Few men have fallen so low in sin and degradation, or have been so hardened by crime, but yet have at least a spark of humanity or manhood which can be kindled to a flame by proper humane and reformative treatment; where, on the other hand, an undue amount of the imposition of irons and chains causes them to grind with revenge, and seemingly the little spark of manhood is seared over with a more hardened conscience, leaving him still a criminal almost beyond redemption. [Illustration: The Chain-gang.] THE FELON’S CELL. When one is taken to serve a term in prison, has exchanged his citizen’s clothes for a suit of stripes, is measured, and a full description is written in the prison books, he is taken to a cell which is to be his future abode during his confinement, except what time he is at work, at his meals, or is otherwise stationed by the prison officers. We can here only give a description of what is commonly found to be a prison cell. It is a small iron room with a stone floor, and when two convicts are to occupy the same cell, there are two bunks or beds in the cell. The bed-rack is made of iron or wood slats, and the bed-tick is generally filled with corn-husks or some similar material, likewise the pillow. When the beds are not in use they are fastened to the side of the wall with a chain. When down and in use they take up nearly the entire space of the cell, so that it is impossible for the two occupants to pass each other in walking to and fro. The other furniture generally consists of a small tinbucket holding about two quarts of water, and a washbasin. A short-handled broom is also found in one corner of the cell with which the convict brushes it every morning. The walls are either iron or stone, decorated with a small looking-glass and a towel. Each cell contains one chair, as there is not room for two; so that when one sits on the chair the other stands or occupies a seat on the stone floor. The door is made of half-inch iron bars crossing each other at right angles, leaving spaces about two by six inches. Through these spaces come the air, light, and heat.