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8 The Golden Age (SUCCESSOR TO RELIGIOUS FORUM) Published Ebery Thursday by the Golden 91 ge Publishing Company (Inc.) OFFICES: LOWNDES BUILDING, ATLANTA, GA. Price: $2.00 a Year WILLI9IM D. UPSHAW, .... Editor A. E. RAMS A UR, - - - Associate Editor Entered at the Post Office tn Atlanta, Ga„ as second-class matter. To the Public: The advertising columns of The Golden Age will have an editorial conscience. No advertisement will be accepted which we believe would be hurtful to either the person or the purse of our readers. “Into Marvelous Light.” With this issue of The Golden Age this stirring story comes to an end. We wish to be just to the author and the reader by saying that, but for the crowded condition of our columns, which has pre vented our carrying larger installments of the story each week, the interest in this serial would have been more widespread and intense. But even with this unavoidable handicap, thousands have followed the story eagerly from week to week. They have lived with the creations of Llewelyn Stephens and have made them characters in real life. John Mars den, Julian Deveaux and Christiana have won their friends and made their foes, and through the pas sionate portrayal of truth and tragedy, the reader has been always stirred and often blessed. “Into Marvelous Light” is Llewelyn Stephens’ first gift to the literary world. It would have been remarkable if it had been a perfect production. Some features of the story have not been indorsed by all who have read it. But, upon the whole, the author has made many enthusiastic friends, and there has come the urgent request that the story be put in book form. The careful reader has not failed to see beneath the lines of every chapter that the author’s su preme purpose has been to teach the conquering truth of real Christianity in transforming society; the regnancy of this implanted and saving principle in lives that have been redeemed; and the wholesome lesson that only those who are “in tune with the Infinite” walk out of the fogs and darkness of doubt and sin “Into Marvelous Light.” Freeman’s Failure. But it was not Freeman’s fault. He tried man fully, but the leaders would not agree to it. Judge Alvan D. Freeman of Newnan, one of the staunchest enemies of the saloon in Georgia, says he had a hard time of it at the recent democratic convention in Macon. He has always taken an active interest in every prohibition contest where intelligent action was demanded and where he could get near enough to throw a bomb into the camp of the enemy; and whenever necessary, he has unsheathed his sword and gone into the thick of the fight. But Judge Freeman had no chance to fight at the convention. He had prepared a strong but perfect ly sane set of resolutions on the liquor question call ing on the convention to declare for a white primary on the sale of liquor in Georgia. Os course such an election would as surely bring prohibition in Georgia as the recent white primary insured the election of governor. Then, if the people who voted for governor actual ly believe in prohibition (and most of them say they do), why not take this short, straight cut to prohibition instead of waiting for “negro dis franchisement”? It seems to us it would be a braver thing to do. And it would bring this greatly desired boon more promptly to the thousands now suffering from the curse of the saloon. But no, the “leaders” would have none of it! He could get nobody to even read the resolutions. The Golden Age for September 20, 1906. They did not want any discord in that convention of glorious and overwhelming harmony. Alas! the case is too patent. The great hero of the hour must not be embarrassed! And harmony —beautiful harmony—must reign over the conven tion, even though the saloon—the saloon on Deca tur street and the saloon on Peachtree—be allowed to reign a few more years! There were many good men in that convention who would have been glad to see that resolution pass. Indeed, we do the great Governor-elect the justice to say that we believe, deep down in his heart, he would have been glad to see such action taken. But things were so complicated! The Liquor Barons laugh in their sleeves as long as they can get voters to put other questions above the liquor question. But when will wise men see that the suppression of the liquor traffic is para mount to every economic question that can confront the state or the nation? Economics, morality, sobriety, manhood, woman hood, citizenship— <and happiness for time and eter nity are all wrapped up in the question on which Judge Freeman tried in vain to have the recent convention of voters speak. 0, voters of the land, awake! Quit being apol ogists for the saloon in any form! Hale’s Hail on “Fonetic Spelling.” It is always a delightful variation to see a man who is active and successful in commercial life tak ing a vigilant and vigorous interest in the world’s best public affairs, whether political, educational or religious. Such a man is Col. D. P. Hale, of the historic town of Sandersville. Mr. Hale has helped to make Sandersville victorious, although his years are not many enough to have allowed him to con tribute much to the history-making work of her pioneers. He is always “up and at it.” One of the most enterprising commercial travelers in all America, he has watched his opportunities and invested his earnings well. Drummer, banker, publicist—that’s a fine combi nation ! He keeps up with the politics of the country, the educational interests of his community, and his state, and has always a watchful eye on the lit erary drift of his times. And amid it all he never gets so far away from home as to forget his “weans and wife,” his church and his pastor. This bit of introduction will cause our readers to enjoy all the more his stirring letter to the man he so much admires—John Temple Graves, editor of The At lanta Georgian. It is good enough to give in full. Writing merrily to the graceful and gallant Graves, he says: “You have ever and always been on the side of the people, fighting their battles with eloquent tongue and trenchant pen, hence my surprise and grief now to find you silent, when the very founda tion stones of our civilization are being assaulted. “My friend, where are you ‘at’? Have you not seen in the papers something about the new-fangled fool spelling that is being promoted by the crazy man of the ‘big stick’? “Have you not seen further that a lot of Georgia Lniversity professors are aping him? “As long as it was confined to the president and his state papers, I was concerned not, but when our own state teachers so far depart from sanity as to follow him to the extent of ‘blusht,’ ‘chapt,’ ‘confest, ’ ‘drest,’ ‘dript,’ ‘dropt,’ ‘droopt,’ ‘fixt,’ ‘heapt, ’ ‘kist,’ ‘lopt,’ and other words of that char acter, I think it is time for me to take my children out of school before they are untaught, or ‘un taut,’ as I suppose Mr. Roosevelt and the Georgia professors would have it. “Again, what do they propose to do with words like ‘bark’ and ‘barque,’ ‘cue’ and ‘queue,’ ‘draft’ and ‘draught,’ ‘dram’ and ‘drachm,’ ‘gild’ and ‘guild,’ ‘mist’ and ‘missed,’ ‘past’ and ‘passed,’ ‘rapt’ ‘rapped’ and ‘wrapped,’ ‘cimeter’ and ‘scimiter, ’ etc.? They all have different meanings when applied to different things. “I grant that there are many words that should be changed, but what these people propose is revo lutionary, and will unsettle our written language for fifty years, besides costing millions of dollars every year for new school books. “This is not all; every man or woman who cares to be ‘proper,’ will have to get a dictionary and learn it over, and many times will be in doubt how to spell the simple words they have always known how to spell in the good old sensible way. * “I am not an educated man, but I am an observant one, and taking my cue from others whom I thought ‘qualified,’ I have for many years ‘dropped’ the ‘u’ in such words as candor, honor, odor, vigor, etc. Likewise, I spell ‘center,’ ‘meter,’ ‘miter,’ etc., but the ‘kist’ and the ‘tapt,’ etc., of the wild man and the Georgia professors ‘is the limit.’ “I want you, my friend, to jump on them and ‘tromp’ the life out of them before they get any standing at all. Sometimes ‘things go by default,’ or ‘defalt, ’ as they will no doubt advocate next. “Yours in distress. “D. P. Hale.” Sandersville, Ga. We believe Mr. Hale and his six children ought to be protected, even if the governor has to call out the militia! Hon. S. G. McLendon. That was a splendid compliment to a splendid gentleman when the State Democratic Convention last week, with unanimity and enthusiasm, tendered Hon. S. G. McLendon, of Thomasville, the nomina tion for Railroad Commissioner. The fact that he was not a candidate and had made no campaign whatever makes the tribute all the more remarka ble. Colonel McLendon is known to be, not a poli tician but a statesman, and railroad legislation has been a special study with him for years. The dread malady, rheumatism, now confines Col onel McLendon to a rolling chair, and his good wife —one of the queenliest Christian women in all the land—bends like “an angel of light and blessing” above that chair which, because of the strong Chris tian manhood in it, has become a throne of power. Hon. Joseph M. Brown, whom Colonel McLendon will succeed, has been a wise and faithful officer, and everybody congratulates the state that the new commissioner will bring to his important trust all that fidelity and statesmanship can lay on the altar of Duty. The Y. M. C. A. Year Book. The 1906 J ear Book of the Young Men’s Chris tian Association has been issued, and it shows a wonderful increase both in the membership and in the results of the work. The total world membership is 405,789. Forty years ago the membership was 32,000. Since 1904 the increase has been 32,000. The New 5 ork M orld, in a recent editorial upon this work, said: “Facts running together prove that much of the amazing growth of the association of late years is attributable to the broadening of its field of effort. Its social endeavors, its educational efforts and its physical culture features are kept in pace with its purely religious work. Its demonstration is com plete that to walk in right paths is not necessarily to turn aside from all the pastimes that make life atractive to growing youth and early manhood. In the 456 gymnasiums, the many swimming pools, the bowling alleys and the athletic fields conducted by the association more than 153,000 men and boys take systematic exercise. In the various educational classes are 36,826 enrolled students. “Something was printed the other day about the decline of the ministry. There are complaints now and then of the falling off of church cong’regations. But as long as the Young Men’s Christian Associa tion continues to expand in good work and excellent results there will still be the evidence of helpful moral and physical forces enduring through a period of religious evolution.”