6. European vagrants and beggars seem seldom malicious and vicious. The colonies in Belgium and Holland are not regarded as penal institutions, and in Prussia as only semi-penal. Discipline is comparatively easy, the proportion of infractions of rules varying largely in proportion to the tact, discretion and humanity of the director and of his assistants. Throughout the Merxplas colony the words docility and disobedience kept recurring to my mind. In Merxplas and Veenhuizen the men come and go without the restriction of walls. Escape is easy and the possibilities are often taken advantage of. As noted in the special chapters that follow, little is done to follow up this escape so long as the fugitives show a disposition to re-establish themselves in industrial life. “Peace and good will” seem to be mottoes in the colonies. In the Merxplas colony one finds many mottos printed in French and Flemish admonishing the colonists to forsake the vices and cleave to the virtues. Other religious influences, however, are not very noticeable. By comparison, the atmosphere of Bielefeld, a voluntary labor colony of Prussia, seems permeated with devoutness and outward religious observance. GOVERNOR WEST’S PRISON POLICY BY REV. O. A. STILLMAN [The prison policies of several governors have lately attracted attention, notably those of Governor West of Oregon, Schafroth of Colorado, Foss of Massachusetts and Gilchrist of Florida. The following article, written by one closely in touch with Oregon prison conditions and published in “Lend a Hand,” is a useful outline of Governor West’s work in Oregon for prison betterment.] There has been much comment in the papers and magazines lately regarding Governor West’s prison policy; some of which has been written in a friendly spirit, some of it in a spirit of criticism, and some of it, while undoubtedly written in a friendly spirit, has, because of insufficient information, had rather the result of putting the governor and his policies in a false light. Some of these writers, probably with the best intentions, have given the impression that Governor West’s policy flashed upon the unmitigated horrors of the Oregon state penitentiary like a flash of lightning out of a clear sky, without any preparation or previous warning. If this had been true, it would probably have resulted only in disaster, as far as the policy is concerned, and in making the governor appear rash and inconsiderate, if not ridiculous. Nothing could be further from the truth. Governor West knew perfectly well what he was doing, and, so far as I have been able to judge, he has been eminently wise in his reforms. He has not entered into this work without having given a great deal of study to its problems, and he seems to have a large fund of information regarding the conditions he is trying to meet.