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THE ATLANTIAN
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disorder; some property will be destroyed—possibly some
lives and limbs lost. The militia will be called out; and a
simple-minded citizen may wonder whether he is living in
a modern American municipality or in a medieval Italian
city where private wars made existence so romantic and
uncertain.
Then, after a certain amount of chaos, rioting and
shooting, there will be other efforts to bring about a com
promise, which will promptly and completely succeed.
Probably—as was the case in Indianapolis—both sides
will be so well satisfied by the compromise as to claim a
substantial victory; and in claiming a substantial victory
both sides will be right.
The company will grant some of the men's demands
and find that it is just as prosperous as before. The men
will yield some of their claims and find that their position,
all round, is much better than before.
This is the typical history of the public-utility strike.
Almost invariably it is perfectly easy to arrange a reason
able and satisfactory compromise—after the city has
been stood on its head for a fortnight or so. Why not be
fore? Our idea is that if half the earnest effort used to
settle strikes were employed to arrange a compromise be
forehand there would be far fewer strikes.—Ex.
What Profiteth It?
“What profiteth it a man if he gain the whole world
and lose his own soul?” is the Scriptural text which has
been the theme of countless sermons.
It might be paraphrased and applied to a city by
asking, “What profiteth it a city to grow great in num
bers and then become a pest house?”
Atlanta from a climatic standpoint has the finest lo
cation in America. Built upon rock 1,050 feet above the
sea level, it has every advantage from a sanitary stand
point that could be desired, and in easy reach of an ample
supply of pure water.
But in our excessive zeal to build up a great city
of towering skyscrapers, roll up phenomenal bank clear
ings, gather together a great crowd of manufacturing
plants, build trolley lines, and go abroad into all the sur
rounding country for the strengthening of our resources,
we have neglected some matters of vital importance.
In other places in this issue reference has been made
to the inadequate salaries paid our teachers. The time
is near at hand when cities will be judged from educa
tional and sanitary standpoints. From the sanitary
standpoint, Atlanta can not be accounted a great city.
Our streets are in disgraceful condition, and dirt spells
disease. But this is only the beginning. In every section
of the city there are blocks and blocks of insanitary
houses. Therein dwell the poorer white people and the
negroes. These houses are the breeding places of disease;
and, until Atlanta wakes up and deals with this question
in heroic fashion, we can never bring the death rate of
this city down to the point to which its natural location
would indicate as normal.
New Orleans has one of the most insanitary loca
tions of any American city; but by the expenditure of
money and the use of brains, New Orleans has brought
about conditions which keep the death rate but a trifle
above that of Atlanta, which has the ideal location. It
ought to be somebody’s business to investigate and see
why this is so.
If we continue to subordinate vital questions to mere
material growth, we shall wake up some day to find our
selves facing intolerable conditions and the expenditure
of multitudinous millions of money.
Dr. W. L. Gilbert
Dr. W. L. Gilbert, one of our well-known citizens, is
being urged to become a candidate for the position of
County Commissioner next year.
There is not in our system of government which ob
tains here in Georgia a more responsible office than that
of County Commissioner. It calls, of course, for integ
rity. Beyond that, to fill the place acceptably requires
capacity, sagacity, industry, and an unselfish regard for
the common welfare. All of these qualities, Dr. Gilbert
possesses. He is a strong, capable, clean man, a good citi
zen, who has the interest of his community at heart, and
who would give it both faithful and acceptable service.
His election to the County Commission would strengthen
that body, which has not recently endeared itself to the
public by running largely in excess of its estimate on the
new Court House, raising the tax levies, and failing to
elect Tull Waters as chairman, which position he was
fairly entitled to.
The Atlantian would like to see Dr. Gilbert elected.
He would enter the Board absolutely unhampered and
entirely disconnected with any cliques or schemes.
Dr. Gilbert is entitled to credit as the originator of
the idea which has resulted in the system of sewage puri
fication in Atlanta, and has also been a steadfast friend
of the crematory.
Your Neighbor’s Maid
One reason why domestic servants are scarce is
neatly illustrated by a discussion that has been raging
in a group of Southern housewives. The question under
debate is: May an honorable woman lure away another
honorable woman’s cook or maid by offering higher
wages, shorter hours, or any such material advantage?
Our impression is that at least seven housewives out
of ten would answer that question with a very emphatic
negative. We distinctly remember having heard this
hiring away of servants described as among the baser
crimes—which helps to explain why a vast number of
girls prefer the mill and shop to the parlor and kitchen,
even though the net pay be smaller and the work harder.
Imagine that principle applied to any other form of
employment! Fancy Mr. Jones saying: “Yes, you are
a capable young man, such as I need in my office just now,
and I would pay you fifteen dollars a week, which is five
more than you get in your present position; but, being
an honorable man, I would not think of hiring you away
from Mr. Brown.”
To be sure, this feeling among women rests partly
on a fine sympathy—an appreciation of the hardship of
being left maidless; but household labor is still under the
old blight of a severe relationship. The mistress resents
a neighborly offer of better wages to her maid as though
it somehow invaded her natural rights. Nobody likes to
be owned nowadays. Many girls prefer less pay and
harder work, with a more independent relationship.—Ex.
An Opening for an Editor
Because a eulogy on an eminent brewer, delivered by
a private citizen a thousand miles from the city of Wash
ington, was printed in the Congressional Record recently,
that shelfworn talk about curtailing leave to print has
been revived. The trouble with the Record, however, is