The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1894-12-13


it simply says: "Thou shalt not" there
fore were the young boys executed in
St. Paul few weeks ago guilty of a
more heinOuS murder than were the
murderers of Fisk, Garfield, or Lin
coin? The murderer of the former
was saved by the very influence these
would be "world STARTERS" would do
we'll in devoting their time to correcting.
Yet, the assassins of Fisk, Garfield, and
Lincoln, came from good christian
stock, and the world knows it; this is
only an instance. All forms of crime,
that have startled the world most, have
been committed by men and women,
whose ancestry was above reprOach.
Is there any moral difference between
the poor devil who steals $40, and
the great financier who steals 100000?
Yet in the former the cry goes up,
"what else could sbe expected, look at
his people, they were-pOor,' yes, SO
times out of 100 this is all that can be
said; while of the latter, and if con-
viction were only to be had, if they
were only brought to justice, the latter
would be in the majority, they cry, ooh.
it was business transaction, or he
was unfortunate on change; it is too
bad for his respectable, his honorable
parents or friends" Any intelligent
person who has read the daily chroni-
Giles of crime committed, in even the
past 10 years, must acknowledge this
to be fact, that the greatest crimes, the
crimes that have caused the greatest
misery and suffering to the people at
large were committed by those whose
early surroundings were pure, whose
mothers, God bless them, were
angels; whose fathers were upright,
honorable men. On the other
hand, how many men there are to-
day, who are an honor to their
race, to their country, who sprang
from dissolute, drunken parents; who
have lifted themselves above their early
surroundings, through manhood, pluck
and the inspired assistance of Almighty
God; they are legion. The article re-
ferred to strikes the key note when it
attributes the ruin of many of the un-
fortunate inmates of prisons, to bad as
sociations, whiskey and cheap literature;
and we claim this is the primary cause
for all men are born honest, or we must
| do 1v
that many, too many do not inherit
tendencies from parents that if allowed
to be developed will result in criminal
lives, but they come into the world
honest, and make their own life, always,
of course, influenced more or less by
their early surroundings; and herein
lies the field for the reformer; the sup
preston of these influences. People
who are known to be vicious, land in
order to adopt the prenatal theory,
they must be hunted up,) should not be
allowed to raise their offspring; place
the children in some school and sur
round them with Christian influences,
away from the streets, the saloon, from
everything immoral, and you will find
them grow up to be good and honorable
men and women, and not unlike any
other child with the same surroundings.
This is easier of accomplishment than
to attempt any amount Of culture upon
the father or mother; it is, in fact,
making good fathers. good mothers.
This method might be considered harsh,
and almost tyrannical, to part mother
and child; but is it not better than that
they should be permitted to grow up
under influences and surroundings that
sooner or later land them in the pen
itentiary or on the gallows? If you
are intent upon finding who the vicious
, are, that you may apply the prenatal
culture, why not pass laws prohibit
ing their marriage, as such marriages
, can only result in misery and are a detri
ment to the advancement of the human
} race. There is only one way to cure
disease, drive it out of the community
kill it. There is only way to cure crime
I eradicate the cause; and these we con
tend confront the child after birth, and
in no way affect the child before; it is
> the surroundings in which the child is
raised that make or unmake men anC
r women. Close the saloons, and gamb
: ling joints from the wheat-pit or stock
, exchange, to the card-table; adjust oul
r laws so that all may live in this glori
f Gus land of plenty, and not as they art
g today where the rich grow richer, ant
t the poor poorer, and crime will cease tt
n exist; the coming generations will en-
Q ter the world with pure and homes
a people to contend with, and they will
|. thank those whose wisdom made sucl
e a beautiful world possible. We dom
S look for this in our day, it savors to-
r much of what we conceive to be Heaven
+ hut Ona thinu is nocsihla. LEFT the re