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THC
brsry County Weekly
FRANK fU'UUAN, Krtiior
Sntv-r iliit *stnflor.- 4 t MMVmo >t>n
Oa., as sooond-c.ass mail matter.
Advertising Rates furnished on Mupli
sation.
Official Organ of Henry County.
MOn vi T;i, G i., Feb. 19, 1015
Life Resents South’s Methods.
Here is what “Life,” a magazine
“said to be funny” inflicts upon
its readers, under the heading,
“The Inferiority of the Negro:”
“Our friends down South, being
sure that the negroes are inferior,
deny them advantages and pro
vide inferior schools for negro
children in order that they will
continue to be inferior and thus
prove the correctness of the con
tention of the scientists and sen
timentalists that the negro is infe
rior. After all, there is nothing
quite so satisfying as the feeling
that you have got things fixed so
that you will always have an infe
rior race in your midst.”
We appreciate Life’s considera
tioninsending us a copy ofitsmag
azine with the above article mark
ed. Otherwise we would not
have had knowledge that any
public writer in our country is still
living in the dark ages which the
whole North passed through just
after our War Between the
States, an age of extravagant
south-haters and negrophiles.
That was an age of a virulert
epidemic of hate and prejudice
more fatal to the finer feelings
than cholera is to the body.
And here comes a writer who
displays in his make-up a violent
recrudoscense of this leprosy of
the soul.
The immediate cause of such a
malady is always either a mental
mal-nutrition of the food of facts
found every wiiere about the suf
ferer or an anaemia of the soul
due to its lack of energy in par
taking of tiie proteids of fact easi
ly available and the consequent
poverty of the blood.
Had this malady attacked Life a
r ’ew decades ago, it might have
)een fatal, but now it need not be
50 at all.
We have learned now how to
treat and cure it. So successful
has the method of treatment been
that we re lily believed that this
scourge had been entirely wiped
out never again to appear.
Out of abundant precaution the
health authorities nyav see fit to
isolate this case until future devel
opments may determine the wisest
way to handle the case.
We do not think such a course
necessary, however. We believe
that a few hypodermic injections
of information will preserve Life
and even make it wholesome.
The only problem now is how
medical attention may be provided
for the sufferer. You see, it has
not yet been a complete genera
tion since this scourge was doing
its most deadly work in preaching
to the negro “Forty acres and a
mule,” all to be taken fro n the
Souttiern white man, and political
rule over the white man by his
former slave. So that even the
medical world still retains its feel
ing of horror at the very thought
of a return of this in Uady, though
it in iy be in the shape of a single,
very mild case.
I.i the days of its greatest dan
ger this leprosy had to be treated
by the severe application of a se
cret formula known only to a new
school of medicine which originat
ed it, the Ku Kiux school.
But this schooi passed out when
the necessity which brought it in-
to being existed no longer, and its
! secrets died with it.
l ucre is only one hope we can
see. As the negro learned much
from tins sctiool of in ‘diciue when
it was at its best, he may know
something yet of the treatin nt.
We could readily spare some of
our colored brethren of the medi
cal profession and suggest that
Life cail one or more to treat his
fearful case.
This will enable him to study
the negro also and maybe confirm
tins editor in the belief he hints
at that the negro is not his infer
ior.
This issue of Life was sent to
newspap' rs throughout the S outh,
with the article quoted by us
marked. We thiuK we under
stand the motive with which it
was sent.
Life’s editor expected and
hoped that many of these news
papers would dignify his fling
with some editorial notice and he
would thereby reap much free
advertising.
He is entitled to all the adver
tising which comes to him from
what we have said above.
We may dven h ive som ‘thing
more to say on the subject, but
this is enough for this week.
Unsigned Communications.
Newspapers have peen conduct
ed for a long time, and for the
same length of time have the edi
tors been reminding contri
butors that unsigned communi
cations will not be published.
Many busy editors announce
that they will not even read
annonymous comm unicat ions.
But still newspapers almost dai
ly continue to receivesuch letters.
Recently several of our corre
spondents have sent unsigned
news letters. This week an 1 1 ist
there were several such. One
managed to he published only be
cause it was accompanied by a
letter which was signed. Even
then, however, we ourselves wrote
the contributor’s name at me bot
tom of 4 he news letter.
We cannot publish unsign 'd
letters. It is not sufficent that
the name he on envelope. It
must be signed to the news article.
Pine Apple.
Danilee Turner, of Griffin,
visite 1 relatives in this vicinity a
few days last week. .
Mrs. T. W Price and little Mis -
Florence visited it this place Sat
urday.
Mr. and M-s. C. C. lister visit
ed Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Norton
Saturday night.
Mrs. .J, F Lester visited Mrs. T.
J. Morris near McDonough Thurs
day.
•
Mr. J. M. Lester and familv
visited the families of Messrs. W.
H. Fargason and Frank Cake?
Sunday.
Mr. David Wall visited Macon
Sunday.
Prof. Grey will demonstrate the
Weber Wagon on the square Sat
urday at 11 a. m. and 2 p. rr.
Come and see him draw a load
with his teeth. S aid by Smith
&■ Amis. McDonough, Ga. Adv.
Mis Mirv Birker, of Atlanta,
was the week-end guest of Mrs.
Annie M Nolan.
Miss A nie Lmnon, of A rues
Scott Co’ege, was at home for
the week-end. Her host of
friends rejoice to heir tli t
she is taking a very high stand in
her studies.
Mr. Lo ns S nith, of M icon, was
in our city Sunday.
MR. DOZIER FIELDS
WRITES FINE ES’AY.
“Christmas; Its Origins and Cus
toms" Was Published in
Athens Daily Herald.
The following article was taken
from the Athens Daily Herald and
was written by Mr. Dozier Fields,
a son of Mr J. F. M. Fields, of this
city, and now a student at the
University of Georgia.
He is also a graduate of the Mc-
Donough High School and his
manv friends here and in the coun
t will enjoy reading the excellent
essay:
CHRISTMAS; ITS ORIGIN
AND CUSTOMS.
The origin of Christians is a
subject as interesting as it is ob
scure; its customs and their ori
gins whi e better known and un
derstood are none the less very
interesting. j
The exact date of the oirth of
Christ is not known definitely; it
is placed by different authorities
variously in tie- months of April,
May, June and October of the year
48. C. Clearly the day of n :ivi
ty, which we now celebrate an
December 25, was not in ifee ‘ru
ber, for during that in >nth t.,e
rainy se is >a in Judea is at its
height t 1 shepherds would hard
ly have been watching their flocks
by night in the plains at such a
time.
The observation of Christ’s
birih began sometime during the
fourth or fifth century, the wes
tern church begin liig the cali
bration. About the year 340 A-
D. Sulius directed St. Cyril to look
into th ■ q iesti*» i of the S iviour’s,
v
birth and h*, after investigation,
reported th it the western church
observe iit on December 25, a
date which seemed most logical to
him. Our observance of Cnrist
nus exten Is back to this but in
order to see how the month of
December came to he selected as
the proper time to celebrate the
corning of Christ into the world,
let us lo >k back over the festivi
ties which were held long before
the nativity.
Pagan nations looked upon the
season of winter with awe, for
then it was that nature began her
activities ane v, and whmi tne days
began to shorten they ,v. re seized
with a fear that the nun was dying.
And so when the days co u n meed
to lengthen and the sm t > linger
for a longer time on theearte > acii
day they made ii a time f r re
joicing, and this peroid natu diy
fell somewhere about the 25m oi
December.
The Germans, who believed
that between December 25 and
Jan. 6 they could trace the person-
al movements on earth of their
deities Odin and Berchta, celebra
ted at tueir mid-winter solstice the
return of the fiery sun-wheel with
a feast which they called the Yule
feast. The Saturnalia of the Ro
mans which was a time of merry
making for them, a kind of har
vesting home, took place about
the same time; the Roman streets
a ere ihronJed with people at that
time, enjoying themselves at
sanies and exchanging gifts. Yule
tide was also a season of festivals
and rej >icing among the Scandi
navian§ani Britons an i s> it is
easy to see ho v Christia lity took
over tnese ce! 'orations and trans
formea them into a com neinora
tion of oar Lord’s birth.
From the D -a is c tines the cus
tom or decora ing with mistletoe
at *Jlinst n is. fn yyJhelJ a special
reverence for tins small plant,
p u ticLilarlv when they ton id 11
growing o 1 ous, an 1 it was then
custom to a t ig it over i 1 *ir dooi
daring the wi iter in )nttis as a
sign of welcome to the gods ot the,
forest. At the end of the old
year they' gathered it and present
ed it as a special offering to Jupi
ter. Holly, which tradition tells
us was the bush in which God
first appeared t.> Moses, owes its
use for decorative purposes to
these same Druids.
The superstition, if such it may
be called, with regard to kissing
beneath the mistletoe, points back
to an interesting bit of Scandi
navian mythology. Loki, it is said
bore a deadly hate for the Baluer.
the Apollo of the North, Tut he
had no apparent means of re
venge, for everything which
sprang from earth, Try o'~ air wa;
pledged not to harm Baidm. At
last however, Loki hit un a plan
of having an arrow made from
the mistle'oe v hit u hid been
deemed too insigniiicanl l > be
pledged to allegiance. With this
arrow he ind iced the blin i Hoiur
to shoot his enemy with the re
sult that Bilder was instantly ku 1
ed. He was, however, restor'd
to life at the requ. st or the gods
and the mist'etoe was given into
the keeping oi the goddess or'
where ever)one who parsed be
neath it kissed it to Glow that it
was not a sign of dtatn hut of
1 we.
iS u ‘a Ciaus, win • » we regard
as an institution r uner th m as a
custom, has been traced back to
| St. Nicholas,the Bishop of Myra,
as the originator. Tin's good man
was extremely fond of children
and later, under the name of St.
Nicholas, came to oe regarded as
their patron saint. Many are the
stories told of him but the one
which seems to bear the most re
lation to the customs of hanging
up stockings runs as follows: The
Bishop being desirous of helping,
secretly an old man whom he
knew to be in need, decided to go
to the man’s home at Christmas
tide and dr >p several coins down
the chimney. The coins, instead
of falling on the htarth as he ex
pected, fell into a stocking which
was hanging by the fire to dry
The money was used, is is said, as
a dowry for the eldest daughter,
MAKING THE SCHOOLHOUSE THE SOCIAL CENTER
' V
ii
1 " L -- a-'
, • -- - »
The sclioolhouse shown in the above cut and built by the Milstead Manu
facturing Company, near Conyers, Ga., for the benefit of their employees, is
an interesting example of progress in the practical education of children and
also of the idea expressed in the phrase, “Making the Sclioolhouse the
Social Center.”
This school has four class rooms, a library, a room for the cooking class, a
boys’ workshop and an auditorium seating 300, arranged for lectures, theat
ricals, motion pictures, etc. The building is modern in design and arrange
ment and has modern plumbing, heating, ventilating, lighting and fire pro
tection systems. The cost, including tiie equipment and furnishings, was
SIO,OOO.
It is interesting to note that in connection with this srhool there is a
garden tract provided, which is subdivided into individual plots for the boys
and girls and is irrigated from a tank cn the sclioolhouse roof. It is proposed
to give practical and scientific instruction in the planting, growth and care
of garden products and to stimulate interest in the same by prizes for the
most successful gardens. The pupils, of course, ketp the products grown on
their own plots.
The p an of inccrp:raring an auditorium in the school building for the
pleasure ar.d profit u! the whole community, is an idea that may be of va ua
to many small towns. In such an auditorium the local deflating society may
Uo:d its public debates; the amateur theatrical club give i's dramatic produc
tions; Christmas and other holiday celebrations may be he d therein, and
it is available for lectures and po itical addresses A moving picture program
may be inaugurated ouce a week or oftener and, with proper supervision
in respect to the selection ol subjects, should prove of educational va’ue
as well as of relaxation and entertainment In these views one may see
wonderful sights the world over, beautiful places of nature and the triumphs
of art and invention. One may see far away cities and countries and their
people at work and at play. The mind is broadened and quicken* d by sigiit3
which only travel could otherwise supply.
Wh> shou d not most country towns enjoy equal advantages with mill
wn and provide a sclioolhouse where the children may have modern
00l tacilities, a place also where ihe entire ne.gaborhood may meet
mutual en*<urment aud improvement?
and thereafter whenever a d iu jit
ter of the housi vis t) b; nir
ried St. Nicholas alw ivs placed a
gift in the stocking for her.
Another custo n of interest to
us all is the singing of carols at
Christmas Tiie word c irol is in
all probability derived from the
Latin Cantare and Hm Rola? an
r*xci itnaf of joy. *la tin* < rly
d ivs Pie his , ios followed out r us
practice Glim, uy the wa'., is is
old as Christmas itseh, a.i.i ilg
carols to the ciwgy. In Fra.ice
carols are sung more than in
America; Mnre tlv-y are called
No 1. or Christ songs. An allus
ion is made by M : .i >o in his “Para
dise Lod” to probably the first
Christmas carol.
“His [) ,i ;e ot birth a solemn an
gel tells
To simple shenh erds, keeping
vat :ii by night;
Tn-yr’ad’ thither haste, and
by - tyr.ro
Of sqaiiroi’d angels hear His
carol sung.”
Dining the sixteenth century
the carola bngau to ate on polish
uadi no.v they for n some of the
most oeautiful md sacr - i poetrv
w hive. Li an extract fro n one
otlldieck’s poems we find an
ideal illustration of this kind of
verse, which perhaps more than
any other practice celebrates in v
the true spirit the nativity of
Christ:
‘Tell us, thou clear and heavenly
tongue,
Where is the Babe that lately
sprung?
Lies he th*- lilv-bamcs among?
Or say if mis new Birih of cur’s
Sleeps, laid within some ark of
flowers,
Sprangled with dew light; thou
canst clear
All doubt and manifest the where.
Declare to us bright star if we
sjiall seek
Him in the morning’s blushing
cheek,
Or search the beds of spices
Through To fit d Him out.”
A Convalescent
requires a food tonic that will rapidly
build no wasted tissue
SsssSk
containing Hypophosphites
is a most reliable prescription which we
always recommend for that purpose.
Mein/; HUGH lIHUU < OMJ ANY.
