The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1899-12-28
SALTWATER, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY. DEC]

does turn to it's pages for consolation,
in other words, it is too monotonously
orthodox.
We venture to say that less than
twenty per cent of the inmates of this
prison turn to its, "the Bibles" pages,
when they are in the throes of the
blues, and when they are just worried
to the point of hysteria, they would
rather pace back and forth in their
cells than turn the gloomy pages of
the Bible for relief. And why? Is it
because the Bible is incomprehensible
to the majority of the man?
No indeed, there is not man behind
this or any other prison walls that has
not at some time in his life devoted
his time, more or less, to the reading
and study of the Bible. 1t is this
familiarity of the Bible that makes
him avoid it when put in h is cell, and
if you have any doubts about this fact
and care to investigate, just visit any
we'll kept cell, and the only ancient
dirt and dust you will probably see,
will be on the cover of the Bible.
This seems almost sacriligious to
good Christians, to abuse the Bible
as only an incumberance and super
fluffy. "WeIl," the good Christians will
say, "what is the use of giving the men
such valuable literature, when they
refuse to accept its teachings?''
TO this we will answer directly.
Take out the present sort of Bible, not
because the men refuse its teachings
and ethics but. because eighty per cent
of the prisoners have not the power to
grasp the true threads of the compi-
Gated stories it contains. "Well," the
Christians will say, "what kind of lit
erature would you give them then 2"
TO this l will say, give them "The
Prisoners Bible" Why how absurd!
Who ever heard of Prisoners Bible :?
No one has to my knowledge, for the
simple reason that the old reliable
commonplace Bible was good enough
for him. Being a prisoner myself, |
may be permitted to voice the views
of this Bible question and theory for
the average prison inmate The object
of all our penal institutions, is to in
culcate Christian principles through
mediums of the priest and Bible,
which have poor success in their
missions. If the preacher is an expert
in the art of elOcution and the power
to portray mis- subject, he may hope to
win souls; but the Bible as it is today,
never.
Their are sixty-six books in the old
testament and new. The Prisoners
Bible, then, would contain a serious of
sixty-six separately bound books.
They should be revised and edited on
the Flavious Josephus plan of Ancient
History; each volume or book should
be as accurately illustrated of the
principle subjects as if it were Har-
per's Weekly instead of the Bible.
Each volume ii book ought to be
P"oiiohCu vi Ioc Dell I1ur plan, out
not as fictitious as Mr.. Wallace's work.
This, then, is my idea of the ideal
Prisoners Bible, and if any good
Christian or philanthropist cares to
win over human souls, or a dis
heartened prison preacher wishes to
see his flock read the Bible oftener, let
OrdQr for fhic hind Of Pibln ho
given, and placed in our cells. The
result?-why our penal institutions
would contain the finest, as we'll as the
best posted Bible classes in the world.
Try it and see. This progressive age
needs an experiment of that kind any
way. j. G. d.