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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN
Published Even’ Afternoon Except Sunday
' . By THE GEORGIAN COMPANY
At 20 East Alabama St., Atlanta. Ga.
Entered a* second-clasa matter at postoffice at Atlanta, under act of March 3. 1879
Get Out Into the Country
NOW
' M St n
Go, if You Can Stay Only a Few Hours. See Nature Waking and
Rouse Yourself to New Ideas.
Those that wait for hot weather and then leave the- city for a
period, short or long, miss the conntry'f real beauty.
NOW is the time to take yourself, your family, the children
especially, to the place where green things grow and where the
earth is real. «
Some early flowers are out. decorating nature s early work.
Millions of flowers are in bud. And every bud is an education
and an inspiration for the mind of a child.
The trees that were da.rk. hare and dead only a few weeks
Ktnoe are alive and producing the leaves that are the ideas of a tree
Some of the trees are masses of vivid green. Others, higher types,
that develop more slowly, like the oak and the hickory, are just be
ginnmg their spring work, with faint, reddish indications of life
in the branch tips.
Birds, beetles, ra Hints. turtles, frogs—everything that lives in
the green country has a new interest in life. Young calves take
their first look at the sky. their second look at the natural dining
oar so white and inviting beside them, and decide that a very nice
wwld has been prepared to make them happy. Knowledge of the
hideous slaughter house is far away.
The small black mule, just bom, staggers about on the grass,
puta- one long rar forward and the other backward to get some idea
of th* universe unfolding
Little does he and little doos his proud, misguided mother
know that he represents nature's protest against miscegenation,
and that alone among all the happy beings around him he is MOR
TAL. forbidden to perpetuate his funny form
There is education and inspiration in the mother chicken
WBtching the fluffy little ydlow halls How beautiful is her power,
her capacity for excitement and enthusiasm every time she hatches
an egg' What a world this would be if men could go at their work
as the hen goes at the business of setting, and if men could super
vise the work as the hen supervises the chickens hatched out !
This is the time of year to study the sky—the light, thin
clouds and the big, blue spaces, and the heavy gray clouds when
the slow wind carries the rain and fertility across the fields.
The summer is beautiful, and the autumn and the winter, but
the spring, THIS TIME OF YEAR, is the happy time, the time of
hope, inspiration
Go to the countrv when it is very hot if you can. and stay as
long as you can. RUT GO TO THE COUNfRY NOW, IF ONLY
FOR A FEW HOITRS. • .
Trolley cars, short rides on the railroads—many means of
* transportation will get you away from the cobblestones, tha dust
and the bricks to the green fields, and let you study for a mo
ment with your children man’s home, the earth, as it ought to be
and forget the hideous, man-made canny called the city.
Is It Illegal For a Man-
Dead—to Commit
a Crime?
«e m m
It & a Crime for Mr Astor or Any Other to Say That a Young
Woman Shall Remain Single or Forfeit a Great Fortune.
And the Law Should Forbid This Clause in a Will as Against
| Public Policy.
► *
John Jacob Astor did what many man have done when he left,
a large income to his wife and stipulated that she must lose the
income should sha.marry.
Mr Astor, dead, leaves a widow barely twenty years of age
He-gives to this wife only a small fraction of his great fortunb, and
of that small (fraction the income alone is given to her while she
lives She has nothing to give to others when she goes.
And the conditions of the will forbid her to lead her own life
in her own way while her life lasts.
The will says. " An income for you while you live if you spend
the time regretting MT Nothing if you forget me and think of
another '
No especial blame attaches to Mr Astor, who simply did what
others have done He followed in a groove, doing about as his an
restore had done before him z He left some money for cups for a
yacht race and asked his son to do.the same He left the greater
part of the fortune to one boy. paying little attention to the other
children
A will such as that of John .lacob Astor is against public
policy.
It would be well now to test—if it hasn't been done already—
the right of a husband to rule his wife after death, with threats
of poverty
No one need ask how the dead man would have resented con
ditions forbidding him to remarry bad his wife died when he was
barely out of his childhood—or at any other time. He had already
married twice before he died
But his will says to the wife. "Comfort and a good income,
while you spend the time mourning me nothing if you live nor
mally and happily, as you have a right to do ''
A lawyer ought to be able to break this Astor will in the name
of public poliey and public decency, and free this young woman,
and every other young widow from preposterous, humiliating and
immoral control by one dead and gone
The Atlanta Georgian
CITY KIDS
Bv HAL COFFMAN.
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HOW ATLANTA HAS RISEN
FROM THE ASHES OF WAR
(From the Chicago Record-Herald)
-j- F you al! write about Atlanta
I as it is today do not fail to
A speak of another Atlanta,
the city as It was tn 1885."
The suggestion of the old settler
was a good one and I follow it, giv
ing the long-ago Atlanta prece
dence.
The long-ago Atlanta had a pop
ulation of about 15.000, and nearly
all were more or less poverty
stricken There was not money
enough tn the entire city to build
an ordinary’ three-story brick
structure. Nearly’ all the brick
buildings In the business center had
fallen a few months before as the
result of battles and flames, and
the bricks were scattered In shape
less piles tn streets and-alleys All
the wooden structures had disap
peared There were hundreds of
bleaching ash heaps, and in resi
dence districts there were other
heaps of bricks and piles of yellow
ing ashes.
Shade trees had* been broken by
shot and shell or blighted by
flames from tjurnlng homes The
city, from north to south and from
east to west, extended lass than a
mile and a half It was a city’ of
almost penniless people But self
respect. spirit, hope, faith and de
termination had not been shot
away or burned out That explains
why we see the queenly’ city of At
lanta as it is
Give the picture of old Atlanta as
I have painted it as close a survey
as your imagination will permit,
and then compare it with the other
Atlanta
It is true that to a greater ex
tent than was the case with any
other Southern city Northern men
and Northern capital have gone to
Atlanta and have been a decided
factor in its upbuilding, but they
alone would never have made such
a citv as w e see in the Empire state
or the South The foundation for
the new city w as laid by her sorely
stricken pee pl- after they had lost
Their property, their cause, their
business and their homes Let me
partly Illustrate this by referring to
a few w ho had a large share in lay
ing that foundation. Some of these
I met and conversed with during a
r»cent visit
Three young men who had served
throughout the.war in Confederate
regiments were tvpica’ specimens
of the American men of great en-
MONDAY, MAY 13. 1912
terprise and tireless industry who
saw a future for their city. One of
them died after having had great
influence in the upbuilding of his
city, and still wider influence in ef
forts that resulted in giving the na
tion the splendid new; South. That
was Evan P. Howell, whose long
time associate was the Ikte Henry
W. Grady, who gave hie best ef
forts in behalf of Atlanta, the
South and the country from his
young manhood to his untimely
death. Captain Howell, bare
handed. went to work with a will as
soon as he had shed his uniform of
gray and in time found himself one
of the proprietors and editors of
The Atlanta Constitution.
These two men. Captain Howell
and Mr. Grady, a son of a Confed
erate soldier. centered their
thoughts, their hearts and their ef
forts on helping Atlanta. Georgia
and the South. Their work was as
valuable for the nation as the work
of any other two men of their pro
fession North or South. They were
a dynamic force in rebuilding the
city, rehabilitating the South and
strengthening the nation. All At
lanta reveres their memory.
I have space to speak of two oth
ers. T found one of them in a bank,
its president, a leader in citv build
ing as In finances His first task
upon returning to the city after
long service in the war was that
of a carrier of bricks at $1 50 a
day It was enough to keep the
wolf from the door and he was
thankful for it
■ He is worth a million or more
now " said my friend
The other everybody speaks of as
one of Atlapta s best men. He was
a lieutenant in a Tennessee regi
ment. Like the banker and Cap
tain. Howell, he scrimped, saved,
worked and invested every penny
of his spate means in Atlanta real
estate, and has had a large part in
the building of many of the city's
finest structures. His faith, his tire
less industry, his wise investments
and his good citizenship have
placed to his credit several mil
lions of dollars.
These are only a few specimens
of the men who have had a part
in the making of a new Atlanta.
The banker. Samuel M Inman,
spoke of the successful leadership
of former Confederate soldiers in
originating, building up and carry
ing on business enterprises of al!
worthy ' characters during the last
40 years. They have held the front
rank among men of genius, indus
try and usefulness not alone in
commercial life, hut in the profes
sions, statesmanship, in education
and religion." said Mr. Inman.
• • •
Instead of a mile and a half, it
Is now ten miles through the citv.
The population has passed the 175.-
000 mark and is rushing on to 200,-
ono, with a network of street car
lines that accommodate neatly
every portion of the city and sub
urban lines that go to attractive
cities and villages in the vicinity.
The city is as solidly built as any
to be found in the nation, with a
larger proportion of skyscrapers
than any other city of its size in
the world. A dozen strong banks,
whose buildings alone cost $7,000.-
0(10. showed clearings for 1911 of
nearly three-fourths of a" billion.
Atlanta has miles of paved streets,
several colleges and a public school
system tha* is a model, buildings
that compare well with those of any
Northern city of its size, 196 miles
of street railway. 24.000 ipiles of
telephone lines, a school enrollment
of 23.000. 8.000 students in higher
institutions, and 235 churches. The
city is noted for its attendance
upon church. It has a better opera
house than most cities of a half
million, hotels that cost from a mil
lion and a half down, and others
planned to meet the growing de
mand.
The old Atlanta was almost des
titute of manufacturing industries.
The new Atlanta has factories in
which nearly fifty millions of dol
lars have been invested, and wfliose
product for 1912 will reach fully
fifty millions. Twenty thousand
wage workers are given steady and
profitable employment.
This new Atlanta has long been a
leader in the upbuilding and the
transformation of the Gouth In it.
if I mistake not was built the first
large cotton factory in the South.
It followed soon after the cotton
exposition in 1881. The enterprise
of the builders of Atlanta has led
to remarkable development in the
state of Georgia, and the develop
ment there has led to development
thro6ghout neighboring states It
Is hard to picture fully what the
building up of the present magnifi
cent Atlanta, and the word magnifi
cent Is not in any sense misused..
has done for the South. It has been
like a mighty light set upon a high
hili to give hope power, faith and
energy Atlanta has had influence
in building 'up. strengthening and
beautifying scores of cities and vil
lages in Georgia, nflt to mention
cities and villages in neighboring
states. J. A. WATROUS.
Lieutenant Colonel United States
Army. Retired
THE HOME PAPER
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Writes on * . , -*».
The Things Which
Lend Charm
---.tnd---
How They 7 Widen Our
Power of Enjoyment
Written For The Atlanta Georgian
By 7 Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Copyright, 1912. by American-Journal-Examlns».
IF I had my life to live over
again I would have made a rule
to read some poetry and listen
to some music at least once a week,
for perhaps the parts of my brain
now atrophied would thus have
been kept active through use. The
loss of these tastes is a loss of hap
piness, and may possibly be inju
rious to the intellect, and more prob
ably to the moral character, by en
feebling the emotional part of pur
nature.—Darwin, in his Autobiog-
. i
raphy.
THESE words are worthy of
deep respect and careful con
sideration.
Every man and woman who Is
not obliged to spend all of the day
light hours in hard toil for the nec
essities of lif» ought to use some
portion of ep.ch day in acquiring the"
things which lend life grace and
charm.
There was a woman u’ho attained
a high position in the intellectual
world.
She had studied largely and
widely: and she it tf.S know n as an
eminent instructor of the young,
from one end of her native land
to the other. She had been reared
by parents who believed in edu
cation. but who thought music was
a frivolity' and dancing an inven
tion of the devil. In her maturity
this woman once said to a friend,
as they sat watching the dancers
at a college commencement ball:
"1 always feel that I have been
cheated and W'ronged when I see
young people dancing.
"My parents meant well, but
they deprived me of a great ac
complishment. of a great and inno
cent pleasure. And 1 am conscious
of lacking grace and ease in public,
through never having had instruc
tion in dancing."
Music, Dancing, Poetry and
Drama Aid Happiness.
Music, dancing, poetry, the thea
ter. all are aids to happiness: to
the prolongation of youth; to the
beauty and charm of life.
Give your children the opportun
ity to understand and love all these
things.
Take them up yourself, now in
full maturity or middle life, if you
can manage to steal the time from
imperative duties.
Many idle women are bemoaning
the fleeting charms of lost youth
who might be making themselves
ten-fold more attractive and enter
taining than they’ were in their
youth, did they apply themselves to
the study of music, of dancing, of
poetry.
Even one hour a day given to
reading, or practice, will accomplish
miracles at the end of a year’s
time.
And the character fscstrengthen
ed and bettered by the concentra
tion applied to some one purpose
regularly.
The child who is not given the
rudiments of music and dancing,
and who is not taught to care for
poetry, is being robbed, even as the
great scientist Darwin and the
woman of intellect felt they’ were
robbed of something which meant
happiness
Simple Matter To Teach
Child To Love Poetry.
A brilliant actress, tvho was fa
mous for learning her roles quickly
and without effort, said that her
mother began with her at the age
of four to teach her two lines of
verse daily.
At that early period the mind of
a child is like a film of a camera',
exposed to the view, and takes its
impressions instantly’
Each day the two lines of verse
were added, until at the age of ten
the little lady could repeat whole
cantos of verse and acts of drama.
Her education was furthered, her
memory strengthened and taste
cultivated by this method.
One of America’s great .scien
tific men began the musical educa
tion of his baby girl when she was
a day old.
He had certain musical chords
struck in the room where she was
lying every day. so that her ear.
should become accustomed to har
mony.
And as she progressed sweet -airs
were played gently in the room.
Life was never meant for mere
hard work, for mere stern duty, nor
only for the commonplace neces
sary toil which keeps the world'go
ing. A skilled chef garnishes his
meats with sprays of green, and
the flowers of the arts should gar
nish the dish of everyday life.
Emerson, our great philosopher
and scholar. lost the powers of his
mind before he reached three-score
years.
Had he given a portion of every
day, or even a few hours weekly, to
something which took his mind
away’ from the serious things •of
life, had he cultivated art, or an
accomplishment, or allowed himself
to become frivolous as a distrac
tion, there is no doubt he might,
have retained his usefulness much
longer.
* Tn Pompeii there are deep ruts
in one of the narrow streets, made
by the passing of chariots centuries
ago.
The passage was not wide enough
to allow the chariot v. heels .any’
margin, and they hollowed, out the
deep ruts by continually passing
over the same places.
So do thoughts on one subject,
without any' variation, wear ruts
in the brain.
This is an age of specialists.
But while one may specialize on
the principal object of his life,
there remains enough time for him
to-gain ornamental graces of mind,
if he understands their importance
and uses his hours w isely.
Music, art, poetry , dancing, phys
ical culture, fashion nad a bit- of
frivolity now and then (clean and
moral frivolity) should be respected
by the wisest philosopher, the most
profound student and the greatest
of geniuses. And they should be
called in at times to sweeten life,
prolong usefulness and enlarge .the
scope of human enjoyment.
The Truant
By W. W. WHITELOCK.
Mi.MA says the fairies grew weary
Os not having people believe
That fairies exist in this dreary.
Sad world, where so many hearts
grime—
And so their belongings, and fixings,
Their dresses, light, flimsy as air,
In thimblelike cases they packed with
their laces,
And fled away no on* knows where.
Now. ever since then we’ve been .wait
ing
And hoping to see. them return,
Some spring, when the birds are al!
mating.
And violets are under the fem.
But only perhaps a stray fairy’
Has ever come back, now and then,
To cheer with its presence the'child of
poor peasants.
Then quickly has vanished again.
But I have been thinking and thinking
That maybe if every one tried
And wished for a year w-ithout wink
ing.
The fairies, perhaps, might decide
To oome back and live as they’ used to
And help all the children be good—
We ll wish and believe it so hard they’ll
believe it.
And can’t stay a-ray if they wxruld.