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THE YOUNG SOUTHERNER Conducted by Louise Threete Hodges. Announcement. “The Young Southerner Department of The Golden Age is designed primarily to entertain and instruct young Americans, and by suggestion and otherwise to direct their energies in such channels as will aid in developing them into sturdy, self reliant, sane, patriotic citizens. As a stimulus to careful observation and diligent study along wholesome lines, and as a means of de veloping literary talent, it is the purpose of The Young Southerner to afford opportunity to young Americans to give expression to their impressions of things they see around them, and of what they have learned from books. Writing for the pleasure and benefit of others will, it is believed, prove an incentive for each to do his or her best, both in the matter of acquiring knowledge and in giving expression to it. With true Southern hospitality, The Young Southerner will welcome contributions from broth ers, sisters and cousins of every section—north, east and w’est, as well as from comrades of the fair and beloved Southland. As to the character of the contributions, the field is wide and the subjects manifold. But it is desired and intended that whatever appears in the columns of The Young Southerner will be inspirational; shall point to high ideals, tend to broaden knowl edge and to the development of highest Christian citizenship. While The Young Southerner will be devoted mainly to the interests of young people, it is not intended for them exclusively. It Is Hoped That Older Persons, young in heart, will find pleasure and profit in its columns. And it is not meant to confine the contri butions to young writers. The co-operaton of pa rents, teachers and all the Abou Ben Adhems is invited. Now, a word to young contributors: If you can Avrite a good short story of fiction, if you have a bit of personal experience out of the ordinary, if you know of some humorous incident that you can skillfully weave into a short sketch, if you can tell a thrilling story of travel or adventure or clothe an incident of history in an interesting dress; if you can tell a story of farm life or of some unusual in dustry or of an American institution, if you can describe some picturesque bit of natural scenery in which America is so rich; in short, if you have im agination or good eyes and ears, look about you and you can find material for many interesting stories suited to the wants of The Young Southerner. If Possible, Get Out of Beaten Paths. Select a subject that you know something about or can learn about, study it in all its phases, then write with the best of your ability and be sure that The Young Southerner will be glad to hear from you. Os course, you know there are certain rules you must observe in the preparation, the technique, of your manuscript. Write on one side only of your paper. Write as plainly and neatly as you can. If you wish to use a nom-de-plume, place that at the end of your man uscript, but put your real name and full address in the margin at the upper left-hand corner of the first page. In the upper left-hand corner place the num ber or approximate number of words in your man uscript. There will be a corner in The Young Southerner for correspondence, and bright, intelligent letters will be welcome. But don’t let your letters be a rep etition of “I go to school and love my teacher very much.” Os course you love your teacher, if she is lovable; but there is nothing particularly interest ing in that fact. Make your letters brief and let them tell of something that will be of general in terest. Cultivate individuality. Don't try to imi tate some one else. The Golden Age for March 1, 1906. For the entertainment of the younger readers, The Young Southerner -will be glad to have contribu tions of puzzles, enigmas, conundrums, etc. Each contribution of this kind must be original and ac companied by full answer. At no time in our country’s history has there been more serious efforts on the part of educational forces in our centres of learning and among the cultured classes to stimulate study along the higher planes and to cultivate aesthetic taste in literature, music, painting and all those things that speak for higher culture, than at the present. But side by side with this intellectual alertness is a condition which reveals a darker picture. At a recent meeting of the Southern Association of College Women, some interesting and almost ap palling statistics, compiled from census returns, were read as to the illiteracy of white children in Georgia and other States, particularly in the rural districts. That large numbers of children, as shown by sta tistics, are growing up without school facilities and with no sort of stimulus for acquiring even a rudi mentary education is a fact that calls for thought and action on the part of all ivho feel an interest in the future of our young people and in the welfare of the country. If parents cannot or will not provide for the edu cation of their children, then the State should take the matter in hand and see that these children have a chance to prepare themselves for the duties and privileges of citizenship. That children who grow to maturity in illiteracy will be handicapped through all their future lives no matter what their vocation or environment may be is a fact to palpable that the statement is a platitude. We, of the Southern sections particularly, have of later years become so accustomed to writing and talking and hearing of our unprecedented material resources and development along industrial lines— so used to looking on the bright side of our future that we are in danger of overlooking some condi tions that menace the symmetry of our advance ment. That the illiteracy referred to is not the result entirely of poverty is ’shown by statistics, since the per cent, of illiteracy is much greater in some sec tions than in others in proportion to the per capita of wealth. Whatever the cause may be, there is need for in vestigation and for the application of a remedy. Speak well of those about you, or speak of them not at all. Silence is better than evil speech. There are few’ persons that have not some good qualities, so look for the good and keep your eyes resolutely closed to the unlovely. You will thus create about you an atmosphere of good will that will make you a desired companion and will make not only others, but yourself, happier. Kindly speech, a genial manner and a show of interest in what others are trying to do, cost noth ing but a little time and, maybe, a little effort, but they go far toward making the world a good place in which to live. One great value about thinking about others is that we thereby get a rest from thinking about our selves, which is the chief cause of personal unhap piness. The less a man thinks about himself, the happier, mathematically and inevitably, he is bound to be. To love somebody, to help somebody, even to worry over somebody, is far more cheerful busi ness than to be shut up to “his majesty, myself.” —Selected. He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city; and she that looketh well to her house, than the founder of many clubs. What Is Progress? “Progress is an upward, onward Motion toward perfection’s goal, Through the body’s realm of action To the birthright of the soul. From the pen where falsehood fattens To the hall where princes meet, ’Tis the crushing out of evil, And the curbing of deceit. ’Tis the searching out through science, Os the truths by God designed, Fruits of well directed labor To bestow on human kind. ’Tis a fight for human freedom And the sacred rights of man Waged in many an iron conflict Since the march of time began. From the oriental tyrant And the serfs by greed oppressed. To the reign of law and order In republics of the West. ’Tis an onward, upward effort In the cause of human right, Toward the minimum of darkness And the maximum of light.” I have seen a copy of the new paper The Golden Age, and see that you invite letters from young persons. I wish to be among the first to respond to your generous invitation, and hope to have my letter in the next issue. There are many things that boys and girls might write about that would be of interest to one an other. I am just beginning the systematic study, of the poems of Sidney Lanier. His “Song of the Chat tahoochee” gives, I think, a beautiful picture of obedience to the call of duty. I had a view of the river a short time ago, and I confess the stream itself did not impress me nearly so much as did the beautiful poem that Lanier wrote about it. I hope to see in The Young Southerner many letters from boys and girls. But I must not make mine too long. MARY LEE MARTIN. With Correspondents. I am glad to publish Mary Lee Martin’s letter, and to see that she knows the value of systematic study. lam sure she will find many beauties in the poems of Sidney Lanier. Will not other boys and girls tell us of what they are doing, or hope to do? L. T. H. * ♦ Should you, being in Russia, wish to do the mar keting, you will have little trouble in finding the various shops, even though you are a stranger who can neither speak, read nor write the language. The shopkeepers of Russia use the “picture lan guage” so to speak, to make known their where abouts and to advertise their wares. The outer walls of the shops are covered with crudely painted pictures of the various articles for sale. The butcher shop has pictures of meat of all sorts and kinds depicted with such fidelity that even the wayfarer may read as he runs; coats and trousers point the way to the tailor shop; the varied articles of women’s wear are unblushingly displayed in pictorial form; fruit, vegetables and the entire stock of the green-grocer are painted “large as life and twice as natural.” Thus it w’ill be seen that the Russians have not departed altogether from the primitive ways of their forefathers. 11