The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-02-19
THE FARIBAULT PILOT.

WHEN man reaches the point where he is so
far wrong that he won't admit that he may be wrong
his case is hopeless one. Or when man has that
dangerous thing" little learning, and thinks he
knows all there is to know, his case is hopeless
one Or again, when is so full of spleen that
he just has to vent it the first person he meets
his condition is pitiabe and he ought to consult
physician. This, apropos of the following editorial
that appeared in the Faribault Rt for February 49,
s'THE Prison MIRROR is little journal edited
and published by the inmates OF the Minnesota
state prison at Saltwater One of the objects of the
incarceration of these inmates in the penitentiary is
to prevent them from warning against existing Or
ganized society. Last week The MIRROR published
an article under the caption OF 'Reformers which
contained by innuendo eulogy OF Karl Marx, the
founder of the most radical school Of socialism, and
other socalled reformers whose doctrines incucate
the overthrow of the existing order of society The
publication of such insidious revolutionary articles
by the inmates of state prison is permitting
incarceration and should be prohibited by those
whose duty it is to safeguard the public from further
attacks by these inmates AeE Is.
Now that's pretty strong, not to say incorporate
language, isn't it? And coming from Pilot, from
one whose calling it is to bring weak humanity over
the shoals and into safe anchorage it sounds rather
formidable, doesn't it? So thought at first. But
then we behought that this creature of ferocious
mien and bewilderng adjectives was, after ALL when
stripped of his REFER and pea jacket just plain man
and liable to be mistaken. We remembered that
there are other navgators in the world and decided
not to be entirely cast down until they confirmed his
judgment Acting on this idea, we sent a copy oil
the article, "Reformers" which our Pilot seems te
think anarchistc and revolutionary in it's tone te
President Cyrus Northrup, of the University oil
Minnesota Professor Darius Steward, superintendent
of the Saltwater public schools, and DIR. Samuel G.
Smith, professor of sociology at the University o
Minnesota We explained to these gentlemen tina
the article had been made the object of attack
print and asked them if, in their opinion, it wal
anarchistic or Objectionable. Their replies were
follows:
President Northrup says
Gas requested by you have carefully read tn
article 'Reformers,' and in reply to your questions
say:
"First-That do not see that the article is oh
jectionable
"Second-It is not anarchistic.
"Third-I should not hesitate to let youn,
man read it,
"Of course people who do not like the senti
ments of the article would regard it Questionable
bat it is yell for all of us to read both sides of i'm
portant discussions and not get excited when W
read the 'other side"
Professor Steward says:
81 have read the article with attention. thin
that if had been editor, I should have asked tn
writer to drop few words from the fourth para
graph, to drop one sentence from the sixth para
graph and to rewrite the tsnth drawing the illustrs
lions from much earlier century.