The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1894-12-27

FROM Time 1mmomOrldl NOW. COL
has been looked upon by all as the
swearing off" day, and from the
charitable treatment always accorded
to subsequent relapses, these lightly
made and lightly broken vows ar p
looked upon more or less in the light
of joke. A we'll meaning Christian,
conscientiously Disguised at the reck-
less growth of profanity that is begin
ming to prevail in his every day language
concludes, and wisely, that these oft
recurring expletives add neither to the
dignity nor to the force of his diction,
and vows that in future he will forego
profanity, and suffer his hired Enan to
do the family swearing. TO the man
of society comes the thought that his
rotations are beginning to grow apace;
that what was once luxury abstain
ingly INDUCED, is fast developing into
an appetite that Graves. Whiskey is
commencing to make inroads into his
daily salary as we'll as to cause just the
least shade of uncertainty in his home
ward steps. Manfully he resolves to
quit.
The resolutions in both cases are
sincere, and the reason in many in
stances why they are not better and
longer kept is that temptation is too
frequent and relapse too easy in this
great workaday world. When the hon
est Christian uttered his VOW that nc
profanity would in the future punctu-
ate his discourse, he could not possibly
have foreseen the inevitable excursion
he must take around his chamber floor
the next morn, in search of that most
elusive of mundane things--a perverted
!, collar button; and there are few, very
, few of his brethren, so pharisaic il
heart that they will not cheerfully for
give the imprecation that consigned
that individual one, and all the othel
. collar buttons ever manufactured, to {
, more torrid cline. With the youns
p. man who has concluded to call hal
9 on his indulgence in drink, the tempta
! lions to relapse are many and fire
f quent. Old companions, old custom
and a growing appetite, all seem ben
on drawing him back to the life AM
9 habits of yesterday, and the wonder O
g it is-not that so few vows are kept
4 but that more are not broken.
" With us, here in prison, things ar
4 different. There is no occasion for us
7 break the second commandment, sine
o wisely we are not allowed to talk; an
O the proverbial collar button does nc
q enter into our every day toilet. W
4 could not, if we would, indulge
ir ardent spirits, since we know n
# "headier'' beverage than the ice col
"a water which bubbles up from our hi
"a side springs; and there are no bibulor
" companions nor gilded saloons to lea
n us to Incorporate paths. None tt
II less we ought today make resolution
to for the year that begins, and for tt
"a life that is to succeed this present pa
"a sing period of darkness and miser
ot To some among us it is the last Ne
v Year that will be passed within the
co walls, and to those we would cOuns
81 a VOW to so live in the future tn
va they may never again find existen
behind prison bars. The beggar
whom we once threw aims in pity up
!, the roadside is today as immeasurab
10 above us as are the clouds above /
10 al fresco couch, and he would co
TN slider his rags disgraced by our col
lis nanv Such a thOuUht ShOuld lead