The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-06-23
OBSERVATIONS
BY S. D..

A few weeks ago poor wretch was
to life Imprisonment for the
theft of SO, on the ground that he was
an old offender. Last week student
in the Chicago university, also a re-
peated offender, was pardoned for a
like offense, on the ground that he was
q kleptOmaniac.
Is kleptOmania disease? One
court answers in the affirmative, and L
believe there are individuals whose
moral faculties are so twisted, and
whose bumps of acquisitiveness are So
abnormal, that it is impossible for
them to abstain from trying to possess
anything they can obtain.
But have we any reason to presume
that any given class or section of soci-
ETY. is entitled to the benefits and i'm
munities of kleptomania? When two
men manifest identical symptoms
when both are guilty of repeated
breaches of the law, does it tend to in
crease our reverence for the dignity Of
the law when two such very different
modes of treatment are adopted? The
poor homeless wretch gets the extreme
penalty of the law; the student that
wanted to live beyond his means gets
pardOned.
l think such a course not only prosti--
tutes justice, but juggles with it and
holds it up to ridicule. When the ad-
ministrator of justice soils his ermine
by allowing his own personal feelings
to ursurp the judicial seat, he defeats
the ends of justice by creating in all
just minds feeling of pity for the Of
Tenders, no matter how guilty they
may be, and it tends to cause the pub
lie to shield such offenders, lest they
receive vengeance instead of Justice
Partially or vengeance is in itself ana
offense against justice.
oooo
speech is silver, but silence is gold
en-" says the old saw, and many of the,
greatest men the world has produceG
have affirmed that truth. Wallenstein,,
the famous Austrian commander in
the Thirty Years War, lived, one
might say, in an atmosphere of silence.
He never spoke an unnecessary word
himself, nor did he encourage CONVEX
sation in others. On one occasion he
had body servant hanged for making
too much noise in the room. His house,
was like an asylum for the dumb.
William, prince of Orange, known as
William the Silent, was averse to much
conversation. Napoleon boasted that
he never spoke two words when one
would answer the purpose. Nothing
escaped his observation, and he pos
sessed the gift of expressing in sem
J tence what most men would spread
over page. On one occasion a soldier
sought an interview, saying, "One'
word, sirew "If you utter two, shall
hang you," replied Napoleon. Hand
ing the emperor paper, the soldier
said, Sign" 1t was petition for the
remittance of punishment of COM
rade. The mans laconic wit so de-
lighted Napoleon that he signed the
pardon.
, The duke of Marlborough when re-
ceiving reports from his officers would
take out his watch and say: 81 give
you one minute" and it went hard
with the one that exceeded the limit.
The duke of Wellington was nick
} named by his staff "The Sphinx" In
t reply to question, a word or shake
of the head was often all they received
from him. Being asked once what he
considered the best equipment for a.
J, commander, he said, "A long head and
! silent tongue"
J. Won Moltke never opened his mouth
, if gesture would do as well. When
the news that France had declared war
was brought to him, he merely said :
"Second pigeon-hole to the right, Sec
: ond row." He used to say that one
Q verb in the language was worth all the
! others put together-to do.
OF President Grant the worst thing
his enemies could say was that she
9 won't talk because he has so much to
\ conceal yet in that very silence lay
J. Grants real strength. When young
g lady jOkingly asked him why he would
not talk to her, he replied that SILENCE
is one of the greatest arts Of CONVEX
y sation."