The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-09-19
When We Are Ex-COnvfcts.

eddy anxious to be an eX-cOnvict. though
months more shall elapse ere myself shall
bear thS-yeS title, if you wish to call it
such. 1t occurred to me- while musing over
this Ionged for time, that there are not
many of us who give second thought to
how we shall have to hustle when we
regain our liberty, if we wish to retain that
liberty. But we might as we'll get down
to our knitting at once and look the matter
squarely in the face.
The path of the eX-convict is not strewn
with roses, but it has liberal covering of
rose thOrns bitter thOrns of his own SOW
ing-and he will feel their prlcking at every
step, whether he lives honestly or dshon-
estly. We have bucked against losing
game, and must bear the consequences
The gourmOn pays the penaltyof his voracity
in dyspepsia; and the gambler, if he does
not change his ways. or get into prison.
generally descends to the position of boots
around a saloon or other dive. We have
found our game to be losing one all
change our ways, we have no right to COM
plain of the results brought about of our
own vOlitiOn
When man leaves prison with the in
tention of thereafter living honestly, his
first thought is likely to be about how,
when and where he shall find employment.
If he has no friends. and is without reg
uar trade or calling, this will be no easy
matter to decide People have not yet lost
their time-hOnOred prejudices against
prison birds' of all kinds; and they will
not until they are taught to see that what
is known under the general head of
Crime" is possible to the best of natures
under certain circumstances. We read,
with proportionate comfort, of the many
men who have fallen in their time. but
raised from their misfortune so much better
and stronger that they attribute their after
success in life to the miSfOrtunes that chas-
tened them, and SmOte the chains that
shackeled their energies. But such men
had to work, work, work. They did not
sit and grOwl at their hard luck. The very
knowledge that they had to work. stimu-
Lated their energies to that end.
Not many of us have any true idea of
what we can do, until we set to work to ac-
cOmplish some unusual task The habitual
whisky drinkers who get into prison. if told
drink for a number of years. would bewal
their hard fate in piteOus lamentations, and
demand whisky upon the excuse that it was
necessary to the preservation of their life
But, strange to say. they live without
whisky for long terms in prison, and no
terrible effects result from their not imbibing
If we know that we have to work. labor will
assume different aspect to us, and we will
not find it so dull and mOnotonous as we
sometimes anticipate.
TO return to our alpha. The eX convict
must needs prepare himself for the outside
world before joining the hyphenated prefix
to his name. he must prepare himself while
yet in prison. if he wishes to make a sue
cess of his approaching liberty. 1t will not
do to live in sweet indifference until the
time for action comes. An old axiom says:
Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles
yOu:"but like all good maXims it has eXcep-
lions, and the exception in this case is an
important one. If you do not trouble about
your approaching trouble. it is going to
trouble you in a great degree, so much so
that you will ultimately reproach yourself
for not troubling trouble IN this instance.
We are very apt upon entering prison to
lay out elaborate plans of what we shall do
during our retirement; but these good plans
would seem to require deal of revision, as
we generally delay them from day to day,
until weeks. months. and sometimes years
pass. and yet we have done nothing toward
their fulhlment And when the time comes
for us to enter the prOSy old world again,
we are still unprepared to take our proper
place in it. And why? Is it from lack of
facilities to prepare ourselves? Sometimes
it is; but generally it is from the same
cause as brought us to prison in the first
place. We are afraid to tackle the job we