The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-10-16
LESSON GAINED
THROUGH EXPERIENCE

Experience is a Good Teacher. When
You Leave Here it is Up to You to
Put the Experience Gained to Good
Use. There is no Reason for not
Succeeding, Even Though You have
Fallen.
What are you going to do when
you leave here? Oh, the joy of
that moment when the Warden
calls you out of line and tells you
to get shaved. Sleepless nights are
forgotten, and all indignities suffer
ed are forgiven, and you dress out.
But what then? The avenue leads
directly to town, and the town leads
to what? You know. 1t certainly
is a problem which must be solved
before all who leave can be expect
ed to make good. You will leave
here poorly equipped to fight the
battle but if you are sincere in p,lr
pose and if your experiences have
taught you there is nothing in being
crooked and that the best you can
do is the worst, then, and not until
then, can you go out into the cruel,
merciless world and make good.
There is never time in mans
life when he must be dishonest. No.
you don't need to 60 hungry either;
but you must work. One who can
not or will not produce should not
be partaker. OF course this does
not apply to people who, through
misfortune are physically unable to
cope with life. But there are SO
many who think the world owes
them lying and proceed to steal
it. Show me where you beat it
from any angle and l Will admit
that l am wrong.
Is not ones liberty and free agen-
cy worth more than all ill-gotten
gains? 1t certainly is to me. Hav-
ing tasted the bitter l want all the
sweet, and the only way to get 1t is
to be man. Make all around you
recognize you as a man, and you
will find it pays. 1t means a fight,
but see how sweet the victory is.
Was there ever anything of note
accomplished that did not cost heart
blood? Find the one that has gained
that knowledge where he can say to
all, i am a man." and see if it was
not gained by privation and sacri-
fee, and see too if it could oe pur-
chased or obtained otherwise.
There are many roads for you to
travel, but my dear brother, there is
only one safe one and that will
have to be narrow. We must labor
diligently and with patience, but
the reward is great. We may not
he able to enjoy all the little things
we think are so necessary to us, nor
be able to dress Az nicely as some.
But costly thy habit as thy purse
can buy. Not expressed in fancy
rich, not gaudy, for while the
clothes oft proclaim the man, it does
not necessarily make one, and if he
stands as a man it will not be long
before he is recognized as
such. The past has gone and no
man knoweth what is in the future
for him, SO why worry? The ever
present Now" is the time to act,
you can be the man of the hour in
your own little world, and while
you may never be a Napoleon,
Washington or a Lincoln, you will
rise to heights you never even
dreamed of. If we have taken to
heart the lesson gained through our
experience, we can get out into the
world far better and wiser. for we
are the ones who know, and know
ing we can more easily avoid temp
tations in the future and be of great
help to our weaker brother.
1t is said opportunity knocks
but once at mans door," but l
hardly agree, for it all lies in each
OF us to benefit by his experiences,
for that is the mother of all learn
ing. Opportunity. like time, never
waits for anyone, we must be ready
and it we are, there is no reason
why we should not succeed even if
we have fallen once. There is now
a good opportunity for all of us