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THE ATLANTIAN
0Iip Atl
latttian
Published Monthly by E. WALTER TRIPP
Box 118, Atlanta, Georgia
THE ATLANTIAN will give free space to all Secret Societies and Labor Or
ganizations.
On the other hand, we put everybody on notice when THE ATLANTIAN makes
a statement which we.believe to be true, and such statement goes uncontroverted, we
shall insist that it is true
c^§^> Published Monthly by The Atlanlian Publishing Co.
VOL. 4
APRIL
No. 39
Our Motto: “Pull for Atlanta, or Pull
Out.”
it
Editorial Etchinas
n
EASTER
How many men know what Easter means? Go out upon the
streets of a city, of a Christian city, and ask the first hundred men
one meets what Easter means, and the probabilities are that half
of them could give no intelligent reply, and the other half would
make the bald statement that it is the celebration of the resurrec
tion day of the Christ, just as Christmas is the celebration of his
natal day. But Easter means far more than this. It is a fair state
ment that the resurrection day was the beginning point of Chris
tian religion. Christ had formulated his doctrine, had taught his
disciples—but the resurrection was essential to the clinching of the
argument, and for the establishing of the faith of his followers
upon a rock from which all the powers of earth might not be able
to move them.
To understand the full significance of Easter, or resurrection day,
one must understand what Christianity has done, and is doing, for
the world. We speak of Christian nations. There is not in all ■
thi' world a Christian nation. There is not in all the world a people
where Christianity has done more than just get beneath the skin—
it lias not penetrated deeper than the cuticle. This is not only true
now, but it has always been true. Why then do we speak of Chris
tian nations?' Because this little thin layer of Christianity has
divided the world into two great camps—one of which is progressive,
and the other stand-patter. In the progressive nations of
the world, we find liberty of thought, liberty of speech,
liberty of action. We find churches, charities, hospitals and asylums
—merciful rules for warfare, institutions for the care of the feeble
minded and of the insane, all sorts of societies for the betterment of
conditions—moral, material, physical—and all of these things have
come out of that little thin layer of Christianity, which has only
got beneath the cuticle. What would happen if it should penetrate
into the hearts of all the people of a so-called Christian nation.
There would be an explosion so great that it would make the great
est eruption that Vesuvius has ever known look small—but the
eruption would not be volcanic, it would be personal and economic.
The Carpenter, whose resurrection day we celebrate, scorned class
and caste; whipped with stinging words the idle rich; leveled the
harshest criticism at the Pharisee, who was a strict observer of
religious law, and the great conservative of his day—the man who
stood for property rights. And He laid down as the basic principle
of human conduct that single little sentence that we call the Golden
Rule.
Suppose Easter did mean something more than a perfunctory
celebration. Suppose it meant to every one of us that, for the next
twelve months, we would follow the example of the Divine Man
whose resurrection day we celebrate. Suppose we should take His
code as the governing principle of our lives for one twelve months.
What would happen ? Let us see. All talk of war would disappear
from the earth. We would need no peace conferences at the Hague,
or elsewhere—for universal peace would prevail. There would be
no strikes in labor circles—for men would have nothing about which
to strike. There would be no suits at law against trusts—for trusts
would disappear. The problem of paying our policemen would no
longer distress our finance committees—because all the use we would
have for policemen would be to look up lost children, and it would
not take many to do that. Does all this sound chimerical? The
statement was recently made by some very intelligent men, after
a discussion of the question, that it would be absolutely impossible
for men to live by the Golden Rule. If that be true, we are not yet
withili a million miles of the meaning of Easter day, and what it
stands for.
The Junior Senator
According to senatorial custom, and by virtue of date of commis
sion Hon. Hoke Smith is the Junior Senator from Georgia. But he
is junior only from the official standpoint as from his entry into the
Senate he has been recognized as one of its strongest members and
each day of service adds to his reputation.
The courageous stand he has taken against pension frauds has
gained from thoughtful patriots a profound respect, and has on
the other hand sent cold chills down the spinal columns of the traf
ficking politicians of the Senate and House and their unworthy co
laborers the rascally pension agents. He has refused to be stampeded
by any pleas of political expediency and after careful study of the
situation has announced himself as a supporter of Woodrow Wilson
for the presidency seeing clearly as he does that while Mr. Wilson
may not be popular with the professional politicians he has twice the
strength before the people of any other candidate. Mr. Smith has
taken a high stand and steadfastly maintained it. We risk nothing
in prophesying that before the end of his term he will have gained
recognition as the towering figure of the Democratic side.
Who Will Be Governor
The campaign for governor seems to be settling down to business.
Joe Hill Hall, a standing candidate for years past, has at last screwed
up his courage and broken into the game. For years past known as
the “Great Objector” in the Legislature there would be serious
danger of the stoppage of the wheels of government in the event of
his election owing to his chronic infirmity of objecting to everything
he does not originate. Bro. Hall is a lawyer. John M. Slaton, like
Bro. Hall has a chronic case of wanting to be governor. He has had
a little taste as acting governor and found it pleasing to his palate.
Bro. Slaton is a smooth, suave, plausible gentleman. For long
years in the General Assembly he conducted himself with such con-,
spicuous suavity as to create no rough edges and to cut no new swaths,
hence it is not surprising to find that he has been speaker of the House
and President of the Senate, for it is one of our notable characteristics
that we love to honor the amiable—if incidentally there happens to
be ability so much the better, but above all we must have the shrewd
brother who pats us on the back, and tries to make us believe we are
smart people, when we know we are not. Vanity is a curious thing.
Incidentally it may be mentioned that Brother Slaton is a lawyer.
Then comes Brother Tom Hudson, whose coming, by the way, has
much disturbed the peaceful repose of the other candidates. Brother
Hudson has been Commissioner of Agriculture. Some folks who did
not like Brother Tom tried to put the gaff into him by way of a
legislative investigation which worked the other way and Brother Tom
secured a clean bill of health and an immense increase of popularity.
Brother Tom is a farmer, and of course is not in the same class with
his skilled legal opponents, but notwithstanding his bucolic tastes
and pursuits he lias picked up a few points on the political game, and
the brother who imagines that Brother Tom still has hayseed in his
hair, stands to learn quite a few things. We have a dark suspicion
lurking somewhere in our inner. consciousness that Brother Tom is