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EDITORIAL PAGE 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. / 00-o - Ji”"'' > W-Z “I ’Jzz wlllCFifltU Aft . « r /■' •.nriir'r 1 .W ' _ Jk£ ;ft t u '''''A'' I W «. 1 • t 4 .■ J" ' - v-'g. 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.