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VOL UJIL TWO
HUTISL K IHHLL.
WHA T WE THINK OF WHA T WE SEE
“The sanction of genius and the sympathy of
earth’s greatest minds and hearts are ours when
we plead for systematic religion, for method and
rule in ordering the higher life of the spirit. The
age, the generation that represents the apotheosis
of mediocrity may be forgiven for making haste
to cast off what it calls the trammels of religion
and the irksomeness of rules and laws; but surely
the era of. intellect should understand that system
feeds inspiration, that method is the sign of power
and greatness. Nature always works by rule; the
sun in its rising never is a stroke of the clock be*
hind, nor a stroke late in its setting. By rule,
also, coal dust crystallizes into the diamond, and
the clay into the sapphire; by rule nature paints
the violet and lays the warm tones into apple or
peach. By rule April wreathes her orchards with
pink and frail-floretted shapes. By rule August
covers the hills with the golden glow of clustering
food. By rule September makes the valleys, cov
ered with corn, to laugh and sing.”
The Salvation Army has opened an anti-suicid ■
bureau in New York City. As its name indicates,
the bureau is established to prevent suicide. To
this end, when persons meditating suicide appear
and tell their troubles, there is some one on hand
to point out to them just what a mistake it would
be to leave this world just at this time. On one
day last week there were thirteen callers at the
Bureau. Os the men, fivle were married and four
unmarried. Their reasons for wanting to “end it
all” were various. In one instance the applicant
seems to have been entirely honest. He said th°‘
he wanted to die, because he just somehow couldn’t
make up his mind to be fond of work. When
some one discovers a vaccin for destroying the lazi
ness bacillus a strong ninety per cent of suicides
will be averted. The suicide idea doesn’t annoy
the man with a job who earns his salary.
There are a number of things nearer home that
need our attention, but the Panama Canal situa
tion worries us considerably. It seems to be a job
that looked good to the engineers when they first
drove up, but which turned out wrong in some
mysterious manner after due examination and re
flection. Consider the history of it. First, Chief
Engineer Wallace went, saw, was charmed, happy
(beyond expression and would soon have something
happening. One day he got a picture post-card
from home, read it carefully, and was never the
same man from that minute. He quit. Then
Theodore Shonts was discovered to be the very
Boy to dig. He went down, was just as pleased as
he could be with the situation; wrote several
pieces for the papers; all at once he quit. But
Mr. Stevens appeared to be the really-truly man
for the place. He went; same old story. In the
meantime the President had gone down, had ac
tually handled every foot of the canal, made pic
tures of everything in sight, and he, in his turn
was De-elighted. The situation is odd. Nobody
ATLANTA, GA., MARCH 7, 1907.
By A. E. RAMSAUR, /fanaging Editor.
could be found to boss the job, although it is ti e
most attractive position ever open to man in the
history of the world (so they say). Now Maj.
Goethals of the Engineering Corps of the Array,
who can’t help going where he is told to go, will
undertake the task. If he begins to rejoice and
write for the papers when he gets there, we have
no hope of any digging being done. “The Pana
ma Canal Primer,” soon to be issued thus <1
scribes the canal:
“How long is the canal?”
“About a century.”
“When will the canal be completed?”
“This is a Primer, not a dream-book.”
Phrase-making has become an important art in
England just as it is in America. Recently, Mrs.
Mary Mann, who was in her younger days a cele
brated sword-swallower, and who is now, owing to
her wonderfully developed oesophagus, a promi
nent orator among the woman-suffragists in that
country, was addressing a sympathetic audience.
She believes in President Roosevelt and sees in
him the sole hope of the triumph of the cause of
woman-suffrage among the nations of the earth.
Her felicitous phrase occurred in this connection'
“Women, mark my word, the President of the
United States is the only man willing and ready to
bring about women’s rights. He has promised to
look into the question for our suffering sisters in
America and his attitude on the subject will be fol
lowed in this country.” And so on. But could
“suffering sisters” be excelled? It is crammed
to the brim and overflowing with alliteration, path
os and long-suffering. Under the influence of that
phrase we have hope for the future of the move
ment.
The Oldest Inhabitant long ago remarked that
it “never rained but it poured.” Poor Mother
Eddy is out in a horrible downpour. A leading
magazine is printing a Life of her which is full of
misstatements accompanied by pictures of other
people, alleged to be hers, and now a- suit has
been brought by her son and others against the
Christian Science Church, requiring an accounting
of the money which belongs to the Mother or the
Church or some one. The questions sought to be
decided by the suit are briefly: Where is that mon
ey? Whose is it? How much is there? Why
shouldn’t we (the plaintiffs) have it? The bring
ers of the suit say they really do not care for any
of the money themselves, but they know there
must be a lot of it somewhere, and they are afraid
it may get into unhallowed hands. It seems that
Mrs. Eddy, some years ago, created a kind of
Trust for the publication and exploitation of
“Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures”
and other publications of the faith. There was
an immense sale, and presumably a large profit
realized; but the True Believers on the outside
looking in, have not participated. Os late years
the publishing has been done by a company
formed by the Church, and this business has pre
sumably prospered and waxed strong. Now, plain
ly stated, the allegations of the present suit are
that a certain clique has been formed around Mrs.
Eddy, who prevent her holding free intercourse
with the outside world, even her relatives; that she
is coerced into acting according to the wishes of
the said clique; that she is not capable of protect
‘ ing her own financial interests —hence the suit.
Poor Mother Eddy! Her Trust is going to be
busted, too.
Once upon a time, long, long ago, a young man
surnamed Joseph got into trouble because he
wore too gay a coat. Now, in these latter days,
another young man frontnamed Joseph is also in
trouble because of gaudy appareling in the coat
particular. Hon. Joseph W. Bailey, of Texas,
promised his constituents when he was first sent
to Washington, never to wear evening dress. But
when he became a Senator he succumbed to his
surroundings and donned the forbidden badge oi
a degenerate and effeminate society, thus causing
a cold tremor of horror to sweep throughout the
whole length and breadth of state. / ■
Governor Thomas Campbell has also fallen. He
has appeared in public wearing a swallow-tail coat.
The Honey Grove Signal, an important newspaper
of its section, thus discusses the defection of Gov
ernor Campbell:
“When plain Tom Campbell appeared in Honey
Grove last summer looking for votes, how diff u
ent the habiliments that wrapped his Democratic
frame! Well do we remember the $1.50 slouch
hat that canopied his dome of thought. And the
cheap alpaca coat with a ripped pocket, covering
a shirt front not immaculate and showing a pair
of suspenders not new. A plain leather belt as
sisted in keeping his trousers at the right place.
He chewed a world of Tinsley tobacco and could
expectorate as big a streak of yellow fluid as was
ever aimed at a crack in the floor.”
And removed as we are, far from the scenes
wherein these gentlemen move and whisk theii
swallow tails around, we are moved to resentment
by their actions. No Texan has any excuse for deck
ing himself out like a waiter or a diplomat. Let
public opinion run its course. They should be
shown that this kind of thing will not be tolerated.
The negro janitor of the medical school of the
University of Georgia has been arrested charged
with having stolen one hundred skeletons belong
ing to the school. He is said to have carried out
the bones one at a time until each skeleton was
complete. This shows how the style in negroes
changes. The old-fashioned kind would not have
done this, for one of them couldn’t have carried
enough rabbit’s fleet to make him safe. And the
day is seemingly past when the owner of a water
melon patch can protect his melons by spreading
the report that it is ha’nted.
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