The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-12-22
Annual Christmas Letter
To the Inmates of the
Saltwater Prison.

Another busy year in the work of
The Central Howard Association has
deepened my great interest in all men
behind the bars. Many of you have
heard or read my previous messages,
and the hundreds of letters received
from the various institutions is my
sufficient reason for again greeting
you. If another word of hope and en-
couragement shall be similarly helpful
to you, and to the new arrivals, l shall
be amply repaid.
Since my last Yuletide greeting, l
have had the privilege aside from
speaking in many prisons) of address,
ing four or five hundred audiences in
your behalf. And 1 can see that there
is growing interest On the part of the
public, both in your present and future
welfare. But our special concern, as
you know, has been that each of you
may desire and have opportunity for
honest employment after your release.
Fortunately, some of you have Parole
Agents to help you find this new
opportunity. We have been glad to CO.
operate with these officers and supple
ment their efforts, as we'll as to help
the hundreds who are discharged with
no provision for employment. In both
these ways it has been our privilege
and pleasure to help an average of just
about one man each day this year.
And want to testify again to the ap-
probation and faithfulness shown by
nearly all of these men, as we'll as those
assisted in previous years. Altho work
has been harder to find than hereto
fore, yet these men have started with
reasonable promptness; and most of
those who had proven their worth last
year, have been retained in spite of re-
duced forces. This opportunity have
had-of sharing the many successes
and few failures of these men, has
been, l trust, teacher to me no less
than to them. A two-fold lesson has
been strongly impressed upon me:
In the first place, 1 realize more than
ever before the disbursement that
must come to the man who has made a
mistake or misstep. I am aware that
often this misstep has been but the cuI-
mination of series of misfortunes or
the climax of accumulated yielding to
minor temptations. l do not forget
that in the struggle of human exist
ence society does not seem to give an
equal chance to all, and many become
the victims Of its progress. 70 some,
a seemingly inevitable handicap of
heredity or apparent perversity of en-
vironment has made the battle losing
one against appetite or passion, or bad
companions, or other foes within or
without. am dimly conscious of the
depressing atmosphere of even the
best prison, and still more keenIy con-
scious of the distress of the ex-prison-
er; with an upright purpose, but
without a friend; with a strong arm,
yet denied the chance to work.
Yet, on the other hand, with all
these considerations in view, am more
clearly than ever convinced that no
man need lose heart, or courage or
confidence in his power and possibili-
ties. No matter what your past ex-
perience has been, our experience has
proven that the future is long enough
and the forces pledged to you are
strong enough to counterfeit and mas
ter the future. Whatever our human
heredity may have been, we know that
our Divine heredity goes deeper and
reaches farther. know that no fault
hath overtaken a man but that God is
willing to forgive. And more and
more society is learning to judge man
upon his present merits rather than
from any other standard. Time was,
when the unreasoning prejudices of
people made it weIl-nigh impossible
for the ex-prisoner to earn an honest
living, but now, with such agencies ds
the Central Howard Association, to-
gether with many manufacturers and
others cooperating with us, it is no
longer necessary for man to steal or
beg or starve. am glad, therefore, to
extend to you again the helping hand
of this Association and pledge you its
honest endeavor to be a sincere friend,
both in prison and after.
I do not mean to imply that it will
be easy for you to win your way to
honor and usefulness. Success re-
quires effort whether it be in business
or conduct or character. And 1 can
affirm with all assurance, that patient.
persistent effort on the part of our