ABSTRACT
The work of the chaplain as the Christian minister to a lost flock became indispensable to this reformatory theory and was described in terms which left no doubt that great spiritual change would result from it. This reformatory theory depended upon a less optimistic view of reformatory possibility, prided itself upon its pragmatic recognition of men as they really were, and sought repetition of pain in the face of disobedience to create a desired association. The silentists clearly aimed to instruct men in the true principles of their self interest within an artificially created penal environment. To opponents who pointed up the potential cruelty of separation, the government spokesmen in particular dwelled upon the insistence of separatists that prisoners be placed in light warm cells, receive frequent visits from officers and the chaplain, and spend their time in valuable pursuits such as reading and voluntary occupations.
