The mirror., 1922-03-23

pledScQ Ine InOTc tndn WHAT Sot 1Ioii
my scheme.
"Of course, in time the thing came to
light, and was taken before the manager.
He was kindly man, of wide experience,
and disposed to treat me leniently. But
was defiant from my imagined wrongs,
and refused to listen to him. Even after
he let me cool off for a while in side
room, thinking l was perhaps only excited,
l was not in the least more reasonable,
and was very discourteous to him.
"The result eventually was that got
term of imprisonment My defiance be-
gan to evaporate when realized the effect
on my parents. They had really done
nothing to correct my wrong ideas-poor
souls, they hadn't knowledge enough-but
that made the blow no less keen to them.
1t is memory too painful to dwell on.
'In my new conditions l was at first
terribly morose and gloomy, and continued
so until felt quite hopeless. There
seemed no cheering ray of light anywhere.
Zone day, while was pondering on my
condition and beginning to feel quite
desperate, my old pet saying seemed to
stand out before me in living letters: "A
man might just as well be in prison!' A
hot resentment surged up within me. l
felt had been tricked-that some power
had taken my foolish words at their face
value and put me where would realize
them.
"And then, by one of those fortunate
turns Of the imagination, saw the humor
of the situation: had been taken at my
word, and the whole thing served me
right! I could not refrain from laughing
mined to make the best of the situation.
The gloom lifted from me, and with a
light heart l set myself to make the best
of what had so thoughtlessly invited.
First of all dealt with the unpalatable
fact that was prisoner. Nothing could
remedy that unpleasantness except the
serving of my sentence. Wha. was the
good of kicking against it? l only hurt
myself and annoyed others. So cheerful
ly conformed with regulations more strin-
gent than l had ever before imagined,
and without a murmur put up with con-
ditions that made my old shop surround
ings palace by comparison.
"You may find it hard to believe, but l
found myself better off than had ever
been in my days of freedom. The en-
forced order and discipline, the efficiency
with which everything proceeded under
the system, had its effect on me it was
such marked contrast to my former
slovenly, grudging style of living.
"And comparing my experience with
ways of living generally in the outside
world, could see that discipline-self-
discipline-was the necessary thing for
happiness and satisfaction. Who were the
reliable men in the printing Office that had
employed me? They were the men who
sacrificed their own whims and comforts
to meet whatever situation duty seemed to
demand of them. I saw with certainty
that those who got the most quiet satisfac-
ton out of life were those who exercised
self-restraint. made up my mind that
when got free l would keep up the
practice of disciplining myself.
"Well, when my term was up, at the
first opportunity called on my former
manager and apologized for my rudeness
to him. He was pleased to see me and
would have spent while in conversation;
but l was shy of being worded by my
former acquaintance, and left the Office as
soon as could. A few days later got
a letter from the manager offering my old
job back again. didn't like the idea, but
just to discipline myself to do what was
personally unpleasant took the position.
From that time never looked back"