The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1893-07-13
Prevention, Not Cure.

prevention, N OF Cure.
Crime in all it's phases and aspects,
the criminal in all his varieties, and
methods innumerable for abating crime
and reforming the criminal have been
lately most thoroughly discussed in
Chicago by the great criminologists and
penologists of this and of other coun-
tries. Each prophet, whether of old or
of new dispensation, trotted out his
little hobby, and put him through the
tricks and posturings of the reforma-
tory manege. They came, they were
seen, but they did not conquer anything:
the criminal and his crime still Jog
along as unredeemedly as if all that
eloquence had not been. Because they
did not 60 to the root, nor look from
the CRIMINALS point of view.
The human being has duplex nature
1T is an animal with more or less
bdevelOpable and teachable brain; an
animal with more perfected reason
ing power than other animals; an ami
NAL with wants and desires, now edu-
Gated, above a daily dole or ration.
whose desires education but further
multiplies. But he has a soul which is
the image of Coda divine spark
breathed into the animated CLAW to
make it the masterpiece of creative
genius. The soul is the flower of the
human plant; it buds in infancy. BIOS
SONS in childhood, blooms in youth. and
fructifies in manhood. A skillful gar
dener will guard and protect the devel-
Opment of his material flowers from
bud to seed-pOd, while the divine flower
of his own begetting is allowed. like
Topsy, to grow up, with here and there
careless touch or perfunctory train
ing. He forgets that that young soul
is as susceptible to bruise and bite as is
the choicest of his floral treasures: that
the injuries received by it in it's earliest
stages are, like those so sustained by
his rosebud, more fatal, more harmful
leaving blemishes that widen and be-
come more visible as blooming pro-
crosses. The young soul requires pro-
lection and care till it has come to a
vigorous maturity and stability, and is
able to cope with and overcome the
sOphistries of the subtle, cunning,
scheming brain. The undisciplined
soul succumbs to the Myrmidons of
Satan, not because it wants to, but be-
cause it knows not how to repel the in
sidious attacks from which it shrinks
Each wound leaves cicatrice, till ul-
timately the beautiful creation is
covered by patchwork callosity. Its
voice becomes smOthered; the brain
now no longer needs the feeble tones of
the inner man, and, proud of it's self
esteemed power and ability, goes it's
own gait. Every brain that is not con-
trOlled by the ''still small voice" will
sooner or later be criminal against
the laws of God-and against the laws
of man, when they run counter to a
pre-cOnceived idea or plan. Detection
may not follow crime, but the crime is
there.
To prevent crime you must early
train the soul to deeds of strength, and
the mind to subject itself to the souls
admonitiOns. To cure crime you must
pierce through the callOsity that sur
rounds the sin. hidden soul, and make
free passage for it's re-enthronement
in the kingdom of reason. 1t is not by
theory that the passage may be won.
1t must be by the voice of God with
fellow man for mouthpiece. Nor may
it be lip service. 1t must be the fervent
cutlery of soul calling to soul-the mag
netic fellow-feeling that links all hu-
mainly in one universal brotherhood as
cO-heirs of the Creator.