System has failed to answer, fully, the end and pur-
poses for which it was intended, particularly as it
regards reformation.

I now shall respectfully offer for the consideration
of the commissioners, my views of the most effectual
system for the protection of society against crimes,
and the most certain means to promote the reforma-
tion of convicts.

First. The great preventive of offences is doubtless
an early attention to moral and religious instruction,
and thus to fortify the infant mind with good princi-
ples. The observation made by John Locke, is re-
markably appropriate and excellent:—I think, I may
say, that, of all the men we meet with, nine parts of
ten, are what they are, good or evil, useful or not, by
their education. That a careful attention to educate
the children of parents in low circumstances through-
out the State, would go far towards the prevention
of crimes, is demonstrated by the fact, that in cons-
quence of a diligent search being made by a com-
mittee of the New-York Free School Society

, it was
ascertained that but one boy of those who had re-
ceived their education in the schools of that institu-
tion, had been convicted of a petty crime, although
several hundreds who had not been at the Free
Schools, had been tried at the Quarter Sessions, and
been committed to the City Penitentiary, for vagran-
cy and various other offences. We are told by high
authority—Train up a child in the way he should
go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The great error of all governments has been, not
affording instruction to the lower class of society,
and inflicting punishments often very disproportion-
ate to offences. It is evident, that civilization has not
effected all the moral changes and improvements that
can be produced in the constitution of human society,
nor have laws and government been carried to the
utmost limits of perfection. It is, therefore, highly
incumbent for us to cherish the firm and unshaken