The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-10-30
The Footprint.

Lives of great men. they remind us.
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing leave behind us.
Footprints on the sands of time.
At the last meeting of the Chautauqua
prison circle one of the members gave the
above lines in response to the roll call. and,
as the beautiful verse fell upon my ear. the
splendor of the theme dazzled me so. that
for the double purpose OF lifting up" and
'loOking up" have made it the subject of
this contribution. 'disjOinted and out of
gear' though it may be. Considering that
man has the God-given right of will, the
power of which he can exercise to his ad-
vancement or ruin, as he pleases, it is no
wonder that the pages OF history of every
country of the world, but notably of Amer
lea, should brighten here and there with the
achievements of men, who have sprung
not from the dOwny couch of the million
aire, or the book scattered Libraries of the
college, but from the most menial grades OF
SOciety-nay. from the very dregs of degra-
dation to which society had consigned them,
and by their strength OF character. which
consists of power of will and power of self
restraint, forced the world to recognize
their worth. and write their names and
deeds in golden letters upon the annals of
their cOuntry's story, to be read with won
derment and delight. long after the hand
that traced them and the mind from whence
they flowed have sunk into eternal quie-
tude. The strength of man is measured by
the power of the feelings he subdues, not
-bv the power of that which Subdued him:
hence calmness is often the highest proof of
strength. Did you ever see man receive
a great injustice. and bearing with him
hopeless daily trial, butfeted and spat upon
by his fellow and yet restrain himself
and forgive? Did you ever see man amid
the wreck of the present and the barren
outlook of the future-though Indignation
ragged furiOusly within him-stand nObly
serene, and bear upon his manly brow the
impress of quiet fOrtitude. awaiting pa
tiently the hour of his vindicatiOn? Did
YOU ever see man breasting the storms
and adVersities of an early career, calmly
rising above the waves and turning the tide
to the shores of comfort for his suffering
fellow man? Herein you will find the
strong man and on the tablets OF your mem
,Ory write him the moral hero. Scanning
the long list of such men that the past has
given to us for our guidance and benefit. l
stop at one who has left behind him Foot
prints on the sands of time" which for
ages vet to come will be the beacon light of
hope and love to all those whose pathway
lies towards heaven-JOhn Boyle O'Reilly.
On Aug. 10. 1890, this great and good
man died, and truly has the poet said
1.-The morn rose brightly and sweetly smiled
On the dancing waves, like happy child;
was singing softly, when some one said
The truest of all the true is dead."
Born in the land whose name ever clustered
as a garland of shamrocks around the four
corners of his loving heart, he was on the
eve of his 22nd birthday-tOr the awful
crime of loving Ireland-sentenced to death.
which later was cOmmuted to impriSOn-
ment tor life and afterwards to 20 years
penal servitude.
In 1867 while still but a lad he was banS
ished from his native heath to the penal