The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1898-03-24
OUR WEEKLY GOSSIP.

Happiness in this world may we'll be
called variable quantity. TO a man
in prison the sum total of present hap
piness is to be landed on the front
stOop of the prison building with
discharge papers in his hand and
twenty five dollars in his pocket. On
such occasion the former unfortunate
feels happier than the millionaire with
unlimited means at his disposal. The
great question is, how long will he re-
member such happy day? The aver
age prisoner, like other mortals, is
prone to forget the past in the enjoy
ment of the present. The man going
out from here who keeps a mental
photograph of the prison ever within
reach is not very apt to be returned to
such life if he has the slightest chance
of making living honestly.
TX
A contented man, that rara avis of
our wOrkaday age, is seldom if ever
found among the richer classes of
money seekers. The search for money
in itself is the greatest antidote to con-
tentment. Though very pleasant un-
dertaking under favorable circumstan.
ces it demands its pound of flesh with
vengeance. No amount of money
will ever replace the mental anguish
and physical wreck of the nervous sys-
tenn consequent to the continued
search for it.
*
Speaking in this line calls to mind
the ease with which the example of a
good life may be shattered by the
thoughtless banter of "syndicate' writ
ers whose sole motive in life is to
write material that will sell, without
any regard to the truth contained in
tiippant stories. For this purpose they
always pick out as their central
characters men now deceased whose
names will ever be prominent in Amer
lean history. A case in point is the
story now being circulated among
users Of "plate" about General Sheridan
and Roscoe COnkling in game of
draw poker at Washington. The writer
of the tale puts himself and an un.
known as the necessary complement
to a four-handed game in which the
denouement went to show very plainly
that gallant Phil was party to
crooked work in winning from Senator
COnkling on hand that contained
two aces of diamonds. 1t was not di-
rectly averred that Sheridan cheated,
but such was the inference most likely
to be drawn by worldly reader. Nine
chances out of ten Sheridan was not
in the game at all; the story was prob
ably built on the same material as the
Mississippi steamboat card stories of
old.
*
Fancy the boys who have read of the
daring bravery of the hero of Winches-
ter having their idol of sterling man.
hood thus ruthlessly besmirched with
the stain of thieving gambler. Any
youth who reads and is impressed by
the lives of American heroes, is sure
to have his confidence in mankind Sc.
verely shaken when he meets with such
foul story of his hero later on. The
authors of such stories will always
make the claim that only the prudish
are badly influenced by them. Prudish-
ness, however, is never charged up to
youth. The young believe all they read
in the daily and weekly papers and are
influenced for good or evil thereby.
The mature reader is never benefited
and seldom amused by stories that d. |
rectly or indirectly cast a shadow on
men whose history should shield them
from the avaricious cant of literary
hawks. If such gambling tales must
be part of the newspapers, let the
hawks who invent stories use other than |
immortal characters for their work.