In such a work as that within prison walls the results can only be
fully understood by those who have the opportunity closely to watch
the lives of the men and who can keep in touch with them through
their after experience. Results cannot be statistically summed up and
proclaimed to the world. They are too intangible and far-reaching to
be fairly represented by figures. It is difficult to exhibit to the
public the direct issues of this toil behind the scenes. Reporters have
often asked to accompany me to prison and have earnestly requested
permission to visit our Hope Halls for the purpose of describing the
work. They have assured me that by allowing this, we could arouse
much public interest. We have declined. Our movement does not live by
sensational advertisement, and even wisely written reports would harm
us with those whom we seek to save. The men in prison are intensely
sensitive and through their bitter past experience very apt to be
suspicious of the motives of those who go to them. Among the men who
do not know us personally there might be the idea that the work was
done with a desire for advertising or lauding the Volunteers and to
all the men it would give the unpleasant impression that they were
still to be regarded in a different light from the denizens of the free
world. These men naturally do not want to be exploited or ticketed by
publicity. The very spirit of our work would be spoiled and its object
defeated by such an error, and the self-respecting men would shun a
place where their home life was not held sacred.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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