The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-12-02
Written for The Prison Ma7Or.
"DOES CRIME PAY?n

Every now and then we run across
the above gnarled, twisted, moscow
cred interrogation voiced by Adam
beyond the gates of Eden and reechoed
by every successive generation since
the creation. Like Banquo's CHEST,
it will not down. No sooner has it
been exercised by the church, SEEM
lngly, than its appearance is noted in
the legal domain. Elected from this
field by all army of phantoms, it pro-
ceeds to haunt the journalistic field
"Ad otium cum dignitare," or more
correctly, perhaps, it takes up it's tempo
rary abode in the extremely confined
limits of an editorial Uranium. the
outward appearance of which would
suggest "dignified leisure" at death as
we'll as dinner.
But even ghosts require measure of
space to turn in. and some time for
repOse. The journalistic Uranium ad-
mits of neither for the incessant rattle
and noise of machinery therein, dis
turbed the restful quietude that the
shade of this most expansive question
requires for profound rumination.
This field, then. is fOrsaken by it and
among the musty, dusty tones of
science and philosophy it finds home
after its own heart for ghosts have
them,) and there it plays at hide and
seek with the chance visitor, who,
from time to time, disturbs its pleas
ures by trying to build seine around
its playground, like a picket fence
about an empty sepulchre. So far this
may be considered characteristic of it's
umbra life. But, we see there is
another phase of this umbra life, from
the Styx. 1t has an intermural exist
ence.
Some day a philosophical disciple of
Cacus temporarily in the custody of
the Blind Goddess resting under the
watchful eye of "Father Chronus,"
will resurrect this, Oh! so tired spectre,
and, with all the wisdom of Seneca.
united to the spirited lnvectiveneSS Of
Cicero in an arraignment of Cata-
line; all the elOquence of Demos
themes launching his AleXandrian
PHILIPPE on "The Crown" will hurl
forth the momentous question: docs
Crime Pay at an audience who. did
conditions permit, would gladly rise as
one man and perform the 'last sad
rites on both shade and materializer
in the hope that such an act of un-
doubted courtesy would be duly appre-
ciated by all mankind. The question
is asked, too, with all due seriousness,
in spite of the fact that the most an
cient Inscription now extant bears the
heading, "Does Crime Pay" and was
found amid the ruins of an A 1st
grade, kindergarten school on the
border of Babylon. Its appearance in
''THE PRISON MIRROR is due opine
to the psychological law having as its
basis cycle of about nine years in
length, or to be exact, the period is
nine years, three months, and five days,
as stated by Buddah in his "Theosophi-
cal Book of Cycles. The annular
periods are septenary or about ~
weeks between their visible periods:
can be seen by the naked eye, or with
the aid of an electric light On close
of the shade as it there ap-
pears we may readily perceive that
twas a novice who withdrew the
shroud from the grinning, polished
skeleton; one who most sincerely be-
lieves that it does not "pay''-when
caught. -
But when the oft evoked umbra
adorns the head of a leading article we
wonder, Gudaing by ourselves, of
course) whether there is not a more
than usually alfuring prospect in view.
Those seeking solution of this ques-
tion ere entering into crime as pro-
fession may procure some 100000 testi-
monials, from graduates, within the
limits of the U. S. and these may be |
supplemented by 100000 more from