The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-05-05

their rollglOuS services: tnolr CnauCauQua
circles; their workshops and prison cells.
We see reflected in it's columns, images of
the young and old, the guilty and the inno-
cent, perhaps-whO can tell? Upon their
faces we can discern the sorrow and an
guish, the hope and despair of bighted
lives. We read the confession of some
poor. unfortunate convict. whom wrong
deed in a moment of anger has cast within
the prison walls. He knows he is suffering
deservingly, and he is CHEEKY, for he be-
lieveS in a future, both without the walls
and in the life to come. Yes, he has hope
in God. and the bright rays of the gospel,
taught by Him who died for such erring
ones as he, give him heart and hope and
cheer.
We see. also. that other picture-the
guilty one. He imagineS that he is suffer-
ing wrong; that society is unjust. He muir
murs; he complains. There is. he thinks.
no future for him. He has closed his heart
to humanity and God. and all the world to
him is gloom and despair
Thus we see mirrOred the two sinful lives
the one with. the other without God.
But why do you. poor unfortunate ones.
thus suffer the penalty of your own mis-
deeds? What first led you astray? What
brought you where you are? Was it evil
companions? Was it strong drink? Or
was it both?
PRISON MIRROR, through your columns
you may teach the world of sin lesson.
Tell us through your pages the story of
your lives. Gather from the inmates of
your prison home the facts and figures, and
give them to the world. We believe that
the drink traffic has placed three fourths of
you in your felon's cells. Are we right?-
The Stylus.
All the above questions may be resolved
into one: What gets men into prison? and
may be answered at Once-Crime. Thus
far it is easy, but the question follows:
What causes crime? which is not so easily
answered. The causes of crime are as
many as there are temptations to do to
others what we would not have done to
ourselves. and more. too. The laws make
certain acts criminal which many individ-
uals regard as innocent acts. All prisoners
are not guilty of the one kind of felony.
There are crimes against property. against
the person and decency, the former being
the most common. The cause of crime
against property are poverty and avaricious-
ness. But there is no use of here tracing
out causes. Any one with fair proper
ton of brains and little knowledge of the
world and human nature can reason these
causes for himself. The imperfect social
and economic conditions of the human fam.
lily are the causes which produce criminals.
If perfection in the social organization is
ever attained then there will be no more
criminals-Only mOnstrOsities and lunatics,
but no one has much faith in the early ar
rival of the millennium. What proportion
of prisoners owe their condition to the Ii
quor traffic it is impossible to say. 1t is
almost universally acknowledge that liquor
is the great demoralZer OF the world, that
it murders virtue, integrity and industry,
that. in fact. it is the canker-wOrm of the
human race. Most criminals drink liquor,
but not one in five thinks it was the cause
of his downfall. Some acknowledge that
they are criminals through innate cussed-
ness. The world understands why men are
in prison. and confessions of the prisoners
would not be of much aid in the eradication
of crime.