The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-02-04
For The Mirror.
ssIt,s no Honor to Defeat a COnvict.,'

For The Mirror.
ssIt's no Honor to Defeat a COnvfct.''
Think as your fellow thinks and how
wise you are in his eyes; think as he doesn't
think and how misguided you are! If your
ideas on any subject are cOincident with his
how profoundly you have studied your sub.
ject; if they are not cOincident, how wrong
headedly you have studied it!
This is the sum and substance of modern
thought, and though there are many reasons
to hand to account for it. 1t may be safely
said that underlying it all is the fact that
s'men of conviction" grind out the mental
srist of this world, and every man is ''Sir
Oracle"
Few there are who are philosophical
enough to break away from tradition and
forefather wit. and even among these few
there are those who, for many feeble rea-
son, hum and haw their originality away.
This is world of give and take, and in
the matter OF opinion, the givers form
about one half of civilization. and the TAX
.ers form the other half. What John says,
his neighbor James endorses without ques-
tioning it's genuineness, but simply because
John is a man of conviction and John says
sO Hence when James says to jeremiah,
his neighbOr, that John says so and so. and
Jeremiah says what John says is wrong
altogether, James says that what j ohm says
is correct and what Jeremiah says is wrong.
and so tongues Wag and everybody looks
serious. But place John before Jeremiah
and they won't speak to each other not for
long, anyway. If John is getting the better
of the argument, jeremiah vituperates, and
turns away in high dudgeOn at Johns
medocrity or obstinacy; while if jeremiah
is getting the better of the argument John
well, John acts as half the world is acting
unable to convince jeremiah, he remarks:
"What fools these mortals bel"
Boys. it's an impossibility for me to write
without being sarcastic l see so much
puerility and wise affectation. so much jab-
ber that passes for philosophy that cannot
refrain my pen from vOicing my sight. The
serious talk of the day is effete-of yester
day, of the day before, of last century; and
when one notes it. one. while Inundated,
cannot help ridiculing it. though. l trust.
my ridiculing of it is not offensive in the
sight of the ridiculed. But. so prone are
folks to make hasty conclusions that may
be put down as frivOlOuS-a mark of wis
dOm--tO the putters dOwn-and considered
to be unworthy of thoughtful consideration;
for everything that is not stilted is void OF
sense and vapid. Still l know there are
those who are of discerning minds. and are
able to see underneath the surface of sar-
casm little genuine thought and humanity
not much, admit, but sufficient to sat-
isfy the least exacting, and that is all de-
sire to do at present
Then, there is world of antagOnism
against us-you and 1; the two opposing
sides on criminal questions unite together
to kick us out of existence, or to kick that
part of us out of existence that is thought.
full. 1t is this union of strength that brands
a poor man a criminal; that will not listen
to what you have to say if yOa are an un.
known; that, when you. perckance. have
found means to say something, and ii
savors of the truth. you are told to get out.
because Its no honor to defeat convict. y
or, in other words. it is no honor to defeat