Newspaper Page Text
THE ATLANTIAN
3
®lj? Atlantian
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 AT LANTI AN makes
a Statement which we believe to be true, and such statement goes uncontroverted, we
shall insist that it is true.
Published Monthly by The Atlantian Publishing Co.
VOL. 5 DECEMBER No. 59
Our Motto: “Pull for Atlanta, or Pull Out. ,y
Christmas
“Peace on earth, good will to men.” This message
was first heard on earth at the coming of the Christ.
It was new and strange doctrine.
The world had known long ages of blood and carnage,
of national enmities, of tribunal feuds, of individual bigo
try and selfishness, but only in the minds of a few choice
spirits had there ever come even the dream of a world of
peace, of good will, of unselfishness.
Presently, the message was followed by a gracious
personality who went about doing good, preaching right
eousness and exemplyfying his teaching of love as the ful
fillment of God’s law.
The new creed ran counter to all the traditions and
prejudices of humanity. Persecuted and divided, abused
and often slain its adherents held to the faith, and the in
fant church watered by the blood of martyrs steadily
grew; at first slowly, then more rapidly until after 19
centuries it is the dominating influence in the world.
Carping critics are yet found, but their puny efforts
do not avail against the resistlese sweep of God’s truth as
conveyed in his blessed Gospel—the Good News. And so
each year at its season the Christmas spirit rises, which
is but the amplification and practical application of the
Christian spirit dwelling in the hearts of the people.
So all pervading is this spirit that the men who are
not identified actively with the church, that the few un
believers, in fact, everybody joins in this annual showing
of hearts, in this open display of love and from the palaces
of the rich to the hovels of the poor, hearts are made glad
by the knowledge that other hearts are beating in unison,
and treasuring fond memories of other days.
Good will among men, humanitarianism, good fel
lowship, fraternity, all these are going because we have
the Christian spirit which is but a seasonal name for the
Christian faith, and to-day an International Palace of
Peace rears its stately front in the Capital city of Hol
land as concrete evidence that “Peace on earth” is to be
come one of the accomplished facts of the near future and
then the Christmas proclamation of the year 1 A.D., will
become the crowning glory of a Civilized and Christian
world.
Atlanta a Financial Center
Atlanta is rapidly becoming the financial center of
the Cotton Belt.
This is one of the cases where the logical is happen
ing. Atlanta is the most central point of the Cotton Belt.
Its railroad facilities are now such that it can be reach
ed more quickly and easily than any other Southern city.
It is superior to any other city in its hotel and audi
torium advantages and these things have made it the Con
vention city of our section.
It has the most enterprising and active population
of any city in the United Staes, bar none.
It has the best all-round climate of any city in the
United States.
It is growing more rapidly than any other Southern
city.
It has the most diversified manufacturing interests
and the largest in volume of any Southern city.
As a result of these conditions its banking interests
have grown until its clearings now equal those of New
Orleans, and it will in another year or two so far surpass
all other Southern cities as to have no rival.
The growth of the banking interest here has been
enormous during the past 15 years. The Atlanta Na
tional, the Lowry National, the Fourth National, the
Third National, the American National, and the Central
Bank and Trust Corporation have all grown into Metro
politan size, and each of these banks are under superb
management.
The Fulton National only some two years old is
growing by leaps and bounds. The Travelers’ Bank and
Trust Company, has gained a solid footing in a brief pe
riod. The Georgia Trust Company is one of the old and
solid fiduciary concerns of the city. The Atlanta Trust
Company shows a steady and rapid increase in the volume
of business. The Empire State Bank and the Colonial
Bank and Trust Company are new concerns in capable
hands. Last, but not least, the Farmers’ and Traders’
Bank has had a most successful career.
The Commercial and Manufacturing interests have
all the needed banking facilities and the Banking inter
ests are gaining in strength as rapidly as the city is gain
ing in population and volume of business.
The total banking resources of the city will not miss
the 50 million dollar figure by any great margin and for
a city of 200,000 people that would be a creditable show
ing anywhere.
The one need in a banking way, is a mutual society
for small borrowers with sufficient strength to meet the
demands of honest small borrowers and sufficient decency
to refrain from robbing them, and thus destroy the loan
sharks who are a curse to this city as they are to all others
which they infest.
The Railroads and the Public
The Interstate Commerce Commission is no doubt
correct when, in the report on the New Haven Railroad,
it declars that “no railroad management can hope to
succeed without the support of the public which it
serves.”
On the other hand, we must not forget that no public
can hope to succeed without the support of the railroads,
which it needs. We used to think that the “public-be-
damned” policy was the only royal road to wealth, glory
and respectability. In endeavoring to react from that