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10 THE ATLANTIAN Carry Your Account With The Fourth National You will find that the service rendered the patrons of this institution is of a high order. No detail of the hank ing matters you may entrust to us is considered too insig nificant for close and courteous attention. Accounts of individuals, as well as those of firms and corporations, are solicited. We have a Department for Savings in which we pay interest, compounded semi-annually. We have a Department Exclusively for women, in charge of a woman teller, and most conveniently arranged to facilitate the transaction of business. CAPITAL $600,000.00 SURPLUS AND PROFITS 825,000.00 FOURTH-NATIONAL-BANK. U. S. NEARING CRISIS; AUS TRALIA POINTS WAY. (Elwood Mead, Railroad Expert) Former Engineer For Uncle Sam, Now in Australian Service, De clares Government Ownership of Railroads is Essential to Progress Along Right Lines. By William E. Sinythe. Elwood Mead, for many years State engineer of Wyoming and afterwards chief of the bureau of irrigation inquiry at 'Washington, was called to the public service of the Australian State of Vic toria’ three years ago. llo left here one of the most conserva tive Americans, lie returns for a brief visit “a wild-eyed Australian,” con vinced of the justice and wisdom of Aus tralian institutions. ‘‘The people of the United States will never solve their railroad problem except by public ownership,” says l)r. Mead. 1 ‘ The Americans excel in energy, op timism and self-reliance, but the Aus tralians excel in the provision tney make for the welfare of the common man. ‘‘If the American people do not cor- icct present tendencies, their country will become nothing but a machine to grind out dividends for great corpora tions. In that event, the crown of de mocracy will leave the'eastern shores of the Pacific and settle on its western shores. ’’ Dr. Mend says that under the Austra lian system of government' ownership there aro no rebates to favored shippers, and that it is impossible for the railroad to build up one city and destroy another by the well known American device of ‘‘long and short haul.” The result, is a more even distribution of population between the city and the country, and the prompt development of localities which justify the extension of transportation facilities. Each year a large surplus is accumu lated to meet emergencies. When this surplus becomes larger than prudence re quires it is not paid out in dividends, as in the United States, but used to make better service, lower rates or better pay for employees. ‘‘The result,” says Dr. Mead, ‘‘is constant reduction of fares and freight rates and the rapid development of the finest railway service in the world. ’ ’ Nothing better illustrates the conse quence of running railroads from the standpoint of humanity rather than the standpoint of money, than the way in which Australia deals with the victims of railroad disasters. Dr. Mead relates that about a year ago 42 persons were killed by a collision between a fast expres and a train stand ing at a station. In the United States railroad claim agents would have made cheap cash settlements or compelled be reaved or injured to meet costly litiga tion dragged through the courts for years. But the government appointed first- class attorneys at its own expense not te fight the victims, but to help them. It created a special court to hear the cases without delay. The last case was disposed of within six weeks of the time of the disaster, with damages apportion ed not on the basis of human greed, but ' of human need. A widowed mother who had been re ceiving $0(50 a year from a son received $10,000, the economic value of the (lead son capitalized at (5 per cent. Dr. Mead was reminded of the fami liar argument against government owner ship in this country—the fear of a horde of railway employees in poiltics who would make it impossible to put the rul ing party out of power, no matter how much the people might desire to do so. Mead laughed. ‘‘Why,” he said, ‘‘it works just the other way. In the first place, all the employees are appointed under civil service rules and political in fluence counts for nothing. In the next place, the employees know that the min istry may fall at any moment, so that the party in power today may be out of power tomorrow. ‘‘The United States is approaching a crisis and the character of its institutions in the future will be governed very large ly by the decision which it shall make in regard to the ownership of public utilities. Australia has demonstrated be yond all question that Democratic con trol is essential to the freedom and wel fare of the masses.” SICKROOM VISITORS. Three days after the operation, the doctor told the patient that she could have company. ‘ ‘ Not too many at first, you know,” he said, ‘‘but two or three visitors a day.” ‘ ‘ But 1 don’t want company, ’ ’ the patient surprised him by saying. ‘ ‘ Don't want company ? Well, you ’re the first person I’ve heard say that.” “Very little, 1 meant, doctor. I don’t want to see many of my friends. Didn’t you ever notice that mannerisms that everybody has? It’s just the little hab its that people get into that arc most wearing when you are sick, and I’m always inclined to tell persons right out that they're annoying me. Then, of course, if I do, they’re hurt. You know the sort of little characteristics that are often noted in the court room; how the judge swings his glasses, and the lawyer twists his hair, and the prisoner swings his foot back and forth. When I am sick there's nothing more annoying than those little habits. 1 don't know a soul who hasn't got some few habits that are very unpleasant when I am sick, and I think everybody will agree with me. People are not good in a sick room as a rule just because they have some harm less little habit like rocking violently in a chair, or beating a tattoo on the table, or fiddling with something in the hands.” —New York Press. A BUM SMOKE. ‘‘Now, there’s Dudley, for instance; his wife does all his shopping for him and—• ’ ’ ‘‘Yes, I suspected that the first time I saw him.” ‘ ‘ That so ? Why. ’ ’ ‘‘He gave me one of his cigars.”— Catholic, Standard anil Times. THE LADY FROM MISSOURI. The Caller—Time passes quickly in company, doesn’t it? The Victim—Does it?—Puck. “THOSE DOTTED LINES.” “ I got the idea by seeing, in the news papers, sketches of the escape of crimi mils. I studied the dotted lines show ing the flight of the criminal, and I de cided I could do the same thing.” This is what a young man, charged with breaking into nineteen homes in Passaic, N. J., and stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of valuables, said the other day at the time of his conviction and sentence to State prison. Henry R. Anthony is his name. He is twenty-one years old and up to the time he turned burglar, a year ago, testified that he was employed as a civil engineer. Who turned Henry R. Anthony from the honest life of a civil engineer to the dishonest life of a burglar? He con fesses that it was ‘ ‘ the dotted lines ’ ’ lie found in a yellow newspaper. How many others have been changed from upright, honest men into thieves, burglars and pickpockets by those dotted lines of the yellow press? How many contented, prosperous, well- satisfied and comfortable workingmen have been made discontented, unhappy, I envious and uncomfortable by the dot ted lines of some muck-raking publica tion appealing to their passions and pre judices? How many good citizens, proud of their country, ambitious to succeed, willing to give every one a square deal and to ac cept the same for themselves, have been mado restless, unpatriotic, lazy and vicious by listening to the gospel of dis content that selfish demagogues with sil ver tongues are forever preaching to the crowd? How many virtuous, loving, easy-go ing, but well-intentioned girls have for gotten home and mother and drifted in to the path that leads to perdition be cause they read the yellow novels and ! sensational newspapers with their dotted lines? The dotted lines are not found only in the yellow press and in muck-raking magazines. They appear in every speech that preaches anarchy, in every voice that proclaims discontent and in every •! breath that advocates the invasion of property rights and the undermining of | confidence in our executive, legislative and judicial departments. What a fearful responsibility they take—the heedless men who draw those dotted lines!—Leslie’s. WHAT ROBBIE WANTED TO KNOW. | He asked so many questions that day that he finally wore out his mother’s patience, says Success. ‘‘Robert,” she crie.i, ‘‘if you ask me another question I shall put you to bed j without your supper.” Robert promptly asked another and was packed off to bed. Later his moth er repented. After all, asking questions was the only way he could acquire knowl edge; so she tiptoed upstairs, knelt be- i side Robert’s bed, and told him she was sorry. ‘‘Now, dear,” she said, ‘‘if you want to ask one more question before you go to sleep, ask it now and I will try to answer. ’ ’ Robert thought for a moment, then j said, ‘‘Mother, how far can a cat spit?”