Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

EDITORIAL PAGE THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN Published Every Afternoon Except Sunday B* THE GEORGIAN COMPANY • At 20 East Alabama St,, Atlanta. Ga. Entered as second-class matter at postoffn-e at Atlanta, under art of March 3. 1879. Who Are the Five Greatest Women in History? r r r Probably the Five Greatest Women Are Not IN History at All—at Least Not in History as Little Men Have Written It. Luckily, the Great Women That We Know Are Numbered in Thousands, and Those Greater Still Are Unknown. Between “ votes-for-vvomen '' parades there is discussion of the question. “Who are the five greatest women in history?" The question is interesting, hut it can not be satisfactorily an swered. You may pick out a thousand great women one after the other, and yet you would not he satisfied to put any one of them among the five greatest. For instance: Catherine of Russia. She was a big woman, in size and in brain. She did one big thing when she overcame the disadvantage of birth and surroundings. She was a camp follower, not better than other women of that low class. She established the Russian Empire probably, and saved Peter the Great, who married her. when she brought about the defeat of the Turks ami the destruction of Charles XII of Sweden. She did it very simply, by giving the Turkish general all her jewelry and all the money she could get and persuading him to go home and consider himself defeated, betray ing Charles XII. She was useful to Russia, a big and an able woman—but she was’NOT among the five greatest women. Then there was the other Catherine of Russia—a German prin cess married to a Russian emperor. She was an able woman. The less said about her private character the better and in that she resembled many great MEN. ’ She gave a good organization to Russia. But she probably would be placed properly among the five worst women rather than among the five best. THE MOTHER OF THE GRACCHI. She was a fine woman, and she bore fine sons—which is about the best thing that any woman CAN do. A woman is a CREATOR of human beings, not a PERFORMER in the human arena Her boys were probably as good, as unselfish, heroic and patriotic as any that ever lived. And if they had lived one or two centuries later they might have saved Rome a great deal of trouble and postponed the downfall of civiliza tion and the overwhelming inrush of barbarians. But the mother of the Gracchi was not among the five greatest women. QUEEN ELIZABETH was a wonderful woman she did a great deal for Engalnd. And England did a great deal more for her. If she had lived in a smaller country she would have been less of a woman. She shines in the light of the greatness that surround ed her. rather than by her own light. But she was great in away great as a diplomat, more than a match for the cunning Spanish and French ambassadors at her court. Ami she knew enough not to get married, not to let some man do badly the work that she was able to do well. But she was NOT among the five greatest. Marie Theresa of Austria was an able fighting citizen. And even against one of the greatest of men, Frederick the Great, she made a noble struggle for the welfare of her successors aiid her na tion—as she understood it. But she was only a determined woman, allowing the men in her service to fight when they suggested fight ing SHE was not among the five greatest. Joan nf Arc a beautiful character. Everything that we know about her is good. But we do not know very MUCH about her. It is perhaps true that history, studying her more accurately, will find in her the “MASCOT?' of the French nation and the French army, rather than the LEADER of that army. Her courageous and beautiful death burned alive by the ehurch at the command of England, because when her woman's fclothes were taken from her she pul on the clothes of a man is one of the greatest tragedies ami crimes in history. She was a girl of faith and courage, inspiring the Frenchmen, no doubt, to tight bravely. Intellectually, however, she was probably not a great Voman. Madame Roland was great in her way. and charmingly weak tn her way also She made a great many Frenchmen change from Btupid conservatism to radicalism. She talked for the revolution which the world needed—radical talk and she complained not at al! when the revolution finally cut off her head. She gave to the world an interesting sentence, on her way to the gullotine, “Lib erty, what crimeshave been committed in thy name!' It is prob able that she would have lived to a peaceful old age. if she had not foolishly fallen in love with a very much younger man. That hurt her judgment. She is NOT among the five greatest. CHARLOTTE CORDAY has been praised for more than a him dred years for stabbing Marat to death in his bath tub The admi ration for this young woman who committed murder is based large ly upon misunderstanding of the character of Marat. Until recently, all those that talked of him. including Carlyle, whose statements concerning him were nearly all false, were too near the French revolution to see anything but the blood. As Burke said, they saw only the feathers, the aristocracy, and forgot the dying bird, which was the French people. After Charlotte Uorday had committed her murder and given up her life for it. she was admired because it was thought that she •had killed an ignorant, bloodthirsty tyrant, whom ( arlyle spoke of as a "horse-leech. " As a matter of fact. Marat "is i great doctor, the first that ever per •’formed the operation for cataract on the human eye. and he was probably the only man that could have carried the French republic upon i firm basis w ith out any intervening Napoleon, ot any of the other slips tnd accidents and breakdown.- of history. \ great and powetful man was murdeud when Marat was killed And Charlotte t'orday at nest was a woman who meant well. Tou might write Ibra good man.' hours mentioning tlv name, of great women, from Zenohia to Mrs. Carrie Chapman <’ntt. You might p'mt the names of hundreds of thousands of able. ecu . ag, mis w town tnd yet not print any one ot the FIVE greatest that hare lived. The five greatest women, of course, ARE THE MOTHERS <'F i’Hl * IV E GREATEST MEN. The five greatest men that have ever lived undoubtedly among those that •the world now knows terr Aristotle Michael \ngelo Newton H• •'tlp'ven and Shakespeare The mothers of those ti\. men weic probably greatest women that have lived on th’- earth. I ’or * ait.it man IS \\ Hv I HIS MOTHER MAKES HIM Vnd the five women that cr< 'ted greatest philosopher, the gteatest scientist, the greatc-t poet, the c c.itt -t musician ■nd the greater art ■ in ■ the world "etc th- «'• tm o-s wom.-v But back of them, m the night of time, in the httnd ,ds of c’tttu'ies be fore history began, when the women of the stone tg' . ttlib .’ting the weeds and developing them into ever' grain that we . it today, when some woman was bringing up the courageous boy that first < o-sed the big lake -■ the river, when women had to subdue the brutality of men, protect th- chil dren. tame the will animals and slow'.' change a savage, wandering, hope .-e race to a fixed and stable nation by cultivating the soil and sticking to tin home —in those old days probably the greatest women of all were born and worked, unknown. The names of she five greatest women are m>t so important. h<> .»<-r. is the PROBLEM OF GIVING WOMEN OPPORTUNITY ANU THI S EN ABLING THE HUMAN RACE TO PRODI ct; FIFTY GRE'i Women IN FUTURE FOR EVERY ONE THAT WE HAVE HAD IN THE PAST And to thi. end the giving of the vote to women tin givmg ..f mt. I • tu<’ interest, the ri'mg of a ehare tn making law- ted in H uip-ii. m-' ■■ - 'na tions will be the fir-I step And the man "ho doe m t help tha' -••» t unworthy -i «.’• m- • n wh gave him whatever power he ma.' po The Atlanta Georgian HE NEVER HAD A CHANCE That Is What Nine Men Out of Ten Who Are Failures Say. Look Out That You Don’t Say It Yourself. By TAD - •' • ’ . ■O- C.C -. o - - , ill- . ■’ %^"'1 /Pc vovA 1 I tMt BALL .1 > <; . i I ssvo-ju ) . BrrwfEcz . i I ! 1 I | '«** FO / / H(5 | V/O I ;" | | I" iI H I I \ fir/ | fiasv ■ I- I! I I gßwva c ** -JM »• L|[ lC***li' J- I ''A ' L. T f z- NO. 2. Yum wns quick to learn anything out side of geography, arithmetic or history. He could do tricks with his hat. imitate a calliope, sing’ popular ditties, and at base hall was the idol of the gang. The school teacher called him a master of the breadless arts. He carried Hals lor Hie city team ami learned to pitch. He could do most any thing the regular pitcher could with Ihc DOROTHY DIX WRITES : of—— The Hard Lot of Stepmothers By DOROTHY DIX | H 'VE rri ently r-”i-e|vr'd t"n let | letters f;om young "omen "ho married "idowers "Till chil dren und "ho arc finding the road of the stepmother a thorny one to travel. f'ne "Oman, delicately ami lux uriously reared, declares that -ii“ 1- forced to be nothing mole not loss titan a slave to her husband’s chil dren. and that the.' receive all of her ministrations without gratitude or appreciation. The other woman says that she has a lot of unruly youngsters to deal with. who are prejudiced against In i’ i" their mother's peo ple. and sir want- to know how to stop the interference of these rela tives. and "bethel siie should pun ish the children het self, or tell their father on them, md let him chas tise them. To these l.tilie-, and ill otlte’ stepmothers, 1 extern! my heartfelt simnalli'. Ami t It- same to the st• t'ehild •n. I ■m!”ut>tcdly the j.~»b of being a stepmother is the haid e-t one on •aith. and the on - with the |e ( ! pat 1.. " Ner it is a |.|.ati. to bt steticliild. Artificial J3ond Is Easily Broken. I’D” bond moth o : and < bild is th’ s’lt ’iF- t and sweetest «•!!? in natnr* . but " this bond u- artitif ially Dn eed thoru i snme thing in it *Hiat .iliiu'st always Mia). - it caU bo’ h llu n- t k 1 - of l '>■ mother and the child b-\ond ‘-n --duramu. There is an instinctixe sniagonism and jual»»u>\ between tlo children and tin- woman who* si.inds in th* ir m<»thvr's place and the woman and IKj child'’ n wlm h'c her husband’s, but not hers No cbDd !b’<*of dopjing with this situation, and tew women i’< big • nough and broad enough t" meet it in iio m opt i wax. To with, all children ar* i> \ ing They ai e noisx. dirty. ui»M>d>. ca'chss. mis< hievous They . m t<> • lilies- lab’" inexhausti- ble nat :eru * and s> mpathv Th» w! - p >rb-. of to i giv f- * hi ! > th” «nothf ' no that* sh” think:* ih* u rip ' and f’"»; 1 ’Up’d liMP brat < mira of beautx and in’”?- WEDNESDAY. MAY 22. 1912. ball, ami the boys were certain that his curves “broke better." On Saturdays and Sundays Yum grab bed a piece of change here and there toss ng them over the platter for the home team. His lift* was wrapped up in the game now and he quit school entirely. What did a ball player want with pen manship and algebra? Nothing. They cmildtt t fool him: he knew. ligeniF. The yells of a squalling infant are not niadd* ning noise to h*i. hut sweetest musiu. But heaxo-n works no "itch mir acle for the stepmother. Instead of seeing In" stepchildren through a rosx mist of mother lo\e she be holds them surrounded by a pea green aura of jealousy. Therriaults are not hidden, but magnified, and it tak*'s almost superhuman strength of cbaiaeter to make h**r deal with them justly and lytndly. And this difficulty is exaggerated if she h is ( hildien of her own and is • ailed upon to hold the scales twcf'n her own infant phenomenon and th" first wife’s ordinal x off spring. Women Heroic Who Weds a Father. Nur ir the stepumtliei p pf» c itjon tendered easier by th" riren'.-- mother's relatives putting their fingers into the pie. The.' m tk' a bad matter worse by con -t.intly b!o"ipg about the slumber ing feud between the two factions. Certainly any "mnttn must be of heroic mold, or else fond of taking foolhardy risks, "ho marries a wid owr ’ " ith children. Rut having done so. she ehouid reflect that the p-isttion she find'-; herself tn is of her own eno,Tine and that she vol untarily took upon herself its ob ligation.-. It U a hard thing to he a gaod mat! -r. It i.- i much rume difficult task tn be a good step mother. Hut it ian be done, as thousands of noble and devoted H "omen have proven "Im have |i taken other women's children to their heart and mothered them so ".-irmly that th. y nevi r knew they " ere motlmrless. There have been many .-t qel step mothers, but there have been many other stepmothers who have been hettm. more intelligent, more lov ing and tenderei mothers to their slepihlldren titan their own moth ers could have been. There are many stepmothers who have c.otnr . like an inspiration into the lives of motherless boys and girls and who have b-en more loved and revered o> then mtn hildren than they v by th- r • n In dealtrig "ith stepchildren there is only one rule to follow, and that is the Golden Rule. Treat them as you "ould have some other "oman treat your children were you dead and another reigned in your stead. When the youngsters are bad. or mischievous, ask y-our self it you could rest in your grave if some other woman was beating your child’s tender little body for an unthoughted prank. When you are tempted to scold a child, or send him supperless to bed. ask yourself if heaven would be heaven to you if you could look down and see your baby’s trembling lips and hurt look, and hear your little child sobbing himself to sleep. As to my correspondent’s ques tion as to whether she should pun ish her little stepchildren, or tell their father on them. 1 should say: Do neither. The only way that any human being can be ruled is by love. To beat and punish children does nothing but make little hypo - rites and sneaks and liars our of them; and. at most, the rule of fear is so short! There is such a little time that a child stands in bodily fear of the whip, or the dark cor ner. o, whatever instrument of tor ture you devise for it. And when that is over, when the child is as strong as you are. if you do not rule it through love, you have absolutely no hold upbn it whatever. It laughs at you and de fies you. but if you have made it your slave through tenderness and love, you tnay rule it to the longest day of your life. Use Diplomacy to Win Childrens' Hearts. So I would advise this young stepmother to forget everything else and go to work to win her stepchildren's hearts by using as much tact and diplomacy and ’ harm as she did in catching their father, and she will find that they will do sot love of her what-they would ne'er do through fear. More over. "ben she makes the children lo'e her she can snap her fingers in the interfering relatives’ faces, and be- husband " ill rise up and call It; ble -ed if shr is. indeed. P ncothei to bis motherless little ones. THE HOME PAPER Ella Wheeler Wilcox Writes on The Crosses We Build in Youth —and— aiF 1 How Our Nobler Selves Are Born W ritten For The Atlanta Georgian By Ella Wheeler Wilcox Copyright, 1912, by American-Journal-Examiner. PAUSING a moment ere the day was done While yet the earth was scin tillant with light. J backward glanced; From valley, plain and height. At intervals, where my. life-path had run. Rose cross on cross; and nailed upon one Was my dead self. And yet that gruesome sight Lent sudden splendor to the fall ing night. Showing the conquests that my soul had won. Up to the rising stars I looked and cried, There is no death! For year on year, re-born I wake to larger life: to joy more great. So many times have 1 been cru cified, So often seen the resurrection morn. I go triumphant, though new Cal varies wait. EVERY man. every woman who has made use of life, and grown in nobility of character with the years, has be°n many times crucified; many times nailed to the cross of his own crea tion; and many times has kno« n the joy of resurrection. We build our crosses in early youth: our crosses of mistakes, ambitions, and false pleasures: of self-centered hopes; or of idle *ness. and love of ease. Then come the relentless .'ears; Alas, the Poor Bachelor! By ADA PATTFSRSON. rpHE world seems to have eon l spired against the peace of mind of bachelors—both kinds. A Boston woman wants them to wear labels. Not taken,” or words to that effect, like the "To let" sign on a vacant house. Another says she is quite w illing to see the rule enforced with both sexes, the word "maid" being bla - zoned in a conspicuous place on the apparel of the woman who is wth out a husband A famous woman declares fhal women who will not wed should be fined; that a bachelor sex-tax should be imposed upon the skirted as well as the, trousered bachelor. And now comes from a pulpit the sweeping statement that ail bach elors. regardless of sex, are useless beings and should be banished to an island, there to get. along as well as they can, but to finish their work out of sight of useful citizens. So Jane Addams. who founded Hull House, and I’lara Laughlin, who has guided the destinies of so many maidens by her tender pen that She is known as "The Girl’s Friend," and Alary Garrett Hay, who is the president of the Federa tion of Women's Clubs in the Em pire StAte. and Miss Mary Dreier, who directs the Women's Trades Unions, and Gertrude Barnum, who is active, and Florence Guernsey, who is arranging the transcontinental excursion of the women s clubs to San Francisco, and Ada Rehan, who never niarried because she was too busy immor talizing’ the characters of Shake speare’s women, and Maude Ad ams. idolized by the young girls of this country . to whom she is an ex ample of the studious life, of the gospel of self-development, of quiet charity,’are useless. And Harrison Fisher, who draws the new beauty in her perfection of health and character, setting a new standard for womanhood; the Wright brothers, who blazed some % Bank Goblins By WILLIAM WALLACE WHITELOCK. ONCE there was a little bank, That got itself in bad, And couldn't pay depositors, Who acted quite like mad. And stormed around its doors and cried: "We want our hard earned pay!" And wouldn’t hear a word of sense. And wouldn’t go away. So ’long there came a great big man And gobbled it like that! And J. P. M ’ll get 'ou Fore y ou know where you are a*. and they tie us to our cross, and nail us upon it: and they leave us there until we die. Until the Self which cared for those things dies; anti a nobler and truer, and wiser, and more spiritual self rolls the stone away from the door of the sepulchre, and comes forth. Vet even this Self comes fortfi only to be again crucified; and again buried, and again resurrect ed to a still higher and fine; Self. Whatever you are suffering to day. whatevf» despair, disappoint ment and anguish may be yours, think of it as a crucifixion of some lesser and baser part of your mul tiple Self, which is to he followed by a resurrection of the REAL Self; the Rea] YOU; strong, and ivise. and brave, and made more useful and universal by this ex perience. And just in proportion to your aiceptanee of tin truth, u hi'h life is endeavoring Io teach you. will be lessening nf your cruci fixions. Once the lesson ir perfectly learned, the teacher does not ask ils continual repetition. When the illumination comes and your old self is dying upon the cross, you "ill lift '-our eyes and say, "It is F inished,"" and then the Spiritual Veu "ill be born; io live evermore in the Light of knowledge and power and love. of the first paths to the skies; George Ade. who lias furnished the lonh fm dispirited li\c- b> making laughter, and James Whitcomb Rj ley, olio has sunk the purnmet to the vprr depths of feeling bv his hotnel} verse; Brand Whitlock, who practices the Golden Rule in the city government of Toledo. Suppose the} were all banished •o a far island in the Atlantic or Pacific Harrison h'irher would cease his sketches of splendid, long-limbed young women and pee vish!} set about crayon drawings of landscapes without allure or promise. The Wright brothers would dabble no longer in aero nautics. and would sullenly try their constructive .1 ill at plows. George Ad*. with no ma ses of hu manity to instore him to jest, would compose dirges for the fu nerals on the i-'and. md James Whitcomb Riley would lose bis in terest in and. write about squirrels. Brand Whitlock, haring no si ope for his organizing powers and no inspiration for his novels, would turn sullen misanthrope. Jane Addame could build no more Hull Houses except for the bach elors. who would probably ungra ciously refuse lo five in them. Miss Laughlin might pen essays on "Suggestions for the Greater Ami ability of Men," which would not be appreciated and certainly not fol lowed. Miss Dreicr, Miss Hay and Miss Guernsey would grow fretful because the} had nothing to do ex cept for themselves, and Ada Re han and Maude Adams would play for each other, and each, unstimu lated by large audiences, would turn acid critic. Bette' not banish them, Mr. Preacher.' The world is not of your opinion of their uselessness. And, deubtless. each of these distin guished individuals and all the less er compart} of bachelors bv chore know better than you, whether thev would make good husbands or wives. Then there was another bank That tried a lot of stunts. Hypothecatin' bonds and things. And some, too, more tjjan once. And when the bank inspectors came They covered up their tracks,. And laughed and went on doin' tricks And laughed and went on doin tri' ks But. oh! that great big man he knew. And watched 'em like a cat— Xnd J P. M.H get >ou Tore you know where you are at>