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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 art of March 3. 1875 Subscription Price —Delivered by carrier. 10 cents a week. By mall. 15 00 a year. Payable in advance. TheHobbie Skirt Is Not “a Menace to Virtue” r « » But It I? Bad for the Health, and Silly. It Should Have Died Long Ago. A medical journal attracts attention usefully by denouncing “the hobble skirt." The editor thinks that the present styles are “a pitfail and a menace Io the innocent and virtuous female, and as such are intolerable for our daughters, sisters and womankind in general. The hobble skirt is not immoral, or lacking in virtue, because’it is not INTENDED to be immoral Women from sixteen years of age to eighty wear hobble skirts—millions of them—Jind these women are not immoral or lacking in the different kinds of virtue. The hobble skirt is harmful because it does for the legs and the body what superstition ami various forms of ignorance do for the mind. The hobble skirt prevents a freedom and natural gait in walk ing. running and dancing It is responsible largely for ihe present turkey trot " and other ungraceful, stupid and more or less indecent kinds of dances. These dances, which consist in hopping up and down in an ugly way and substituting wriggling and raising of the shoulders for natural, graceful movement, have become popular as a result of the hobble, which will not let the feet move freely. A woman with part of her dress or a rope or a silk sash tied around her ankles is restrained in her movements—interfered with in free walking, which is the most wholesome of exercises--and her health is injured The hobble skirt is part of a half-silly, half-depraved effort to hamper the freedom of women and thus develop an unnatural, mis called beauty. This can be seen in the extreme in the tight shoes of the ('hinese, which compel the poor creatures Io hobble through life; in Ihe dreadful, abnormal condition of lai developed in their daughters by Hottentot mothers, making them so huge in one particular way that they can scarcely walk, or the cruel fattening of other women of desert regions by mothers that stuff them with camel’s milk. A woman thoroughly hobbled, whether it be with the hobbles of fat on her body, with the hobbles of class, prejudice or supersti tion on her mind, or the hobble of the modern skirt around her ankles, is much to be pitied. She is as sad to look upon as was that thoroughly hobbled lady, the Democratic party, during the last few days of the convention, and that is saying a good deal. What women want is freedom -in the truest and highest Sense of that word —freedom of thought, freedom of action, freedom to take part in all great public affairs, freedom from that shameful I condition of inferiority which through the ages has compelled them ■to make of themselves a changing, pitiful plaything for man, who would not give them equality. A Progressive Democracy vs. a Retrogressive Navy Since the Democratic platform has declared for an “adequate navy —sufficient 1o defend American policies. protect our citizens and uphold the honor and dignity of the nation" is there any fur ther reason why the Democratic majority in the house of represen tatives should not cease to play polities and meet the patriotic sen ate amendment tor two battleships ami additional cruisers There is no longer either justification or excuse for Democratic delay in this vital matter The weather vanes of public opinion, as exhibited in political conventions and platforms, turn all one way toward a larger and complete navy. If the Democratic majority is afraid of public opin ion and afraid of losing votes by a sufficient appropriation for the national defense, that fear is now stripped of its terror The Republican convention and the Republican platform point edly condemn the Democratic parsimony in refusing to vote the ad ditional battleships and demands a stronger navy. When Colonel Roosevelt’s third party convention assembles next month we may be sure that one of ils strongest planks will be a ringing declaration for preserving and even advancing the status of the navy. And so the three prongs of the American sentiment, as express ed in the platforms of the three great political parties, prod sharply and insistently the mistaken policy of the Democratic bouse. The time for definite action has come. It is up to the Demo cratic house to say now in action, rather than in platitudes, whether this is to be a progressive rather than a retrogressive Democracy. It is impossible for the party to go before the country as pro gressive when it stands retrogressive in the national defense. The Democratic parly can not possibly assert a forward mission if it takes a backward step in reducing the American navy to a fifth place among the navies of the world The country will laugh at the profession which is belied in action and will resent the un patriotic and un-American policy of the house naval program. The challenge of public political opinion now calls squarely and resolutely upon Mr. Oscar Underwood and other obstructionists W vho have delayed a progressive naval program to meet the demands of their own platform and to vote the battleships whmh an needed for the country 's honor and defense The Atlanta Georgian THE SO-CALLED POOR By HAL COFFMAN. 'I L I ' ! ,!|:.i "■'Ji j'' ll ; 1 II! f j*.!H 1■ ■ I I IP tl ST «. feW A : i ■ ch I'p;' 1 15iteT.iv- =oH -’iff - k Ji • -’Him ; ( i 1 v ’ ,/// ■a-? / '7'// Senator Elihu Root, in a speech delivered recently, was talking of “a diffusion of wealth which should inspire cheerful confidence in the future." and he used these exact words: ' Witness the 9.597.15A separate savings banks' accounts, with $4,212,583,598 deposits in the year 1911, BY THE SO-CALLED POOR.” Those words -“the so-called poor” -came to Mr. Root on the spur of the moment, and they expressed his real thought and feeling. Those who believe that there really ARE some poor people in this country, and that the poor are a leality and not a so-called" fiction, will remember ibis saying. What Would Happen If Husbands Were Frank Absolute Frankness Often Endangers the Happiness of Many Hornes By ADA PAHTERSON. ((TT TUGbI'iNT you like to VV know what he thinks of ,'ou ."' one woman asked another. They had been talking of a Sphinxlike. ami. because si lent. interest-provoking man. If he had talked much. the spell would probably have been broken. ’ No." r< plied the otner. a note of alarm in het voice: "not always.” Yet a little English woman, who recently married the grandson of the po- t Longfellow, tempted the gods of discord by saying that the ideal husband is frank. Rash lit tle woman who reckoned without moods! Mood- arc mental weather. Some times the sun of the spirit shines gloriously, and at such time it is safe to be frank. The sunshine has irradiated and beautified the land scape of faits. Rut there be times w hen the sky it» overcast. Perhaps this mood portends a downfall of rain, a rattling of verbal thunder ami lightning <>r it may only lie a temporary eclipse of the sun of good humor Rut heaven spore u absolute frankness .it these time--' Some Questions That Husbands Do Not Like. Maybe the little bride confused terms. What she wished to say may be, "The ideal husband is truthful.” Certainly no normal woman wants lying answers to those ancient, honorable questions: "Where have you been"" and "Why are you late?" Husbands do not like these questions. They bore them. Hut the .lust husband be lieves the.r are one of the inescapa ble evils of married life, and he gives answer more or less truthful, according to circumstances. The only man 1 know who had the hardihood to dispute hi- wife's tight to ask these questions, dis puted also his mother's, and he has been divorced, as he deserved. Truthfulness max be construed as an accurate answering of ques tions put: frankness as the volun tary forcing of facts upon us. If the bridegroom last week acquired by the hardy spirited bride who has been quoted i- truthful, he will >n. CT wer reluctantly when she «ays. "Do coll think lilt' frock I. becom ing ' ' ,\'«t quite so becoming as FRIDAY. J ELY 12. 1912. the one you wore yesterday, dear." But if he is frank he won’t wait for the question. He will say at breakfast —that trying meal which temperamental persons should eat alone —“What’s the matter with that dress? You are looking worse than I ever saw' you." Difference Between Frank And Truthful Husbands. In ten years she may say: "I lost my fresh color when 1 came to America. I'm dreadfully pale. D in t you think so?" If he is mere ly a truthful husband he will an swer: "You are a little paler, deal. We must take a run down the coast to freshen you up." If he is a frank spouse he will not wait for ques tions. but will announce: “You’re looking horribly faded. You're not nearly as pretty as you were when 1 married you." If the bride is as spirited as a wife I know, she will The Wedding V eil By MINNA IRVING. Grandmother wore it long ago. Mistily flowing down Over the stiff and shining silk Os her lilac w edding gown. over her blushes, swift ami bright. Over her golden curls. Over the blossoms on her breast. Over the sheen of pearls. Robed in billow s of bridal white Under the clouds of lace. .Mother, bi l athing her marriage vow g, Knelt in her girlish grace. Oh. but she was a picture rare. I have heard my father say. Framed in the ivory-tinted veil. Upon her wedding day. Lift it out of the cedar chest. Where it has folded lain: Now its delicate sprays must drape The form of a bride again Look! entangled ami ng the threads. Withered and brown and dead. It keeps a sprig of the orange flowers (ince crowning a fair young head. Dear, sweet woman, who laid it by With tender and loving care. With fragrant rose and lavender leaves For another bride to wear! May al! your virtues descend to m« With the woven lilies pale Os this priceless treasure of antique point. Grandmother’s wedding veil. retort: “Do you suppose you are the handsome man 1 married ?” If he be simply truthful and she asks him if he thinks she has paid too much for a rug he will answer: "Maybe they did overcharge you." The frank man will exclaim: “There is no limit to your extrava gance." The truthful man. when begged to tell her whether she is becoming unbearable, answers: "Your nerves ary a trifle upset, dear; you need rest." The frank man will rush into trouble with the remark: "If I had known what a bad temper you have I wouldn’t have married you.” The truthful husband will an swer the inevitable post-matrimo nial question: "Do you love me as much as you used to do?” with “True love never changes.” The frank man will not mince delicate matters. She will have no illusions when the conversation with him is ended, and he may have no wife. It would be rather painful to know what people think of us at all times, their actual appraisement of us at the moment. Because of their mood, or ours, we might have a lower rating than we would have received yesterday, or than that we will get tomorrow. The lightning flash of anger might show us ourselves in away that we would never forgive the speaker, and would be hard press ed to excuse in ourselves. Moods are mighty, but their reign is bless edly short. Blessed be the man who invented silence! In crises it has saved bloodshed and spared . broken friendships. Critical Situations Saved By Silence. Many a critical situation has been saved by enveloping it in the blessed veil of silence, for thoughts make no sound, and there is always hope that they may change. Mark Twain inscribed on a pho tograph I have seen: “Truth is precious. Let us economize it." Doubtless he had suffered at the hands of some volunteer of un pleasantness who called himself frank. The world lias some ugly, jagged rocks of fact. Life will be more beautiful if we screen their ugli ness by planting flowers of consid eration about them. \Ve can at least refrain from brutality in the name of frankness. THE HOME PAPER The Education of the V oter THE THINKING CITIZEN He Is the One Great Asset of This Republic of Ours By THOMAS TAPPER. i. rpHE great asset of a republic is the Thinking Citizen. You. as a voter, will find that the whole proposition involved in our form of government is as simple as possible. First, we declared our independ ence 11776). Then we made a constitution < 1 787). The Declaration of Independence was out first use of the Initiative. By this declaration we deposed the English king as ruler over the destinies of the colonics. THAT WAS OUR FIRST USE OF THE REV ALL. The constitution begins with the words; "We. the people of the United States. • * * do ordain and. establish this constitution." This was the use of Initiative and Referendum. Thus, these comparatively new words are only recently adopted names for POPULAR PRIVI LEGES that have been in opera tion for nearly a century and a half. The Federal constitution applies to the republic as a whole, exactly as a stale constitution applies to a single state within the republic. The president, senate and house of representatives stand to the re public as a whole, exactly as a gov ernor. senate and bouse (or assem bly ) stand to a state. The State Is Republic In Miniature. The state is, tn fact. th» republic in miniature. In like manner, these three fac tors of government (1) president or governor. (2) senate. (3) repre sentatives, are the people in minia ture. Hence, the more, perfect the ar rangement is by w'hich the people shall say who among themselves shall run the affairs of nation or state, the more truly have we es tablished a popular form of gov ernment. , Any stop that takes the selec tion and' election of the people’s representatives out of the hands of the people themselves is a step away from the true principle of the republic as it was conceived by Jefferson, Washington and their associates. n. The privilege of voting begins at 21. A man may be so fortunate as to live to exercise this privilege for 50 or 60 years. You can w’ell understand that the first vote may be cast in doubt and uncertainty. But the second and third and fourth and after should be the expression of a point of view that is becoming clearer year after year. You. as a voter, have to assist in providing the republic with men to do its work. Or, you may have the Letters From the People OWNERSHIP AT TALLULAH. Editor The Georgian: The Georgia Power Company has had articles printed in the Atlanta papers in which they say that the dam which they are building at Tallulah Falls will back up the wa ters of the river and form an im mense lake, which will be more beautiful than the river as it now is. and that the water will run over the dam on into the channel of the river and that the dam will not dis turb the falls. The power company is trying to sidestep the issue. The question is not whether the darn will destroy the beauty of the falls, but wheth er the legislature of Georgia is go ing to allow the state of Georgia to be dispossessed of fifteen millions of dollars worth of property. If th? power company own the land bordering on the Tallulah river, they have a right, under the law. to stop the flow of the water entirely. If they do not own this land, they have no right to build a dam or any other structure on this land, whether it will mar the beau- I* of the scenery or not. Every lawyer, except corporation counsel, who has examined the rec ords and survey of this land is of the opinion that the land has never been granted, and that it Is still the property of the state of Georgia. The corporation officers should know- that they have no title that will bear being aired in open court. Their counsel should know that the power company does not really own the contested property. Either this or they do not deserve the reputa tion which they bear as being among the best lawyers of the state. The corporation says it is anx ious to have suit brought to de cide definitely and finaiiv their tit!* The Tallulah Falls Conservation ambition to do some of it yotz’-r-? ' What is the question involved" Only this: Who can do this <■ ,ir, in the best possible way. When the roof leaks, you go O uf to find a man who is long on fish : leaks in a roof, or you do it you ■ self if you are able. But no' o'h erwise. Hence, you are called upon m cast one vote for a man to fin □ leaking roof office. Who gets the vote? The man who can do the i~h perfectly and without loss of im c. Having this one vote to cast on the leaking roof ticket, you would no more vote for a grafter thap you would for a thief. Why? Because it is your roof. Well! this is your country. Remember that every public cer must be chosen, so far as < u are concerned, for one quail"- alone. That is his ability to keep whatever roof he has charge of in perfect condition. Hl. This point of view shakes al! !h« dreams and nightmares, al! th» shadows and empty noises out of politics, and places the whole sub ject on the basis of business, pur« and simple. When politics (meaning therebv the efficient administration of am public office) begins to appeal m you as the business of the public, do not fail to remember whose th® republic is. It is yours and your neighbor’s, your fellow workmen’s, the motorman’s and the baker's. Most voters think the' republic consists of Mr. Taft. Mr. Roose velt, Mr. Root, Chauncey M. Depen’ and a few groups of men called t "money Interests.” As a matter of fact, IT CONSISTS OF SEVERAL MILLIONS OF CITIZENS, among whom each of these men counts Mr one, just as you do. But there comes in a differen-. • when you begin to analyze men. That difference may be expressed thus: Some think, and some do not think. The Thinker Rises To the Very Top. The thinker rises to the top. and the rest fall under and hold him up. Now, the 1776 Declaration of In dependence can not make you think, and the Constitution of 1757 can not compel you to think But if you have any interest in running the business of the nation so that your own roof will not leak, you must draw up your own Declaration of Independence and your own Constitution. If you draw these up so that the republic of your mind is prop erly established, you. too, win ri » to the top. and Parking association ha of fered to furnish lawyers to brine this suit and to bear al! the ex penses of this litigation. If th:’ suit is brought, it will not cost t'v state of Georgia one cent. The - 1 ■ poration says that it wants the -ul' brought. The conservation a-s --elation is ready to bring this suit Under these circumstances, it is t'l -of the legislature to giati fv all parties and call on the govern r tn authorize the suit. CHARGES G. REYNOLD- OPPOSES WILD LAND DIGESTS. Editor The Georgian: The wild land tax digests «hou ; d be abolished. There Is no wild !a"'i in Georgia, or should not br ' the land now held assessed and '■<' - ed at a few cents or dollar’ wild land, ought to be assessed and taxed as improved land, and be made to bear its part of taxat on The wqid land digests give 1 to conflicts of title and litigation There are cases where for yea ’ one or more persons have claim" certain tracts as wild land some one else has claimed t same, or a part of the same - improved land. Having two <1 gests and no uniform system designating improved land t l ' conflicts necessarily arise. If the state should designate ery tract of land in Georgia number and require that every - veyance designate that number be legal, even if other descrip! ior s be given, it would make titles mu certain and prevent much litis • lion. It would also be easy to ! termine whether al) the lands returned for taxation, and also easy to equalize their valuation 'he purpose of assessment and 1 ■ twin" LLE”'ELI x’N J BROWN Social Circle,