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THE ATLANTIAN
July, 1916
Federal Aid for Practical
Education
Committees of both the Senate and the House of Rep
resentatives have reported favorably on a bill providing
for a Federal Board of Vocational Education, which
will co-operate with the various states of the Union to
provide instruction in trades and industries for their
citizens. Monetary aid, in ratio to the rural and urban
population, will be given to those states that wish to es
tablish agricultural, trade, and industrial schools.
Vocational education is no longer considered a fad.
“Teach the boy what the man must practice,” the dic
tum of a Spartan king, is coming to be our educational
slogan. In the earlier years of our Republic, when most
of our industries were home industries, it seemed safe
to let the child get his “learning” at school, and his ed
ucation at home; but now home industries have nearly
disappeared. The work of the world is carried on in
shops and factories and offices; and if the child is to
learn how to make a living, as well as how to make life
worth living, the school must teach him.
Nothing could be more fitting than that the Federal
Government should take a hand in helping each child to
get the training he needs.
The Mayoralty
We are beginning to hear the rumblings in the town
of the political earthquakes which always precede a mu
nicipal election. Several gentlemen have intimated,
more or less clearly, that they feel entirely competent
to fill the office of mayor. A much larger number, who
feel themselves to be even more competent, and who
would like to fill the aforesaid office, are holding them
selves in reserve, in the hope that the gentlemen now out
in the open may come to disaster, which will profit
them.
It is eroing 1 to be a rather interesting discussion this
year. Municipal ownership of public utilities is going
to figure to some extent, because Atlanta has finally
waked up to the fact that this is a live question. It may
be possible that some changes in the form of our mu
nicipal administration may come up for discussion.
Naturally, there will be more or less criticisms of the ad
ministration, as there always is. So far as the matter
has developed, there is a cautious feeling abroad, and the
masses are not committing themselves rashly or reck
lessly to any man. It begins to look as if the various as
pirants for this position will have to follow Teddy’s il
lustrious example and get into the ring.. Incidentally, it
may be said that our people can not too carefully con
sider the qualifications of men who want to be mayor;
our city government is a matter of vital concern to every
man who lives within the corporate limits, and to many
who live outside. It is a vital matter, therefore, that we
choose a man who is not afraid of a new idea, merely
because it is new, who. does not worship an old thing
because it is old, and who does not advocate a new thing
merely because he has the Atlantian temper and is al
ways seeking some new thing.
A clean, capable man of good sense—of liberal temper
—and of progressive ideas, is needed. We have plenty
of them, but it may prove the part of wisdom to call one
of them out, rather than to select one of those who have
called themselves.
The Dewey Brand
Admiral Dewey, now in his 79th year, ranking officer
of the United States navy, is in good health, and actively
engaged in his daily duties in Washington as the pre
siding officer of the Navy General Board, and chief coun
selor of the secretary of the navy. He is the last of the
naval officers who have been in continuous service from
the civil war period, during which time he was. jvith
Farragut, sharing in the capture of the forts below blew
Orleans, an event that led to the occupation of that city
by the Union forces. Admiral Dewey has escaped the
humiliation of witnessing a scuttle out of the Philippines
by this country, a policy proposed in the last Democratic
platform, and pushed to a vote by the present administra
tion. This abject proceeding was prevented by th® full
Republican vote in the House and enough Democratic
votes there to defeat it by a majority of forty.
In considering the subject of preparedness it will al
ways be well to keep in mind the peculiarly effective kind
that Dewey illustrated on the other side of tfie pacific at
the very start of the war with Spain. As commander
of our small fleet Dewey saw the trouble coming* and
made ready to strike an instantaneous blow, ffe stood
pat with the resources he had, asked for nothing more,
and acted regardless of unkown difficulties. Reports
that torpedoes were planted in his path he ignored. He
prepared to the best of his ability for an immediate fight,
and then avoided an hour’s delay. Heading his ships
directly into the zone of battle in Manila Bay, on May 1,
1898, with the ink hardly dry on the declaration of war,
he destroyed eleven ships of the Spanish squadron, and
captured the rest and the land defenses, all without the
loss of an American life. It was a marvelous achieve
ment, made possible by the foresight of the commander.
He gave the subject deep thought weeks in advance of
the outbreak of hostilities, and with what he had on
hand and daring heroically, he went straight into the
battle. He need not blush now for Congress. The scui-
tlers have been rebuked in a way they will not forget.
Dewey’s brand of official preparedness can be recom
mended in all our military operations.