The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-01-30
The Value OfTiine.

Ehe value OF Time.
There is something jnseparable from our
life and existence. never seen or heard, yet
always felt. exercising over us a strange
power. That powerful something is Time.
We are, generally speaking, apt to take no
notice of the rapid flight of time or of it's
value-idling away minutes here and a
few moments there in wantOn Incidence.
Those minutes and moments are of no great
loss i'm themselves. but they accumulate
wonderfully fast. and if we stop to consider
we will find something that ought to have
been done. some pleasure. some chance of
doing an act of kindness to some unfOrtu-
nate being, is irretrievabIy lost, because of a
few Insignificant moments squandered
thOughtlessly away.
Young tells us that 1--WE take no note of
time but by its loss, " and tells us truly So
Der truth. There are probably few think
ing men or women. who. arrived at middle
life, have no regrets at the way in which
much time had been misspent. Yet the
strange, mysterious part of it all is, that
no consciousness of the deplOrabe waste
occurs to warn or trouble one while the
waste is going on. How. then. can one best
atone for errors in the past in this respect
when the unwelcOme revelation dawns that
days and hours that never can be recalled
have slipped away all unimprOved and I'm
appreciated? One thing is certain; the
value of time almost invariably impresses
itself in season to admit of much redeem
ing'' once It's worth becomes known. To
nd or tty in h1I, e,
avoid all waste Of time, and more impOr-
tant still, let the lesson impress itself that
time is worse than lost when no good deeds
round out the busy hours of each day.
To show just appreciation of the value
OF time. then. is not merely to crowd the
hours full of duties, to allow no moment to
pass unused. No danger but as we grow
older time will seem all too short for the la
Dor required at our hands. the fleeing mo-
mentS seem almost to run by in their eager
haste to be gone; and night often finds the
tired man or busy housewife regretful that
seemingly 50 little has really been done
But time is never lost when here and there
throughout the months and Years we can
find ''solne worthy action DONE" 1t is
asked. does not one fnlfil the mission of
life bravely and acceptably who works right
along in the path of duty? Certainly, but
there are always ways in which others can
be made better and happier by our own in
fluence, if we will have it so. What more
sad than to stand at the close of life. es-
pecially long life and glance back through
the years to find nothing but leaves!"
We who, by some mistake or other are
spending our best days behind these walls,
shut out from the glorious sunshine of lib
erty. and toll unhappily in degrading servi-
tude. are apt to look at our Incarceration as
a dark. dreary blank in our life, and that
the time spent here, be it short or a long
period. is lost and lost forever. But we
should not think so, or give up to despair
There are many ways by which we can
turn our spare time to accOunt-by self
Improvement and in the future reap rich
benefits by it. We have ample time during
the long evenings to study and add to our
previous stock of knowledge, to learn over
again what we studied in school and since
forgotten. The privacy and stiffness of our
cells make studying easier and pleasanter,
and advantage should be taken of it, In
passing the evenings thus, we are trebly
benefited: firstly, because time will moi
drag so heavily and slowly along; secondly,
because our minds escape becoming morbid
and narrow by idle thoughts and fretful
ness; and thirdly, the knowledge we thus
gain may prove useful and perhaps valuable
to us in the future When we regain oul
long prayed for freedom and enjoy the
beauties of natures wealth. the sweet scent
of the blossoms. the joyful songs of the
birds. and the bright sunshine reckoning US
to 60 forth in joy and gladness to regain
what we lost by our misconduct will mo-
seem hollow mOckery to us, for we are