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EDITORIAL PAGE THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN Published Every Afternoon Except Sunday By THE GEORGIAN COMPANY At 20 East Alabama St . Atlanta, Ga. Entered as second-class matter at postoffice at Atlanta, under act of March 3. 1879. “This Comes of Teaching Girls to Read” » » » That Was About the Rest Sign in the Women’s Parade—and There Were Many Good Signs in That Important Demonstration. _ ___ . . ..tst—■ ■ ■ - . Ul - 1 ’ l l *~ M 11-'I 1 -' ' ■■"■■■« I»I-1 If -aea-r <■■■■—mj- .J ' si. 121 Ji Women, old and young, parading tn assert their rights on Saturday last in New York carried banners with interesting in scriptions. A number of these shall be reproduced from time to time in this newspaper tn keep alive the memory of the fine parade, and the courage and determination that animated the women in it Os all signs, the best, in our opinion, was one which, referring to the parade and the mental energy that it represented, said: “This comes of teaching girls to read.” It is a fact that every great development of our day IS THE RESULT OF TEACHING CHILDREN TO READ. And the growth of American wnmen in particular, their in creasing intelligence, individuality and strength nf opinion, are beyond all question “the result of teaching girls to read.” In the old days, girls were taught to read—some of them, at least Rut they were taught also that it was not a good thing to read TOO MUCH. And they were taught that they ought to read the things that were written of a peaceful, quiet, sleepy character. Tn our day. and for some years past, girls have been taught to read intelligently and radically. AND READING INTELLIGENTLY IS PRACTICALLY THE WHOLE OF REAL EDUCATION. The great Frenchman. Jules Jaiires, in his speech addressed to the school teachers of France the best speech ever made to school teachers in any country—told them that the very best thing that thev could do was TO TEACH CHILDREN iO READ IN TELLIGENTLY. He explained to the teachers that the power of reading is as far in value above the small amount of individual information that a mind can absorb as the total intellectual power of the race is a hove the knowledge and the power ot any individual. To teach a child to read is to open a window that allows him to look into all the great minds that have lived upon this earth. Once a man can read, every giant in the past and in the pres ent that has done valuable thinking has thought for that man. Once the hoy or girl is able to read, the mind will never lack food, will not go backward; it will not cease to grow. Teaching children to read means teaching them to think; means enabling them to form opinions for themselves; means giv ing to them the total product of all the good work of all the able minds. And teaching girls to read, not to read stupidly and blindly and by rote as they teach the little boys to read the Koran in the Asiatic religious schools, but teaching them to read with thought and character of their own to such teaching is due the woman’s movement m this country, the highest character of women, the greatest intelligence of the mothers, the better health of children, and the longer life of human beings Teaching girls to ready has given the ‘‘votes for women” movement to the country. And teaching girls to read more and more intelligently, persuading them to read that which is best and later to give to their children the results of their reading, will do more for the human race than ever been done to this day. Teach your girls, above all, to read intelligently, don’t tire them out teaching too many othei things Teach them to read that which is best; teach them to UN DERSTAND what they read, and von will be preparing the right kind of mothers who, in their turn, will give to this earth the right kind of population and the right ind of civilization. Humanitv one dav will point to real civilization and say. “That came of teaching girls to read.” The One-Chance Men (COAL MINE INSPECTORS.) Bv DAMON KINYON. yORTH vomits a fearful rear, and seventv men are In. the hole. /I Whites and blacks and a Jap or two, hut probably never a living soul A Probably not. but there mat be one Is there a man who will go and see? Swinging a safety lamp h‘ comes and. God' What i man of men is he! Overa’led. capped, and a qu'-rulem grin; Bobbing his head as he dives in Shoving th» weeping girls aside 'Don't let them follow me!” Into the dismal pit he goes Bv the light of the lamp 'hat fa’ntiv shows Where the dead Me dead in mournful rows God! What a man of men Is he' Main Norths mouth breathes the breath of hen md it- guts ar-' -otted with afterdamp. But God and the s>ate send a man to =-e, a>-d be i -■ s looking with a safety lamp Death lurks there, but it hides Us face from a man. -a ho passes Poking h’s light !u its very eyes God' Wh i’ i man of n,..„ i e ' Grease and grime *<. the roots nt His hair; Blear-eyed, bleeding is he tests th* air Tests the roof, and tests the walls, and note- where the dead mu -t b- ; Over the falls of treacherous shale; Ears sharp set for a human hail - On he goes down th» Death wind's trail— God! What a man a man ■ in b-' It’s a hundred to one t-hat never a man has ’lv. .1 for a mon- nt after the blast — But the mine inspector’s ' on* chance man and h* follows that hanc« from first to last. The women pray at the mouth of th' ni» v dead file mt so mournful'- _ Down In the depths he tolls for them God' What a man of men Is he' Listens and hopes for a human m . Peels’of the dead as he pa.- .-- them b\ - Feels for the tunk of a human heart -vh f -- ms stretch -ILntly. Follows a hope howeve slim. Maps a path through the • haos grim For the rescue gangs that must follow him— God! What a man a man can be! The Atlanta Georgian WISHES By HAL COFFMAN. i 11 //, \ ’ I v —J I F" ~ x WGi i 1 W,SM 1 II I'’iiii® W'' k '-‘'i" \ h,s A ppeT ' Te 11 | J /A/- — / \CI Miii'iiiliMw'ilHlMWiWMw rh-G / 1 W,,M 1 W~~~ —l - =i I HOD His /'/'/■/ 1 - - \ GROB ’ //''////A 1 _ . fiJSSSRsgN -.UJJXLUI 11'. 111.,;.! 11H 1 »<tl. ■■ ■ ■ 1 1:» DI I'lll :!■■ 1 I ' IKI I i ! ! I WII I ■ z — - -J '' ? ' 1 - “'ntt yfwlwnfiP wpr waw ” *-- |||! -. . y 1 Aw ' . - The Kind of a Trade for a Girl “Womanly Occupations” Far Better Than the Mad Pursuit of a Man’s Job A FEW days ago T wrote an ar ticle In which I urged upon parents the importance of having their daughters taught some kind of a trade or profes sion by which they could earn a living if it ever became necessary for them to do so. Since the ar ticle in question was published I have n-cefved scores of letters from fathers and mothers, and the young women themselves, asking what trade I would suggest as a good one for a girl to study. Naturally, this would depend a great deal upon a young woman’s natural aptitude. Also upon her necessity. There are girls who are born to write, or to act, to paint, or sculpt, or sing or be doctors. These, in this day of women’s op portunity, will find their occupa tion for themselves. There are other girls—poor girls, with a present necessity for earn ing money—who must be clerks, or trained nurses, or stenographers, or something else that will bring them in readv cash. I did not refer to either of these classes of young women when I U’-ged parents to have their daugh ters taught some wav to make a living I spoke specifically of girls belonging to well-to-do fam ilies. who have comfortable homes and good prospects, and no imme diate need of becoming breadwin ners. but who should, none the less, be safeguarded against some future catastrophe that may throw them upon their own resources to sup port themselves. What shall this girl be taught to do that will enable her to provide for herself if she is ever forced to sell her work in the labor market of the world? For myself. I am strongly In fa vor of women pursuing what are called the "womanly occupations." I believe that women never make a bigger mistake financially than when they leave their own pecu !4ar field—the work they have been bred to for centuries, and for which they have what Darwin calls an inherited aptitude—to go off in mad pursuit of some man's job for which they were never built or t rained I know- there have been a few su'. cessful lady longshoremen, car- FRIDAY. MAY 10. 1912. ’ By DOROTHY DIN. penters. boiler makers and steeple jacks, but how much more success ful these women would have been if they had put the same grit, de termination. intelligence and per severance into being cooks or dressmakers. Women have not the excuse for leaving their own bailiwick that It is overcrowded Nowhere else is there such a scarcity of labor as in the lines of work that are pe culiarly woman’s own. Nowhere else is labor, grade for grade, so well paid. Nowhere else In the business world are there better op portunities for making fortunes than are open to the women who cater to their own sex. Therefore, I urge upon girls to make a learned profession of cooking, sewing and millinery if they want to study something that ■will be an ever present help in time of trouble as they go along in every day life, and that will also be a trade by which they can support themselves if the necessity comes upon them. Suppose you learn to be a cook—, not a theoretical rook, with a smattering of how things should be done; not. an amateur hit-or miss cook, one of the kind that can make fudge or chocolate icing; but a highly efficient. ■ blue ribbon cook that is capable of turning out a first-class meal, and who knows as well how to select things in a market as a hotel steward. If you marrj and. have a home of your own. you can use that knowl edge and skill to the advantage of your family every day, and in that way you will keen in continual practice and add to your efficiency. Also, if your husband dies and you are left destitute, you will have a trade by which you can not only make a living, but a fortune if you are sufficiently competent in your work. There is no better occupa tion In the world for a woman to follow than that of a boarding house keeper If she-is an expert in her line. Failure Them Own Fault. Os course, you will shriek out that you know hundreds of board ing house keepers who fail. Yes; and it’s invariably their own fault. I had the misfortune to have to live for nearly twenty years in boarding houses. and in all 'hat time I never struck but one woman who understood her trade and who went about it intelligently and hon estly, and that woman supported a family in luxury and retired with a competence. The one thing that people will pay for is for physical comfort, and no woman who is able to supply her patrons with clean and comfortable rooms, well cooked food and good service ever failed as a boarding house keeper. The women who are sold out by the sheriff are the boarding house keepers who laid on their beds and read novels while servants wasted and stole, of who thought themselves so much above their jobs that they never conde scended to see whether their "pav ing guests" were comfortable or not. Sewing is an equally good trade for a woman to study. There is no better weapon than a needle with which to chase the wolf away from the door. No woman who can execute even a decent job of plain sewing will ever starve. If she can do second-class work, and make a dress that you can wear, other women fight over her, while if she is capable of turning out really good work and of constructing a garment that you don’t have to take back for alteration three times, women prostrate themselves t before her and implore her to charge them what she will for her services, A woman dressmaker In this city recently refused a salary of $30.0(10 a year to give up her own business and become the head of the dress making department of a big de partment store, and every one of us know s a dozen other dressmakers— every dressmaker who was at all competent—who have made for tunes. The moral of all of 'his is 'hat the girl who wants to learn a trade can do no better than, to accom plish herself in cooking and sew ing. the old trades of her sex. She can ply them to advantage in her own home, and she can make a living with them if the occasion arises But—and it is a capital Bl’T -she must learn to be an ex pert cook and housekeeper and dressmaker. The day of the blun dering amateur is over There is room now for only skill and trained intelligence. THE HOME PAPER Our Judiciary 7 By ELBERT HUBBARD. (Jopyright, 1912. by-International News Service. THERE is a popular crv just about now for honesty in advertising. And the one magazine that has most to say ab-G. honesty In pub licity has recently wddely adver tised a series of articles that pur port to be an exposure of corrup tion in our courts of law. From the spreading headlines, the brazen bazoo and the loud bal lyhoo. one was led to expect a startling condition, now for the first time opened up to public gaze. Any one who buys a copy of this magazine expecting to get his money's w orth in way of-exposure will have good grounds for de manding his money back Read Spaulding on Testimony and you will find that the value of a depends upon who the witness is. That is to say. you must get his point of view in order to know whether he sees a wildcat or the trouble is merely a flv on his eyebrow The whole flavor of the article is that of whipped out disappoint ment. Having failed as a lawyer, the author turns state’s evidence, hop ing to retrieve his hazard of lost fortunes. His mental attitude is that of the escaped man. His arti cle is a petition in mental bank ruptcy. The beliaking lawyer is no bet ter than the beliaking business man An employer could just as well make an indictment against, his workmen, giving a list of their faults and foibles, as this lawyer can bring an indictment against the judiciary by combing his memorv and imagination for the lapses of courts. Ex-parte post-mortems on law suits should be left to the fledglings in every big law office—these boys that get around in the morning, and while they are dusting the fur niture, try the cases of the great men who show up at 10 o’clock. • Every village railroad station, grocery and blacksmith shop has this contingent that sits in judg ment on the action of Its betters. Emerson speaks of the inmates of alms houses who sit in the sun and Women’s Clubs No Longer a Joke By ADA PATTERSON. WHOEVER attends a conven tion of women’s clubs may go there to jest, but re mains to wonder and admire The conviction overwhelms him that the woman’s club has ceased to be a joke. It has passed forever out of the stage of fads. Four hundred and eight women, representing "O.nno clubs in the city of New York met recently to jnite their influence for measure for pub lic good. Nobody read a passage from Browning and guessed the riddle of obscurity. Instead, they talked of practical measures to prevent a recurrence of the disas ter off Cape Race Not a word was spoken about fashion, but every one was keenly Interested in what would become of families of pris oners. who in the ordinary course of events would go to the alms house. The women at the meeting helped to devise a system where by prisoners may work overtime and the profits be applied to the support of the prisoner’s families. The convention of the Federation of Women’s Clubs proved that women have grown, and that, as Mrs. John Hays Hammond well phrased it. "Women’s clubs are th“ greatest engines of their advance ment.” The faults of the sex are being fast overcome. We have been charged—and with some reason, too —with being rather nebulous of ideas and lacking decision Yet the women of the convention talk ed as straight to the point as the bullet speeds toward its target and the presiding officer said “No” to the member who was out of order with officer-like precision and. with one possible exception, the soldiers obeyed in the same manner. Women have been inclined to childish sensitiveness and to impa tient intolerance of the opinions of others. But these club-schooled women gave every evidence of sup pression of the ego. They did not seem to consider themselves nor the women who sat on their right or left. Measures were everything; personalities "nothing We have heard that club life takes women away frcai their homes. Yet every measure sug gested that bore upon the home held their keenest interest. A speaker appealed to the “ten derness of their hearts,” but laid stress upon the “soundness of their minds." the direction of their need ed growth. Women have always had. will always have, tender hearts. Trained mental faculties are what they need, and this is what club life is helping them to secure. It was noticeable that they were less touched by appeals to sentiment than by that which is of stronger, deeper root —their sense of justice. Women have been accused of be ing natural snobs Yet in their seats of honor, grouped about the gravely discuss the president's isoi*. icy. This lawyer-author seems to be g has-been or a never-was. If lawyers were debarred from heaven, this man would probably find no trouble in getting in and keeping his seat. His whole line of argument is re vealed in this statement: "There la widespread growing distrust among business men o? our courts which manifests itself 1n a tendency to ar bitrate. compromise and keep out of court at any cost." That wise business men keep out of court when they can is true. But they keep o.ut not -because modern judges are corrupt, btu because litigation is non-productive. It dis turbs and breaks in on one’s peace of mind so that compromise, with a known loss, is very much better than litigation with its uncertain ties. f believe the quality and caliber of our judges are higher today than ever before in history, and any judge, anywhere, will advise busi ness men to settle their own dis putes. The business of a good lawyer now- is to keep his client out of court. > Judges are men, and as such they are liable to mistakes and errors. As we get better business men, we get better lawyers and judges. In deed, it often happens that com monplace men lifted to a judgeship are inspired mentally and spiritual ly and placed on their good beha vior as never before. They are more sober, more discreet, more judicial in all of their actions. The posi tion of a judge makes him supe rior In character to either lawyers or clients. Lawyers may be for sale, but this man is not. The success of a judge does not consist in catering to this party or that, but in interpreting public opinion wisely and well, and In bringing common sense to bear in his decisions. This popular magazine that has ' endeavored to boom circulation by ■ making an attack on our courts all along the line has overshot the mark. brilliant chairman, were women who stood for their own, not their husbands’, achievements Millionaires’ wives sat in the body of the house, but women who work tn shops and factories, with and for the laborers, were on the platform. The chief frivolity of our sex is caprice In clothes. Yet this con vention was no fashion display. Neither was frumpery in the fore ground. The women were well enough dressed, never overdressed, and their habit of individual thought was shown in the fact that most of them apparently had not determined the season A few were in floral May array. Most of them cautiously wore thick, wintry look ing frocks. We have heard that women will vote for the handsomest man Yet an unusually handsome man ad dressed them in apologv for bad Street railway service and was frigidly received. The strongest Impression this bcdv of women made is that they are nearly al! of mature years. Their faces are stamped with ex perience and thoughtfulness. Gray hair balanced brown, if it. did not predominate. Because of this, what they said was worth hearing, and what they are doing is worthy of respectful consideration. In May By PERCY SHAW. UTHEN you’re brother to a feeling ' Most Insidiously stealing Full of subtle lure appealing That whispers, “Come away;’* You can know without digression That it is no strange obsession, But a voice from the procession That sings the charms of May Can’t you see the blue bells swinging’ Can’' vou picture white clouds wing ing? Can’t you hear the sheep bells ringing Where the small lamb childree play? Don’t you long wrth pole and tackle The bewitching hours to shackle To the chirp of thrush and grackle In this tempting month of May? Does yotir work begin in r-orc you’ Do the figures oiur oefore you ;• Do the simplest, problems Poor you As you watch the passing day? Rest in. peace, your mind’s not failing, Nor your strength of body ailing; What you fee! Is just the nantr.a Os the new -born joys of May. Take your chance and run to meet her Sing her praises as you greet her Every sense will be completer As you walk the trodden way. You will hear her song with pleasure, You will revel in each measure. You win share the boundless treasure Os the happy month of May.