The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-05-02

foresight greater IMAM tnat OF mans, ana
we can't help it; so why. oh. wise man, do
you seek to suppress this nature? Had my
mother known that it was SO wrong. that
in my life should have to spend whole
week at time in cold, dark dungeon, suf-
! ferng the torrents of eternal hell, for ut
tering simple wOrd-ah! l say, had she
known this. she would have suffered the
loss of all the pleasures the teaching was
to her. sooner than / should so suffer, and
would not have taught me. l won
der if God knew it would be SO? that we
should have to suffer the torment of hell,
for what he deemed was wise and good
thing? If God had not given me this faculty,
and if my mother had not have taught me
it; if my school-teacher had not grated.
pruned and watered the plant. l might then
think it was really wrong. They did not
create within me the desire to steal. murder,
raviSh. lie and swear, nor did they teach
me to do so. These l acquired and for
them should be punished. but for the
teachings of my schOolmaster, for the
teachings of my mother. and for the faculty
given me by God, L should not be punished.
If you should teach me that they were
wrong. then lose my love for my mother
and l lose my faith in the wisdom of God.
Great sympathy is felt for those that the
Creator has Withheld the faculty of speech
from. That the good may please God they
build schools and homes for these: yet they
will turn right around and premeditatedly
compel those that He has endowed with
this faculty to withhold it. and make him
look upon the use Of it as a felony during
these years. Yes, my good and wise, you
really do this, and then you wonder why
mutes are born. l only wonder why there
are not more born. IT talking were habit
we had fixed upon ourselves. and not created
| hi ho h,,%
| natural punishment. But as it is. it is
against the will and wisdom of God. and
therefore must have evil results. We fill
our places day after day without speech:
our unSpOken thoughts are like stream
| flowing slowly labOriOuSly on to its out
let, wherever that might chance to be-; per-
hapS through ceSSpOOlS of corruption to
faint the lineal pOsterity of its source with
crime. Nobody seeks to turn its course;
its still, silent flow does not indicate i'll
which way it is flowing. Burdened with
years of unspoken thought the intellect be-
comes morbid. inactive and imbecile: there
fore the result of long service here is that
the poor wretch becomes all imbruted,
| Spiritless creature of exhausted intellect,
and sinks into that Semi-cOnScOus state,
wherein misery turns to habit, and crime
| follows.
But here is what led me to write this
article: There were twenty-seven rules es-
tablished by the board of directors of 1876
for the government of convicts. none of
which l could take exceptions to except rule
5. which reads as follows. 'COnvictS are
not to converse with one another, nor to
communicate any intelligence in writing. or
make use OF any signs except such as are
necessary to convey their wants to their
keeper"
have expressed my views upon the alb
solute compliance with this rule, and the
utmost vigilance is used to effect its COM
plance. Still, every man watches an OPP
portunity to steal word. Did | say steal?
Yes that is it exactly. l have done it, and
l felt just as if l was going to steal some
thing. First glance around to be sure no
one is approaching. then one eye on the
guard that for the moment has his eye on
somebody else. then quick. and you have
done it. Amt that the way to steal? Well,
the sensation is just the same--its decep-
ton. Weeks. months and years of prac-
tce makes an adept at deceptiOn-the
habit is fixed.
feel pity for myself when thinking of
the time that viii! come when shall be de-
spised for being deceptive: when open, hon
est maniness is demanded; perhaps, some
day that will be demanded in prison. Some
day the things at orr feet will not be
studied so closely. and the greater, in the
distance, will be looked at. Some day it
will be learned that as the mind is made in
tellgent. the capacity of the soul for pure
enjoyment is proportionately increased. and
that conditions are pleasant or grievOus ac-
cording to our sensibilities. The more like
men that we are treated, the more manly
we will be; the more like bruteS, the more
british. In the one case, fewer criminals;
in the other case. more criminals. / have
acknowledged that l talked; l am sorry l
broke rule and if the officers placed here
to see that the rnleS are ObeVed will forgive