The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-07-23
Two Object Lessons.

AuOuS tlC uuuAClOuS ClCILCl employees
in the prison shops, have noticed two
young lads whose general characteristics
are so widely divergent. that they have ex-
hibited to my mind two very potent object
lessons.
One little shaver about thirteen years of
age worked in the foundry making cores
He came alone from Denmark. and, as he
could neither speak nor understand the En-
glish language. his mother had a tag hung
upon his back stating his name and his des-
tination in this great country. 1t is beyond
my power to describe the feelings OF anxi-
ETY. with which that mother must have
kissed her boy farewell and seen him start
upon his long, perilous travel. Suffice it to
say that he reached Saltwater safe. sound,
and smiling. and within day or two was
at work in the foundry core room, among
strange people. and for the first time get
ting boys glimpse of the interior of
prison. AS l looked upon him from time to
time, l was strongly impressed by his
frank, honest. intelligent cOuntenance. No
one who came in contact with him could
help noticing how earnestly he strove to do
his work WELL and how cheerful and happy
he always appeared, and the bright, thankful
glance of his beautiful eyes whenever any
body spoke pleasantly to him. 1t soon be-
came known that every penny he earned,
over and above what was needed to pay his
board, he sent home to his mother in far off
Denmark to help support her. What
blessing such boy is to a mother! A
| glance at his bright eye, his intelligent fore.
head and his firm lips was sufficient to as
| hail ho1
| from which MEN are moulded, and the
in his shop strove to help him. to be kind
to him. and to admire him. bore
evidence of the influence of an honest,
courageous boy upon those men to whom
he offered such striking example of pure,
unalloyed pluck.
The other lad is an Italian youngster
fifteen years of age employed in one of the
other shops. He has an intelligent counte-
nance and bright eyes, but casual observer
can detect mischief and cunning in his
every look. Nothing pleases him so much
as to be into some sort of devltry, and the
natural result is that he is the recipient of
more hearty and vigorous rebutfs from the
men than anything else. The common
opinion regarding him may be summed up
in the phrase, "A little cuss." 1t is not to
be inferred from this that he is vicious or
actually bad boy, because that would be
unjust to the lad. He simply lacks what
the other boy possesses i'll his general char
acteristics. and from what know of him I
have grave doubts as to his future being as
successful as that of the lad from over the
sea.
In one boy can be seen the influence of
proper training. and love for his mother, a
determination to succeed in life and rich
guarantee that it will be consummated. In
the other can be seen an indifference as to
his future and tendency toward deception
and trickery, the natural outgrOwth of the
absence of proper parental care.
AS place the two boys side by side in
my minds eye l wonder what the future of
each will actually be, but do not attempt
to solve it. l can only see in each the re-
suit and the absence of home training; and
l firmly believe that if those parents who
apparently raise children for the purpose of
drawing an income from them as soon as
they are old enough to leave the nursery.
would only stop moment to look around
them in every city or town, for object les
sons such as these two boys give. that they
would manage somehow to avoid throwing
these children into such dangers that their
undeveloped brains are incapable of COM
batting. and that they would at least greatly
lessen the tendency of making criminals in
stead of honest men out of their lads.
SCRUTATOR.
| Gan i'll. mold ro;o;Stor wont tO hio deacon