The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1894-11-29

eXclaim, sit might be worse" No man,
no matter what his present condition,
but can find something in his surround
ings to be thankful for, that some one
of his fellOWmen has not: no man so
low in lifes scale. but there is one still
lower. Truly. there is nothing cheering
in the life of a convict: cut off from
participation in life's enjOyments, from
friends and fellOwman though we are,
how pleasant our life is compared with
the poor miserable Siberian exile? Here,
we are surrounded with opportunities
that if we but grasp and utilize, cannot
fail to have every beneficial effect upon
our future lives, make us better, happier
men. Schools to learn; labor that is
cOngenial, at least not severe; sufficient
clothing, food, and humane treatment
even when severity is required. The
exile of Siberia, condemned to under
ground confinement, deprived of ply
sician's care; exposed to ali the seventies
of an Arctic climate, subjected to the
brutalitieS, and WhimS of cruel and
heartless keepers until body and
mind become wrecked, and suicide is
courted. Here if we are sick and weak.
we receive attention: our lives. our
health, our bodily comfort are objects
of solcitude. There, no attention, no
NJ o~11 Of TO
the gloom in which they live, till death
comes to them to relieve their misery.
What contrast! Yet, every man
who reads these pages know this fact
to be true, that many of these poor
WretcheS are suffering for crimes that
were as nothing compared with some
of our own misdeeds. We do not wish
to be understood as finding anything
to be thankful for in the fact that we
are in prison; it is hard for us to i'm
agine sadder thing in life; but we so
frequently have heard during the past
few months, and more frequently the
past few days, the wall what is there
to be thankful for?' that we would
impress upon the minds of our fellow
cOnvicts this thought; no matter what
our present condition, there is much to
be thankful for in each life behind these
walls, if we but face the issue squarely
as men, and not as weak, shriveling in
CRATES. There are few of us, but know
in cur hearts and souls that if we re-
ceived our deserts, for all the sin and
wickedness of our past lives, we would
suffer more severely than we do today.
The trouble is we do not dig down deep
| enough in our natures and weigh all
our shortcomings when we consider
| our present surroundings. How many
of us during our tempestuous lives but
have, by some inscrutable power, been
snatched from death or long life suffer
ing? How many of us have thanked God
for it, or have shown our appreciation
to our fellowmen who may have been
instrumental in saving us? Very few
indeed. This language is plain and
blunt: we cannot help it; it is truth, and
we ali know it. There is scarcely a
man within this enclosure today but
has hope; scarcely one but looks for
many bright and prosperous days in the
future. Let us thank God today, then,
that He has endowed us with this hope:
and more, let us beg Him to so strength
en- our resolutions to do better in the
future, that we shall all enjoy hopes
fruitiOn; become better men, an honor
to ourselves, credit to our families
useful members of society. Let us be
thankful that all these things are pos
sible; look on the bright side of life
not on every man as our enemy, but we
as every mans equal when our hearts
our desires, and our actions are turned
toward the right side of life Let us
be men, and we shall ever have cause
to offer thanks to Him who will make
the way if we have the will.