The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-09-18
LOOKING TO OUR
FUTURE LIVES

1t has often been said that man
leaving prison goes out into the
world handicapped. That may be
so to a certain extent, but let us re-
member that a good many of us
came into the world handicapped.
Born Of poor parents and being de-.
MED the opportunity of an educa-
ton that the rich could give their
sons. Our early surroundings may
have been such that we could not
help but take on the ways of care
lessness.
1t is not question of going out
of prison handicapped, but whether
we are going to stay handicapped
after we get our freedom. The
trouble with lot of us is, we have
too much self pity and not enough
OF the initiative; we say what is the
use? We are branded on leaving
here, and will always be looked on
as one that has done time; that is
where we make big mistake. 1t
is up to us whether we are branded
or not by our actions and deeds.
What we want to do is to throw off
the old garb of life and open our
eyes to the fact that we want to
clear our brains and use them for
the purpose God intended them
for.
What is the use of making a big
noise about being handicapped on
leaving prison. That will not help
us any and only shows our weak
ness. Why not get our thinking
machine going and find out what is
going to handicap us. If it is for
lack of education, we can remedy
that by attending night school and
by grasping the opportunity that is
offered here to better fit ourselves
for place in the future. The tu-
ition is free, and the studies are up
to and including the eighth grade of
an outside school. A man that has
gone as far as the eighth grade in
school has education enough to fit
him for good honorable position.
AS for spiritual training, we have
two chaplains here; Protestant and
Catholic, and we can attend either
service. The library has lots of
good, clean books to choose from,
so we can train our brains along
clean thoughts and living. That is
if we so choose.
There are lots of good people on
the outside that are willing to help
us to new start on a clean road,
and are only waiting to do So at
such time as we get our release on
parole or discharge. But we can
not expect the world at large to
meet us with open arms at the pris-
on gate and offer us a position as
president or cashier of bank.
In order to regain our lost foot
ing we have to begin at the bottom
and work our way up to a place of
respect. We have to show the peo-
pie on the outside that we mean
business and that we intend to have
our future character unimpeachable.
Then they will begin to have faith
in us. What we want to do is to
clean house, so to speak. Now is
the time. Throw off that old sell
fishness and thoughts of self pity
and begin to think clean thoughts
and of clean living in the future.
Let us let our thoughts travel
back to our childhood days for a
few seconds, and recall that loving
mothers prayers for us, for God to
keep us always from harm and
temptation, and her advice to us to
lead a straight honest life. 1t Is not
too late; and then with all sincerity
that with the help of God from this
on | will lead straight, honorable
life for that mothers sake, If not
my own. And then keep that
promise to the end of time. Don't
let us be ashamed to acknowledge
that we were In the wrong, but
start in to right it. We have to
live our own lives, and regardless of
what others say, we can not lead a
happy life unless it is straight.
Let US dig up the good that is in
us from beneath all that corruption
and vice that have it buried deep
in our hearts and let it predominant.
We have two roads to choose from
in this life: One the road of hon
esty and integrity; the other, dis
honesty and vice. We havn oil