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— T M S' ' -!. ? Jk T n C W' _ga . sheh®^ w" "WgTY THE VOLUME TWO. WHAT WE THINK OF WHAT WE SEE We can recall several occasions when we were growing up that the distinguished visitor to the school discussed very optimistically the possibility within the grasp of every boy listening to him, namely, that of becoming President of the United States. This was such a favorite subject with dis tinguished visiters that it got on our mind and we began to consider being President. It was not long, however, until we were convinced that the job didn’t carry a salary in keeping with the onerous duties and responsibilities thereunto appertaining, so we turned our attention to other matters. But now when all our training and experience fits us for to tally different work, we learn that we made a mis take. The present President of the United States, Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, has been presented with a fourteen karat gold pass to the ball games played by every baseball league in the United States and Canada during 1907. He can enter the ball park in 258 cities, go right up into the grandstand and watch the game without having to dig up one cent. We are not sure but that the pass also provides that peanuts and lemonade shall be furnished him. Just think of this! Why, in this day and time it must be a real pleasure to be president. There is something to it. As we said before, just think — but what’s the use? It simply requires the imagi nation to get the whole vision of what that pass means. •5 There is a story extant which tells of a very successful politician in the rural districts of a South ern State, who attributed his success to the fact that he could not write, and hence none of his po litical enemies could come forward with his letters on various issues. Perhaps the most interesting letters in a sense are the love letters which are made public now and then in breach of promise proceed ings. Read in the cold, gray dawn of the morning after, as it were, they are strong evidence ~f how successfully people of good sense in other directions can act the fool. The newspapers have recently been publishing the troubles of a gentleman who is about to become the defendant in a breach of prom ise suit. His letters, as given out to the sympathetic reporters by the lady in the case, are remarkable documents in their way. The lady resided in an other state, and after admiration had grown into love and the engagement was entered into, he wrote her quite a number of letters, suggesting that she secure a position in his city, and being thus equip ped to assist in providing for the expenses of house keeping. they would join their fortunes for weal or woe. The business side was thus kept in mind; and the devotional came in for attention as well; each letter abounding in prayers that the lady secure the desired position; that she be guarded and protected in her outgoings and her incomings; etc, etc. But after a time something struck the romance like a blighting frost, and the cruel, prosaic machinery of the courts will probably be resorted to. Evi dently the gentleman’s prayers, for some reason, went astray. The line was busy or the current was ATLANTA, GA., MAY 30, 1907. Sy A. E. RAMS AUK, Managing Editor. off, mayhap. There are several morals in this story which can so easily be found that we will not linger to specify them in detail. We started out to say that there should be some decision by our courts determining just how much latitude a lovesick swain is entitled to in his epistolary statements, before he shall bo considered to have crossed over into the danger zone. Sometimes very little things cause trouble. We heard of a gentleman once who wrote to a lady that he wished her and himself to be “ co-equal, co-essential and co-eternal.” Just what he meant is in some doubt, but a jury of good men and true said that such talk as this was cal culated to ensnare the affections of a trusting fe male, and he had to dig up to settle damages. The Dunkard National Conference met in Los Angeles a few days ago, and among other resolu tions offered for the consideration of the body was the following: “We advise our members against the wearing of neckties and fashionable hats, yet we do not see our way clear to make this a test of fellowship. At the same time we urge our members to guard against giving offense, according to Romans 1:19, and first Corinthians 10:32-34.” This resolution was rejected because it was not strong enough. It is said to be possible that a rule be made making the wearing of neckties a bar to membership. We are reluctant at all times to rush forward with comment on subjects about which we are not fully advised. On the face of it, if Dunkards and Dunkards’ women-folk are like ordi nary folk, we can catch some gleam of wisdom in the barring of fashionable hats, but cutting out neck ties altogether seems to be going some. Now if they would prescribe that members array themselves in ties of solemn black, that would be conservative and perhaps proper. There is no kind of doubt that a gentleman looks somewhat as though he had come away hurriedly when he appears in public without covering of any kind whatsoever to vary the monot ony of his shirt front. In our younger days, spent amid truly rural environments, it was considered perfectly propei for a gentleman with a flowing board to dispense with the necktie. Tn fact, having a beard as specified, it would have been esteemed vulgarly ostentatious to add a tie. As a mattei of fact the beard was a great institution. It relieved of the necessity of purchasing neckwear —it made the shirt’s term of usefulness longer; and best of all, imparted a dignity to the wearer that far transcended ordinary honors. So if the Dunkards have long beards wo can see how they will manage; without the beard it is hard lines. ** *. We have more respect for the mother-in-law as an institution than we have for anything w’e can now’ think of, except the freedom of the press. We never lose an opportunity to condemn any one w’ho seeks to make a joke of the mother-in-law. We cannot be sure that w’e have really accomplished anything in our defensive crusade, but we do rejoice in the consciousness of duty performed in so far as'our abilities would permit. We confess also to a fondness for the Irish. They are a generous, lov able people and not their least charm is their unfail ing gift of wit. But we now have to confess that we are disappointed in at least one member of that race. We have read in a contemporary of an Irish man, just over from old Erin, who walked into an undertaking establishment in Philadelphia and asked for the proprietor. When that personage appeared, Pat asked: “What is the badge of a death in the family in this country?” “Well,” said the under taker, “when your mother or wife dies you wear a wide black band around your arm or hat. If it is a son or daughter you should wear a smaller band. ’ ’ “Sure and give me a shoestring,” said the mourn ing Irishman, as he fumbled in his pocket for a coin; “me mother-in-law has just died.” It It The recent action of the Evangelical Ministers’ Association of Atlanta, Georgia, in abandoning the belief in the total depravity of human nature as being essential to membership in that body, has aroused much interest and discussion. A correspond ent writing to a daily paper of this city, says, among other things: “We grab what is in sight. Religion has a bright side, but not in a worldly sense. The church has built up its social side to the actual detriment of its religion. Give us pastors whose visage rather suggests the grave yard than the ball room. We live in a rush and hell has be come a chimera. “What do we believe, and will stick to, any way ? “The best friend any man ever had was the one who made him believe he’d go to hell should he die. If religion is anything, it is everything in the final round up.” In tliis connection, we are reminded that this al ways interesting subject of a state of suffering awaiting the sinner, was approached in the proper way by an exhorter whose views are printed in a contemporary magazine. He started out by telling his hearers just how long they would have to suffer should they be turned away with the lost. He said: “Eternity is forever and forever, and five or six everlastings on top of that. Why, brothers and sisters, after millions and billions of centuries had rolled away in eternity, it would still be a hundred thousand years to breakfast time.” Even this most praiseworthy effort to give a realizing sense of the length of eternity was outdone by a colored minister of whom we read. He was denounc ing the sinner contingent of his congregation, and as a warning, told them: “Why, my poor, sinful friends, Hell is going to last a long time. Suppose an English sparrow would take a drop of water out of the Pacific Ocean and hop one hop a day till he dropped it into the Atlantic Ocean, and then hopped a hop a day back for the second drop, and so on till he had the Pacific dry; why, even then, it wouldn’t be sun-up in Hell!” TWO DOLLARS A YEAR. FIVE CENTS A COPY.