The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-02-11

OF n0dVy IDEAS, anu we Will launcn The
MIRROR into the world a perfect little mon
itOr to throw bombs of truth in every direc-
ton. There is nothing so stirs the world as
truth, no matter from what source it may
come. DEXTER.
A Chaplain's Views on imprisonment.
Rev. j. w. F. Barnes, chaplain of the
state prison at CharlestOwn. Mass, recently
delivered an address on the prison question
before the Chikawbut Club of Boston in
which he said:
The first thing that struck me in going to
the state prison for the first time was the
great dissimilarity of the sentences imposed
for offenses of like nature and of the same
general circumstances. Another thing was
the impression made upon the prisoners
themselves by this sort of blind justice.
The cases where the wrong man is arrested
and sent to prison for anOther'S crime are,
unfortunately not so rare as seems to be
believed. In one case alone that l know
there was at least 80 prisoners in the insti-
tuition that not only knew that crime had
not been committed by certain person
who was serving time for it. but also knew
how and when the crime was committed
and who was to blame for it. Such a mat
ter and the dissimilarity in sentences do
sense of the justice of the law or to en-
tighten them as to the object contemplated
in sending them to prison. 1t is cOnun-
drum to them, and they have come to re-
gard the process as favorable only to those
who have pull"
Is it right that the men whom we return
to the world, and many of whom will turn
at once to life of lawlessness, should be
laid open to this conviction? | would pro-
pose that when we elect an attorney gen.
eral or an attorney we should elect per-
son equally as capable and well informed
to represent the otherwise nnrepresented
persons who may be criminals. but who
should be given chance to prove it. The
cases of people who wrOngfuly 60 to jail
because time and liberty are not given them
to prove their innocence. and because they
have no friends to do it for them. are wO-
fully numerous. Such cases as these weaken
the comprehension of the intent and the
instruction of the law in the minds of the
prisoners. Why. gentlemen, with no disre.
spect to you, say there is not one of us
here that under the present existing meth
DDS of jurisprudence may not be arrested
and committed to prison within week.
That much for the first part of the subject.
After person gets into prison it is diff
ferent thing, The whole idea at present of
UL0 pCUdl llStICuUOuS SCCluS " NO IduICdIly
wrong. A man is not sent to Jail to be pun
ished. He is confined so that he may not
indulge his illegal bent, and in the mean
time he should be trained to behave him
self when he is released. If he IS useless
to himself and the world he should be re.
formed and put into shape so that when he
is thrust forth he may be able to support
himself and be honest. Industry very
nearly means honesty.
In short, he must be convinced that he
must be the best sort of a man that he can
be. New depths of character must be re-
vealed in him and he must be taught moral
and intellectual beauties and refinements
that he never even dreamed of before. At
present. it is hard work trying to eXpOund
the Golden Rule. The men hear, but they
can hardly be censured for their inability to
believe. l can imagine them casting up all
the facts and trying to strike balance.
There ought to be a way so that convict
can Immediately 60 to work when he leaves
the prison behind him. The influence
brought to bear upon him should be such
that when he leaves he should be filled with
serious doubts as to lwhether it is a profit
able thing to lead crooked life.
For The Mirror.
Stray Thoughts.
Our heaviest burdens are those we bOr-
row.
More people fail from Encouragement
than misfortune.
The heart, and not the head. is the real
master Of the man.
Environment may modify character, but
it cannot change it.
A great many giants become very small
when you get close to them.
The greatest blockhead is one whose mis-
takes never teach him anything.
Failure only proves that our determine
ton to succeed was not strong enough.
1t won't do a bit of good to whitewash
the we'll curb so long as there is poison in
the water.
When man starts out to reform himself
he has undertaken a job that will keep him
busy for life.
The man who has the courage to fail in
trying to do right. rather than succeed in
wrong. is the real hero. no matter whether
he wears paper cap or crown.
Laziness is the bacillus of crime.-Colum-
bus (O.) Post.
The shortest cut to poverty is to try to.