The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-01-24
Five Gents.

1T came to TeallZat,On or when was
which; it learned, by the sense of judg-
ment that God ilnparts to all his creatures,
that the Evil was the wicked of the two.
But as to which one of the two would out
grow the other. the future alone could
show. The surrounding circumstances in
the boys life might propagate the Evil in
him. while. again, they mi ght cultivate the
Good.
II my readers will look back for mo-
mpnt to their childhood days--th0se days
of toddlng infancy-they will readily con-
ctive and admit the truth OF my assertion:
that they were possessed of the germs |
speak of. For, how could you, my reader,
have gone, while mammals back was
turned, into the cupboard. after the jelly.
jam. cakes or pie? How could you? And
how could you do it so stealthiy, if you had
no knowledge of the Evil?
We have our Sunday school books. /
know. which give out that there are few
shining eXamples-gOOdy good little boys,
(and girls. too. for that matter)-whO
never did. in all their lite. tell lie. steal
jam or pie. etc. But these are myths. There
is not human being on the face of this
earth. who did not. at some period of
childhood days. in one form or another. be-
tray the fact of the Evil germ within him.
Or her. as the case might be.
Thus. then. i'm childhood days rich and
poor are on an equality; it remains solely
tor surrounding circumstances to decide
whether the germ for Evil shall be culti-
waited and grown into hardy plant-much
to the detriment Of the Good germ. which
lies neglected, in dry soil; or whether the
Good shall be nursed and prOpagated till it
becomes sturdy and invincble tree, with
the Evil dried up weed at its base. Woe
to him, who has i'll winds and adverse cir
cumstances to act as nurser of the two
germs! Woe to him. whom parental pre-
ceptS and advice. and the teachings of re-
ligion do not influence. In him the Evil
becomes as a swift mountain river that
speeds aIOng-rushing now through can
yOn. now through vale-dOwn. and on,
until it reaches and aids to swell the great
basin down in the valley-the lake Of
crime. The rich having, as they do. bread
and meat in abundance-dO only OCCASION
ally--in fact. almost rarely. as compared
with the poor and needy-drift down to
crime. Yet. now and then, they do; but
even then. they have the great advantage
over the poor, that money is to none. But
while they do not go so far in the Evil as
to frequently venture INTO crlme the
thought must not. for one instant be enter
tanned that these people. the rich. as
class. are whit purer. morally speaking.
and better men. ditto. than are the poor.
For instances quote these: CThey are,
remember, only Evil-nOt Crime
Jay Gould manipulateS the stock. thus
earning. honestly. about million each Op-
Grafton.
Old Hutch dittOes the Grain Exchange
and thus earns, very honestly. barrel of
money.
Democrats during the recent campaign
spent large sum in paying for votes They
didn't get what they wanted-which was
right but the Evil was there, nevertheless.
These, in the eyes of the law. are not
considered crimes. Let, on the other hand,
needy man take from another few dol
lars that he may live-which is. from any
honorable standpoint. not as great all evil
as any one of the three above noted-and
Immediately the case is reversed. The act,
as the law has it, is a crime; and the perpe-
traitor is taken, convicted and compelled to
atone in a prison. c. NJ. M.
A Young man drowned On a paper in