prisoners. She interceded for some of
them that they might be released from their fetters, undertaking at the
same time that the released prisoners should behave well. At a
subsequent visit, after holding a religious service among these felons,
the same men thanked her with tears of gratitude.
Much to her delight, she discovered a body of religionists who held
principles similar to those of the Society of Friends. They were
descendants of the Camisards, a sect of Protestants who took refuge in
the mountains of the Cevennes during the persecution which followed the
revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and were descended originally from
the Albigenses. Their three most distinguished pastors were Claude
Brousson, who took part in the sufferings at the general persecution of
the Protestants; Jean Cavalier, the soldier-pastor who led his flock to
battle, and who now sleeps in an English graveyard; and Antoine Court,
who formed this "church in the desert," into a more compact body. The
first of these pastors was hanged for "heresy" at Montpellier, in 1698;
but he, together with his successors, labored so devoutly and so
ardently, that the persecuted remnant rose from the dust and proved
themselves valiant for the truth as they had received and believed it.
It was not possible that the seed of a people which had learnt the
sermons preached to them off by heart, and written the texts on stone
tablets, in order to pass them from one mountain village to another,
could ever die out. The descendants of those martyrs had come down
through long generations, to nourish at last openly in Nismes. Mrs. Fry
recognized in them the kindred souls of faithful believers. After this,
the party spent a fortnight at a little retired village called
Congenies, where they welcomed many others of their own creed. A house
with "vaulted rooms, whitewashed and floored with stone," sheltered them
during this quaint sojourn, while the villagers vied with each other in
contributing to their comforts.
At Toulon they visited the "Bagnes," or prison for the galley slaves.
These poor wretches fared horribly, while the loss of life among them
was terrible. They worked very hard, slept on boards, and were fed upon
bread and dry beans. At night they were ranged in a long gallery, and in
number from one hundred to two hundred, were all chained to the iron rod
which ran the entire length of the gallery. By day they worked chained
together in couples.
At Marseilles a new kind of prison was inspected by her; this was a
conventual institution and refuge for female penitents, under the
control of the nuns of the order of St. Charles, who to the three
ordinary vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, added that of
converting souls. Superintending ladies in the city, who bore the title
of "directresses," were not even permitted to see the women immured
there; indeed, only one was permitted to enter the building in order to
look after the necessary repairs, and even she was strictly restrained
from seeing a penitent or sister. It seemed hopeless in the face of
these facts to expect admission, but Mrs. Fry's name and errand
prevailed. Accompanied by one of these nominal directresses, she was
admitted and shown into a large, plainly-furnished parlor. After she had
waited some little time, the Lady Superior presented herself at the
grating, and prepared to hear the communications of her visitors. In the
course of the conversation which passed, it appeared that there were
over one hundred penitents in the convent, who mostly became servants
after their reclamation. It seemed that they "were not taught to read or
write, neither was the least morsel of pencil, paper, pen, ink, or any
other possible material for writing permitted, from the fear of their
communicating with people without." The Superior admitted that portions
of the Bible were suitable to the inmates, such as the Parables and
Psalms, but said that as a whole the Scriptures were not fit to be put
into the hands of people in general. Mrs. Fry departed from this "home
of mystery and darkness," very unsatisfied and sad. She next visited a
boys' prison, conducted by the Abbé Fisceaux, which excited her
admiration.
At the "Maison Pénitentiaire" at Geneva, the arrangements appeared to be
as complete as possible, and most praiseworthy. The treatment varied in
severity, according to the guilt of the criminals, who were divided into
four classes. They were in all cases there for long terms of
imprisonment, but were allowed either Catholic or Protestant versions of
the Scriptures, according to their faith. After paying short visits to
Lausanne, Berne, and Zurich, the party returned home.
As her life passed on and infirmities grew apace, it seemed that Mrs.
Fry's zeal and charity grew also, for she planned and schemed to do good
with never-flagging delight. Early in 1840, she departed again for the
Continent, accompanied this time by her brother, Samuel Gurney, and his
daughter, by William Allen and Lucy Bradshaw. During this journey and a
subsequent one, she had much intercourse with royal and noble
personages. At Brussels they had a pleasant audience of the King, who
held an interesting conversation with them on the state of Belgian
prisons. A large prison for boys at Antwerp specially drew forth their
commendations; it seemed admirably arranged and conducted, while every
provision was made for the instruction and improvement of the lads. At
Hameln, in Hanover, they found one of the opposite class, a men's
prison, containing about four hundred inmates, but all heavily chained
"to the ground, until they would confess their crimes, whether they had
committed them or not." One wonders if this treatment still prevails in
the Hameln of Robert Browning's ballad. At Hanover they waited on the
Queen by special command, and during a long interview many interesting
and important subjects were brought forward.
At Berlin they were received by royalty in the most cordial way. Mrs.
Fry's niece, in a letter, gives a vivid account of the assembly at the
royal palace specially invited to meet the Quakeress and her party.
The Princess William has been very desirous to give her sanction,
as far as possible, to the Ladies' Committee for visiting the
prison, that my aunt had been forming; and, to show her full
approbation, had invited the Committee to meet her at her palace.
So imagine about twenty ladies assembling here, at our hotel, at
half-past twelve o'clock to-day, beautifully dressed; and, further
fancy us all driving off and arriving at the palace. The Princess
had also asked some of her friends, so we must have numbered about
forty. Such a party of ladies, and only our friend Count Gröben to
interpret. The Princess received us most kindly, and conducted us
herself to the top of the room; we talked some time, whilst
awaiting the arrival of other members of the royal family. The
ladies walked about the suite of rooms for about half an hour,
taking chocolate, and waiting for the Crown Princess, who soon
arrived. The Princess Charles was also there, and the Crown Prince
himself soon afterwards entered. I could not but long for a
painter's eye to have carried away the scene. All of us seated in
that beautiful room, our aunt in the middle of the sofa, the Crown
Prince and Princess and the Princess Charles on her right; the
Princess William, the Princess Marie, and the Princess Czartoryski
on the left; Count Gröben sitting near her to interpret, the
Countesses Böhlem and Dernath by her. I was sitting by the Countess
Schlieffen, a delightful person, who is much interested in all our
proceedings. A table was placed before our aunt, with pens, ink,
and paper, like other committees, with the various rules our aunt
and I had drawn up, and the Countess Böhlem had translated into
German, and which she read to the assembly. After that my aunt gave
a concise account of the societies in England, commencing every
fresh sentence with "If the Prince and Princesses will permit."
When business was over, my aunt mentioned some texts, which she
asked leave to read. A German Bible was handed to Count Gröben, the
text in Isaiah having been pointed out that our good aunt had
wished for, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen," etc. The
Count read it, after which our aunt said, "Will the Prince and
Princesses allow a short time for prayer?" They all bowed assent
and stood, while she knelt down and offered one of her touching,
heart-felt prayers for them--that a blessing might rest on the
whole place, from the King on his throne to the poor prisoner in
the dungeon; and she prayed especially for the royal family; then
for the ladies, that the works of their hands might be prospered in
what they had undertaken to perform. Many of the ladies now
withdrew, and we were soon left with the royal family. They all
invited us to see them again, before we left Berlin, and took leave
of us in the kindest manner.
One result of the reception accorded Mrs. Fry by royalty was the
amelioration of the condition of the Lutherans. It came about in this
way: in the course of her inquiries and intercourse among the people of
the Prussian dominions, she discovered that adherents to the Lutheran
Church were subject to much petty persecution on behalf of their faith.
True they were not dealt with so cruelly as in former times, but
frequently, at that very day, they were imprisoned, or suffered the loss
of property because of their religious opinions. The matter lay heavily
on Mrs. Fry's benevolent heart, and, seizing the opportunity, she spoke
to the Crown Prince at the meeting just described, on the behalf of the
persecuted Christians. The Crown Prince listened most attentively, and
advised her to lay the matter before the King in any way she deemed
proper. A petition was therefore drawn up by William Allen, translated
into German, and with much fear and trembling presented to His Majesty.
The following day the King's chaplain was sent bearing the "delightful
intelligence" that the petition had been received; further, the King had
said that "he thought the Spirit of God must have helped them to express
themselves as they had done."
About this time we find the following entry in her journal: "I have been
poorly enough to have the end of life brought closely before me, and to
stimulate me in faith to do _quickly_ what my Lord may require me."
Accordingly, engagements and undertakings multiplied, and 1841 witnessed
another brief visit to the continent of Europe. She seemed more and more
to get the conviction that she must lose no time while about her
Master's business, and such her prison, asylum and hospital labors most
assuredly were. The shadows of life's evening were gathering around her,
and heart and flesh beginning to fail, but no efforts of charity or
mercy might be found lacking.
On this visit her brother, Joseph John Gurney, and two nieces
accompanied her. Soon after arriving at the Hague, Mrs. Fry and Mr.
Gurney, being introduced to the King by Prince Albert, were commanded to
attend at a royal audience. This the travellers did, and, after about an
hour's conversation, departed highly gratified. Another day they spent
some time with the Princess of Orange, the Princess Frederick, and other
members of the royal house: all these personages were anxious to hear
about the work of prison reform, and to aid in it. After this they
departed for Amsterdam, Bremen, and other places; but their journey
resembled a triumphal progress more than anything else. The peasantry
followed the carriage shouting Mrs. Fry's name, and begging for tracts.
Sometimes, in order to get away, she was compelled to shake hands with
them all, and speak a few words of kindly greeting.
They extended the journey into Denmark, and were treated with marked
honor from the first. The Queen engaged apartments for the travellers at
the Hotel Royal, and on some occasions took Mrs. Fry to see schools and
other places, in her own carriage. On a subsequent day, when dining with
the King and Queen, Mrs. Fry and Mr. Gurney laid before their Majesties
the condition of persecuted Christians; the sad state of prisons in his
dominions; they also referred to the slavery in the Danish colonies in
the West Indies. Mr. Gurney having only recently returned from that part
of the world, he had much to tell respecting the spiritual and social
state of those colonies. Mrs. Fry records that at dinner she was placed
between the King and Queen, who both conversed very pleasantly with her.
At Minden, they had varied experiences of travelling and travellers'
welcomes. "I could not but be struck," says Mrs. Fry in her journal,
"with the peculiar contrast of my circumstances: in the morning
traversing the bad pavement of a street in Minden, with a poor, old
Friend in a sort of knitted cap close to her head; in the evening
surrounded by the Prince and Princesses of a German Court." The members
of the Prussian royal family were anxious to see her and hear from her
own lips an account of her labors in the cause of humanity. The
representatives of the House of Brandenburgh welcomed Mrs. Fry beyond
her most sanguine expectations; indeed, it would be nearer the truth to
say that in her lowly estimate of herself, she almost dreaded to
approach royal or noble personages, and that therefore she craved for no
honor, but only tolerance and favor. She never sought an interview with
any of these personages, but to benefit those who could not plead for
themselves. Her letters home exhibit no pride, boastfulness, or triumph;
all is pure thankfulness that one so unworthy as she deemed herself to
be should accomplish so much. Writing to her grandchildren she says:
"We dined at the Princess William's with several of the royal
family. The Queen came afterwards and appeared much pleased at my
delight on hearing that the King had stopped religious persecutions
in the country, and that several other things had been improved
since our last visit. It is a very great comfort to believe that
our efforts for the good of others have been blessed. Yesterday we
paid a very interesting visit to the Queen, then to Prince
Frederick of Holland and his Princess, sister to the King of
Prussia; with her we had much serious conversation upon many
important subjects, as we also had with the Queen.... Although
looked up to by all, they appear so humble, so moderate in
everything. I think the Christian ladies on the Continent dress far
more simply than those in England. The Countess appeared very
liberal, but extravagant in nothing. To please us she had apple
dumplings, which were quite a curiosity; they were really very
nice. The company stood still before and after dinner, instead of
saying grace. We returned from our interesting meeting at the
Countess's, about eleven o'clock in the evening. The royal family
were assembled and numbers of the nobility; after a while the King
and Queen arrived, the poor Tyrolese flocked in numbers. I doubt
such a meeting ever having been held anywhere before,--the curious
mixture of all ranks and conditions. My poor heart almost failed
me. Most earnestly did I pray for best help, and not unduly to fear
man. The royal family sat together, or nearly so; the King and
Queen, Princess William, and Princess Frederick, Princess Mary,
Prince William, Prince Charles, Prince Frederick of the
Netherlands, young Prince William, besides several other princes
and princesses not royal. Your uncle Joseph spoke for a little
while, explaining our views on worship. Then I enlarged upon the
changes that had taken place since I was last in Prussia; mentioned
the late King's kindness to these poor Tyrolese in their affliction
and distress; afterwards addressed these poor people, and then
those of high rank, and felt greatly helped to speak the truth to
them in love. They finished with a hymn."
Her last brief visit to the Continent was paid in 1843, and spent wholly
in Paris. Mrs. Fry was particularly interested in French prisons, as
well as in the measures designed to ameliorate the condition of those
who tenanted them. Reformation had become the order of the day there as
in England; the Duchess of Orleans, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg, M.
Guizot, the Duc de Broglie, M. de Tocqueville, M. Carnot, and other high
and noble personages were much interested in the subject. A bill to
sanction the needful reforms was introduced to the Chamber of Deputies
by the Minister of the Interior, and ably supported by him in a speech
of great lucidity and power. Said he, when laying it before the Chamber:
"Our subject is not entirely to sequestrate the prisoner nor to confine
him to absolute solitude. Some of the provisions of the bill will
mitigate the principle of solitary confinement in a manner which was
suggested by the Commission of 1840, and should not pass unnoticed by
the Chamber. Convicts sentenced to more than twelve years' hard labor,
or to perpetual hard labor, after having gone through twelve years of
their punishment, or when they shall have attained the age of seventy,
will be no longer separated from others, except during the night." The
bill further provided, besides this mitigation of the solitary
confinement system, that the "Bagnes," where galley slaves had hitherto
labored, should be replaced by houses of hard labor, and that smaller
prisons should be erected for minor offenses instead of sending
criminals convicted of them to the great central prisons. The bill was
certainly destined to effect a total revolution in the management of
such places as St. Lazare and similar prisons, in addition to giving
solid promise of improvement in the punitive system of France.
During this brief final visit to the French capital, Mrs. Fry entered on
her sixty-third year, aged and infirm in body, but still animated by the
master passion of serving the sad and sorrowful. Her brother, Joseph
John Gurney, together with his wife, were with her in Paris, but they
pursued their journey into Switzerland, while she returned home in June,
feeling that life's shadows were lengthening apace, and that not much
time remained to her in which to complete her work. The impressions she
had made on the society of the gay city had been altogether good. Like
the people who stared at the pilgrims passing through Vanity Fair, the
Parisians wondered, and understood for the first time that here was a
lady who did indeed pass through things temporal, "with eyes fixed on
things eternal"; and whose supreme delight lay, not in ball-rooms,
race-courses, or courts, but in finding out suffering humanity and
striving to alleviate its woes. Doubtless many of the gay Parisians
shrugged their shoulders and smiled good-humoredly at the "illusion,"
"notion," "fanaticism," or whatever else they called it; they were
simply living on too low a plane of life to understand, or to criticise
Mrs. Fry. Except animated by somewhat of fellow-feeling, none can
understand her career even now. It stands too far apart from, too highly
lifted above, our ordinary pursuits and pleasures, to be compared with
anything that less philanthropic-minded mortals may do. It called for a
far larger amount of self-denial than ordinary people are capable of; it
demanded too much singleness of purpose and sincerity of speech. Had
Mrs. Fry not come from a Quaker stock she might have conformed more to
the ways and manners of fashionable society; had she possessed less of
sterling piety, she might have sought to serve her fellow-creatures in
more easy paths. As a reformer, she was sometimes misunderstood, abused,
and spoken evil of. It was always the case and always will be, that
reformers receive injustice. Only, in some cases, as in this one, time
reverses the injustice, and metes out due honor. As a consequence,
Elizabeth Fry's name is surrounded with an aureola of fame, and her
self-abnegation affords a sublime spectacle to thoughtful minds of all
creeds and classes; for, simply doing good is seen to be the highest
glory.