The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1911-12-07

running on the main line track of
evil for a long time and have been
suddenly sidetracked, let us say in
the shop for repairs. If the repairs
are well done and the defects prop
erly remedied, a locomotive or
car for that matter, is ready for
service again upon its release from
the shops. You can do great deal
of your own repairing while here,
for this institution is intended TO be
reformative rather than punitive,
even though it may not at first ap-
peal to you as such. While here the
faint of liquor or drugs is eradicated
from your system, and if man can
go from one to thirty or more years
without liquor or drugs, while con-
fined here, the habit as habit is
broken, and there can be no excuse
for man to deliberately take it up
again after his release. If you have
been slave to either Of the habits.
begin now to train your mind to
break off permanently what your
present Incarceration compels you
for the time being to break temper
arily. To do this the thought tracks
in your brain must be readjusted,
just as it is necessary sometimes to
take up and relay the tracks when
building a new terminal station.
You must build a new terminal sta
ton in your brain by tearing up the
old habit tracks and laying new ones
in their place. If you were outside
this might be hard job for the
tracks may have become SO embed
ded in the right of way of your ac-
tions, that they would not yield. for
long time to your efforts. Here
however the tracks have been re-
moved for you and all you have to
do is to lay new ones. Why then
should you lay the old rails of habit
upon the old right of way of evil?
Begin to think tight and you will
build thereby new right of way of
good upon which you may gradually
lay the tracks Of good habits, with
switches or side tracks for the use of
all good purposes. To this end read
good books of which plenty are to
be found in the library; adopt sys-
tematic course Of study upon some
subject which will be of benefit to
you; attend and take part in the
Chautauqua Circle which is of ines
Unable benefit in the training of the
mind to think and write properly;
attend night school and chapel regu-
larly and avail yourself of every
possible uplifting influence that may
be provided for you for the purpose.
Put evil and corrupt thoughts out Of
your minds, and when they try to
crowd in, replace them by some good
thought and you will soon begin to
gain the mastery over yourself and
| get good start on the road that
leads to the making of man. All
of this before yeu leave the protec-
ton which these walls afford, for
while you may think of prison walls
only as barrier between you and
sweet liberty, yet remember that
while they keep you from the outside
world, yet they also keep some of
| the evils of the outside world from
| you, until you are strong enough to
go out to meet and overcome them
and not let them overcome you.
j Once outside again, the struggle
for mastery Of self and evil must be
continued with increased vigor and
energy, for with the restraining in
| fiuences removed, and old scenes and
companions to allure, you will prob
ably find it doubly hard to make
good, but let me tell you the secret
rlof success in the battle against evil.
lConclsided on zth poge)