The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-02-27
Keep Your Faculties..Think Right.

IL
you want to say, then think whether it is
right. Whenever the thinking faculty is
inclined to think wrong. wrong action is al
most sure to follow. Wrong action means
harm to some person if not yourself.
You need not look at this as the truth,
nevertheless it is true. How many in
side these prison walls to day would be ell
jOying liberty. wealth, and everything that
tends to make life worth living, had their
thoughts been turned in the right direction!
How many in the outside world who have
just taken step towards this or some like
institution that would change their course
if they were to stop but one moment and
think if their steps are right or wrong.
Keep your thinking faculties busily engaged
in thinking which is right and which is
wrong.
AS sit writing this article by an mean
descent light think to myself that l will
take off the globe that encircles the glow
ing wire. Now if thought it possible that
| could do so without injury, l would do it
at once; but my thinking faculty is in the
right direction and l will not venture to do so.
If L thought there was only five chances in
a hundred of my being injured, then would
take the globe off to see what kind of
light would have.
Just so it is with person starting on the
road that leads to prison. misery, shame or
drunkard's grave. They will take drink
just to see how it tastes. thinking (wrong).
that there are only five chances i'm hundred
of their getting drunk or becoming habltual
drunkards. 1t is the same in gambling and
stealing. The boy or man when he steals
his first does not do it because he is starving
or in need. but because he thinks there are
only five chances in hundred of his being
caught. He succeeds in stealing the apple
or orange as 1T may be. AS SAID before he
did not take it because he was in need of it,
but because the chance was good. 1t may
not be many months before he sees some
thing else he would like to possess and not
having quite enough money at the time to
buy it, and seeing better chance to steal it
than he had when he stole the apple, he
steps up to where it lies. looks around. no
one in sight, into his pocket it goes. 1t is
done. No one saw hun take it; 10 one saw
him come or go. That is what he thinks
Now, as natural consequence. he thinks
(wrOng), that it is slick. He would have
had to work the whole of the next week in
order to make five dollars to buy tie shoes
that he stole. But now he's got the shoes
free. A few days roll by and he is in need
OF little money to pay house rent, SO he
will attempt to get it in the same manner he
got the shoes. He thinks it is an easy and
quick way OF getting thing and that there
are only five chances in hundred of him
being caught, and his thinking faculty has
honn in hn hot I,n
thinks there are nine chances in ten of lie
ing out of it should he be detected
Let me say right here that the shoes he
stole were missed and suspicion had been
pointed to him, consequently the de-
tectives had been Informed. and he was
Swallowed every Saturday night, the time
he usually went to the store. Well he wants
ten dollars with which to pay house rent;
he goes to the same place where he got his
shoes. with the intention of getting three
pair this time. He could get ten dollars
for the three pair at certain fence" with
out question.
There he walks up to the store. The
clerks are all busy; the shoe-bOX is open;
three pair on top. He thinks (wrOng) now
is my chance: into his OvercOat they 90. He
has them and starts for the door; but de-
tective steps from behind the door and says
in confidential tone: Il want you on a
little business down at headquarters. -
There what can he do? He tries to drop
the shoes in the street, but the hawk eyed
detective says, Never mind. keep them in
your pocket
Well. he is brought before the Judge; the
judge asks a few questions; the young man
says, Il am guilty." thinking he will get
sixty days in Jail as it is his first time.
But oh! the judge says. Il will give you
a light sentence. Three years in the state
prison at hard labor
Now what does he think? He thinks he
was wrong but it is too late. He is a con-
wet. He is in prison. He is in a prison
cell. He has lost his citizenship, and before