{"product_id":"2940013684713","title":"Tales of the Early Days","description":"The most remarkable experiment, all things considered, ever made\u003cbr\u003ewith the noble purpose of reforming criminals was Captain Maconochie's\u003cbr\u003eattempt to adapt his \"mark\" system to the monstrous conditions of\u003cbr\u003epenal life at Norfolk Island. And being in principle humane, and in\u003cbr\u003emethod an arraignment of all notions current in British and Colonial\u003cbr\u003eofficialdom, it met with precisely that degree of success which was\u003cbr\u003eprophesied for it by Mr.--not then \"Sir\"--E. Deas-Thomson, Colonial\u003cbr\u003eSecretary of New South Wales.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Speaking, your Excellency,\" said that venerable if somewhat\u003cbr\u003epragmatical gentleman to Governor Sir George Gipps, \"from a lengthened\u003cbr\u003eexperience of--h'm!--convict disciplinary methods, I have--ah!--no\u003cbr\u003ehope that Captain Maconochie's system will achieve the least good. It\u003cbr\u003emust fail, sir!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd fail it did. To the undisguised delight of the Colonial\u003cbr\u003eSecretary's Office, Sydney, and the Deputy Commissariat-General's\u003cbr\u003eDepartments of Sydney and Norfolk Island, it failed. You see, the\u003cbr\u003efirst maxim of the Captain was the reformation of the criminal, while\u003cbr\u003ealmost every other person connected with the System, from Lord John\u003cbr\u003eRussell to the meanest scourger on the Island or at Port Arthur,\u003cbr\u003ethought the criminal was a mere thing to be locked up, and fettered,\u003cbr\u003eand flogged into purity of life and integrity of conduct.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, Maconochie's success would have meant the System's\u003cbr\u003econdemnation. And his failure meant that the System was right and its\u003cbr\u003eadministrators were wise. Therefore the failure was only to be\u003cbr\u003eexpected. Men do not care about being proved wrong, even if it could\u003cbr\u003ebe shown that a few dozen souls were saved in the process of\u003cbr\u003ecorrection.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor instance, Mr. Assistant-Deputy-Commissary-General Shanks would\u003cbr\u003ehave had to confess himself egregiously in error had Convict Tobias\u003cbr\u003eTracey, pership John, third trip, kept continuously on the path of\u003cbr\u003erectitude which Captain Maconochie marked out for him. And that was\u003cbr\u003enot to be thought of. Convict Tracey had to fall once more in the\u003cbr\u003eslough of illdoing in order to prove A. D. C. G. Shanks right.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo enable you to understand how terrible was that fall we must\u003cbr\u003emeasure the height which he had attained. Step by step, climbing\u003cbr\u003eupwards, now taking firm foothold on a dead sin, now clutching such\u003cbr\u003eaid as came from the opportunity to do a kindly service to a brother-\u003cbr\u003efelon; again slipping back into the pit of corruption because a\u003cbr\u003emessmate jeered at him; yet again striving against the tremendous\u003cbr\u003ealliance of the forces of evil, till he gained a new standing-place on\u003cbr\u003ethe up-track--this was the history of Tracey during 1840, and the\u003cbr\u003eearly part of 1841. In the later part of '41 he fell--thanks to A. D.\u003cbr\u003eC. G. Shanks--irretrievably. In the early months of '41, he had first\u003cbr\u003ecome under the notice of the Captain-Superintendent, and had begun to\u003cbr\u003easpire towards a manlier existence. During the interval between those\u003cbr\u003efirst tentative strugglings to mount, and that last dreadful fall, his\u003cbr\u003elife was epic in its storms and its battles, its victories and its\u003cbr\u003edefeats.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070192402672,"sku":"2940013684713","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013684713_p0.jpg?v=1763583945","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013684713","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}