Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

EDITORIAL PAGE THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN Published Every Afternoon Except Sunday By THE GEORGIAN COMPANY At 20 East Alabama St., Atlanta, G*. Entered as second-class matter at poetoftice at Atlanta', under act of March 3. 187 S. Subscription Price—Delivered by carrier, 10 cents a week. By mall, 15.00 a year. Payable in advance. Now Let Council Show Its Capability Under the new charter of Atlanta, responsibility for the streets of the city is squarely upon the council. That is as it should be. The people of Atlanta are not supremely concerned with the manner and methods through which satisfactory and serv iceable streets are to be acquired—THEY ARE SUPREMELY CONCERNED WITH THE ACQUISITION OF SATISFAC TORY AND SERVICEABLE STREETS. The superintendent of construction is a mere incident to the progress of Atlanta. So long as the city continues to secure a competent, watchful, honest man for that position the people will inquire very slightly into the length of time he has been a practical engineer. The duty that is pressing, AND FROM WHICH THE PEO PLE MUST NOT SHRINK, is the duty of electing men to the council who will see that the street work of Atlanta not only is constantly kept up. but that it gets results. Results are what the people want —RESULTS ALONE have concerned The Atlanta Georgian in its frank insistence that Atlanta’s streets be made such streets as Atlanta pays for and is entitled to. BIT WHICH ATLANTA TN THE PAST HAS NOT HAD. The people are now charged with the primary and para mount duty of electing a council that, will do the square—THE HONEST AND FAlß—thing by Atlant*. If the people do that, the remainder of the proposition is easy of solution, and the outcome approximately certain. Melancholy and Quick Lunch According to Professor Jnng, one of the country’s best known authorities on gastronomies, the question of when, how and what to eat is one of the most serious problems confronting the nation. “The health and happiness of our men and women,’’ he says, “rest on the abolition of the quick lunch counter; for as a result of improper food, improperly eaten, comes melancholy, and after meJoneholy nearly anything. Bring back the good old home cooking; let a wife’s love for her husband be borne out by her cooking.’’ Says Meredith: “Civilized man can not live without cooks.” Professor Jung recommends that every man learn to cook for himself. The trouble with most of us is that we sit down to a meal as we go to the dentist ’» chair. The hour comes for eating and we eat; the process is regarded as an evil to be ended as quickly as possible. We do not think or care what we are eat ing; we talk incessantly, we swallow without chewing and we get up with an air of a martyr as though we would say, “There, that’s done.” Professor Jung’s recipe for conquering the problem is worth noting: “Assume a pleasant frame of mind before eating; think cheerful and happy thoughts before each mouthful, for, as Pro fessor Pavlow says, the beginning of digestion is a psychic im pulse. “Don’t, talk to© much; forget everything except that you are going to eat and intend to enjoy it.” Then you will emerge smiling—not a prey to indigestion and the blues. Crusade Against the Hobble Throughout the West the hobble skirt has come in for gen eral condemnation. Ministers and club women unite in calling it immodest The Civic League of Chicago voices its protest in the fol lowing resolution sent to the chief of police: “Clean men constantly condemn by word and act men who speak to girls and women or treat, them in such manner as they would not tolerate from any man toward their own sister, sweet heart. wife, or mother. “Men and women alike insist upon a decent standard of dress among girls and women—becoming, charming, but not sug gestive, and insist that no girl or woman who is a true, thought ful lady will dress suggestively.” “Year by year and month by month.” says Miss Balcomb, president of the leasrue. “the garb of women has been growing shorter and tighter.” Bishop Dowling of the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, de clares that the present styles are astounding. He thinks, how ever, that American women do not wear modern clothes to be immodest, but to follow the dictates of fashion. “Women's gowns.” he declares, “grow more immodest every year because they are designed in a country which is frankly immoral.” Tn Omaha the Women’s (Tub will visit all dressmakers to urge them to discourage the making of tight gowns. Merchants will be asked not to sell objectionable dresses, and women who wear clothes which make them objects of marked attention will be requested to put on more modest attire. Women should regard this growing agitation as a compli ment. In no country are they so looked up to by husbands, fathers, brothers arid sweethearts as here. It is unfortunate that they should do anything to forfeit this respect which once lost is hard to regain. Yet the tight skirt is bringing about this very result. Since women pride themselves upon their advance in all the mental as well as physical attributes, why should they recklessly throw away one of their chief charms—modesty'’ It is a question demanding their consideration. The Atlanta Georgian © © A Mystery of the Far East © © % * V ... • ' <’’’ , ’ J I- -■ Hranw V A'—V \i- ’ x -ml ' Ready to Strike. By CAPT. D. H. MAC DONELL. A T Sokoto, in Northern Nigeria, y-y there lives a man named Da- f dali. who is s “snake charm er in the true sense of the word. This man is a naturalist who, it would seem, has the power of catching and handling poison snakes and scorpions without fear of danger. Dadali was well known to the Europeans at Sokoto; but it was believed that the snakes he han dled had ben tamed or drugged. This man got into trouble and was put In jail. After lie had been In prison more than a month, the British Resident went to him and asked if he could catch and handle a. snake If he were taken to any place which the Resident should choose. Dadali agreed to do this, and was taken under guard to a swamp at some little distance from the station, where snakes were to be found. After some search and digging a black cobra was driven out of its hole. Dadali sprang to it. seized it in his hand and brought it to the Resident. It is not possi ble that this man. who had been more than a month in prison, could have arranged to recapture a tame snake in such a place, and without having the knowledge be forehand that lie would be called ujxm to do such a thing. A Wonderful Feat. Some little time afterward Dadali brought a large black cobra, over five feet long, to the compound of the writer. This snake he handled with the utmost freedom, teasing it until the reptile got angry and sat up hissing, spreading out its hood, wliile the native servants kept a most respectful distance. (See photograph.) Dadali then (probably for the benefit of the native servants) dared the white man to pick up the cobra. I called my native sol dier servant and told him to load Woman and the Economic Problem IT Is the fashion with certain writers nowadays to call every woman who does not earn her living outside of the home, "a para site.” This term of reproach Is even be ing applied to the wife and mother who cooks and scrubs and sews and mends and baby tends, and who works eighteen hours out of the 24 at the never-ceasing labor of making a home and rearing a fam ily. To the lay mind it would seem that if anybody on the face of the earth earns her board and keep, and is not a dependent, but a self supporting member of society, it is such a woman. This appears, however, to be an erroneous view of the matter and the poor domestic drudge w-ho works herself to death in her own home Is being denounced in scath ing terms as a parasite, a despic able leech who lives on her hus band, and permits herself to be supported by him. It is a bromide to say that the welfare of humanity rests upon the stability of the home, and that the woman who brings up noble sons and daughters has made the most precious gift possible to the world. It can do nothing but harm to teach this woman that her work is not worth while; that it is without dignity, and that she who Is only wife and mother is a figure of con tempt. The majority of women are only too much of that opinion already. And in that attitude lies the great tragedy of the average woman's life. Her work of making a home, of making a man s happiness and comfort, of rearing children, has neve- been recognized as the great est work to which any human be ing may turn a hand, as the great est career that an\ ambition might /pursue, or even as just a plain trade that was worth paying for. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 4, 1912. The Wonderful Description of a Snake Charmer in Nigeria Who Handles Deadly Reptiles With Freedom The picture * above shows Dadali and a small cobra. Although very small this cobra was no less deadly than the big one shown in the other pictures. his carbine, and said in the na tive tongue: "I am going to pick up that snake, if It bites me, shoot that man," indicating Dadali. The snake charmer was then asked if he still wished the cobra to be touched, upon -which he laughed and said: Handling the Snake. “Pick the snake up—if you do not fear.” T then picked up the cobra, taking hold about the mid dle of its body. The creature kept quite still while it was being lift ed. writhing its head gently in the air, while the snake charmer kept in front of it. It is probable that this man was capable of exerting some kind of mesmeric power over snakes, and possibly something in his sense of touch enabled him to handle them without their wishing to hurt him. I have seen him take four or five poison snakes out of the pocket of his robe, holding the wriggling hand ful as if they had been a bundle of sticks, while the bite of any one of the snakes that he held meant death in something under half an hour. The photographs were taken by myself at a distance of about six feet from the snake, after it had been made angry. In one it will be seen that the cobra has its mouth just open and is in the act of striking. With regard to this, Professor Boulenger writes: "The snake is, no doubt, Naia nigrieollfs, a com mon species in Nigeria, of which 1 have on two occasions received ex amples from Sokoto. It is known as When this snapshot was taken the cobra was hissing, its tongue darting in and out and its hood dis tended. Bv DOROTHY DIX We actually speak of the woman who is engaged in this tremendous labor as being “supported” by her husband. We regard her as a de pendent, and she has no financial status. She draws no wage for her services, and even the government census report refuses to enroll her among those women w’ho are en gaged in "gainful occupations.” No wonder the indiscriminating and those without a sense of hu mor call her a parasite! No won der that she even looks upon her self as one! With their growing freedom in other matters it becomes more and more humiliating to wives to be forced to go to their husbands and ask, like beggars, for every penny they spend. Every woman with her own pocketbook fills the woman with no pocketbook with an envy that turns her thoughts toward the outside world. The wife knows that she labors harder than the business or professional woman, and that her services are better worth paying tor, and she rebels at the injustice that makes her a dependent, sub ject to the whims of her husband. It does not take any prophet to foresee that the job of wife has got to have a pay envelope attached to it hereafter, or else women will fol low the advice of those who tell them to put their children in creches, or some other kind of in stitution designed for incubating human chicks, and that they’ will go away from home and follow some pursuit that will furnish them with at least enough money to preserve their own self-respect. This would be a most unfortunate state of affairs, since the consensus of experience shows that no scien tific care of children can take the place of mothering, and also that women succeed best in the occupa tions that belong to them by reason of tbeii sex the ‘spitting snake' of West Africa, being in the habit of ejecting pois on through Its fangs, often at a considerable distance. In his work on Liberia. Sir Harry Johnston has the following remarks on this much dreaded reptile: “ ‘Naia nigrlcollis is not Infre quently seen in native villages, which it visits on account of the rats and other vermin that form its food. The snakes frequent the iOiiirii IVMWSMMb tar , -ii rr : 'r :/< Iw Getting Angry. thatch more especially, and do not generally interfere with human be ings unless first attacked. Even then, instead of striking with their fangs, they seem to prefer to eject the venom by compression of the muscles of the poison gland, so that . . . this serpent bears tiie nickname of “spitting snake” . . . The natives say that the snake aims at the eyes, and that if the venom enters the eye it causes a very severe inflammation, Hut nothing worse. “ ‘One fact is certain (from my own observation), that these Afri can cobras are very slow to strike with their fangs. I have once or twice trodden on one, and the snake his rapidly withdrawn to a safe distance, and then adopted its at titude of menace.’ Are Unwilling to Bite. "The fact that some cobras are unwilling to bite is corrobated by Mr. H. M. Ridley. Writing on the Malay’ cobra known as Naia sputa trix, he observes that ’When an noyed, the cobra sits up in the well konwn manner and makes a very curious snorting noise, holding its mouth open in the form of a circle and every’ now and then spitting its saliva (read shooting its pois on) at its opponent. It never at tempts to bite, but spits with great accuracy, at a distance of eight feet.’ ” As the man Dadali is a natural ist, he is probably well acquaint ed with the behavior of the Sokoto cobra. Many of the most poisonous snakes, the Indian grait, for in stance, can only be induced to bite by inflicting actual pain on them as when stepped upon, for instance. It is folly to talk of any woman making a real home, and being a real mother in the fullest sense of the term, and following a career, or carrying on a successful business at the same time. No woman has the health or the strength to do both, to say nothing of the impossibility of giving all of one's time, and thoughts, and aspirations, and hopes to two divergent things at the same time. No hired housekeeper, however competent, no trained nurse, how ever skillful, no governess, how ever faithful, can take the place of a wife and mother in the household, 'or give to a home just that brood ing atmosphere of love and tender ness that a home must have to be a success. It takes the one woman in all the world to whom the house is the be-all and the end-all of life to make the real home. This is woman's ancient occupa tion. the one she was ordained to by nature, and in following which she finds not only her greatest happi ness, but her greatest profit, for few women can support themselves as comfortably as they live in their husband's home. But the bread of independence is sweet, and the cakes and ale of de pendence bitter, and henceforth the domestic woman's position in the family must be recognized as that of one of the partners in the firm, not as a hanger-on, who takes what stray coins ate thrown her way, and is expected to be grateful for being supported. In a word, wife and mother is going to strike for her own. She is tired of being called a parasite when she works harder than any body else in the family. But if she ever gives up the cook stove and the cradle for the desk and the typewriter, it will be be cause men have driven her to it. THE HOME PAPER Ella Wheeler Wilcox Writes on The Indifference of Most People To ward Cruelty to Animals Written For The Atlanta Georgian By Ella Wheeler Wilcox Copyright, 1812, by American-Journal-Exam’ner. WILLIAM G. SPRAGUE, of the American Humane as sociation, offered a prise for the best essay on "Humane Education.” It was won by Mrs. Hugo Krause, of Louisville. Ky. Speaking of the Indifference of well born and well educated peo ple toward lesser creatures, Mrs. Krause says: “Here are some of the forms this indifference assumes. The cru elties of commercial greed and av arice/ such as killing the anima! parent and leaving the young to die of starvation and exposure. 'Ten thousand seals die annually of starvation because their moth ers are killed in the breeding sea son.'—David Starr Jordan In Maf ka and Kotik. Depriving the par ent of its young and leaving the parent to be consumed with the agony of grief over Its loss. 'When a mother loses her child her heart gives a cry like the cry of a wild beast; when a wild beast loses Its young it gives a cry like that of a human mother.’—Victor Hugo in ’93.” The horrors of the Western plains during the snow season— so forcibly brought to public at tention by the action of the Amer ican Humane association, In pro curing photographs by a special agent sent out for investigation. Crowding cattle when transport ing them in such a way they can not lie, and keeping them thus 28 hours without rest, food or water. The cruelty of trap and spring pole. when the death of the dumb victim comes after hours, some times days, of suffering from broken limbs, lacerated flesh and the agony of fever and thirst caused by these, not to mention all the terror and fright endured. Woman’s Vanity Causes Much Useless Slaughter. The vanity which leads to all this trapping and hunting, the adorning of the body with the heads, claws, tails and skins of the little furry brothers, the decking forth with the beautiful plumage of the kin of wood and glen. The cruelty of sport when Inno cent and beautiful creatures like deer, moose, wild song bird and fish are sacrificed to the human delight In slaughter and bloodshed. But sacrificed to a still greater degree when wounded and left to die slowly of wounds and starva tion. The cruelties practiced in con nection with the exhibition of trick animals. Lions beaten over the head with clubs till the blood flows from nose and ears; horses, dogs and cats whipped unmercifully in being taught; elephants urged by the jerk of an iron hook inserted in the ear. The neglect, indifference, igno rance and cruelty of which domestic animals are the victims. And the crowd of cruelties per petrated by man. the unmention able secret crimes of the vivisec tor's laboratory. These are the practices, not of the ancient days of bloody sacri fices. nor of the middle ages of dark and secret crimes, but of the open, progressive, moral nine teenth and twentieth centuries. For all this, Mrs. Krause thinks, with every intelligent and kind hearted being, that the remedy lies with the mothers and teachers. She suggests what has been said in this paper many and many a time, that Sunday schools should teach children to love and under stand animals, and tha ministers should preach on this subject from the pulpit, and that classes should be formed to educate mothers how to educate their children. And added to all thia tha.t- Humane education should ba % part of the curriculum of the ular school course. First—Because of Its value tn racial evolution, national pro r -e M and Individual developtnta, M set forth tn the preceding per*, grttpha. j Reasons For Teaching 7 Humanity in Schools. Second—Because this won’* x, the beat means of extending hu mane education to ALL CLASSES of children, Irrespective of class, nationality, stc. Third—Because human Won. when taught pedagogically and correctly, is so closely related and eorelated to tha other count* essential to the curriculum that *t* omission mars the presentation of the former. Nature study, ctvic. are so consisted with humane 0 . ration that to omtt the latter ft to mar the presentation of the f W . mar. Fourth—Because educators em generally advance guards ft, form measures, and am. therefor*, the most easily approached and convinced by argument for Its e»- tabUshment. Untfl humane edweatlwr tv regularly constituted a part of the public school course tn a commu nity, those interested in tta pro motion should classify the etty or community Into districts with the various schools as ntzdai A place of meeting should be selected in each district. Thew places might be a room tn the pub lic library, Y. M. <1 A bufldlag, the school house, a ehureh. private home, hired hail, eta. The children of the school or schools which are the centers of the districts should be tavtted to come to the respective meeting places and the officials of ths schools be urged to co-operate In the work of their district. Each group of children should be under the guide of a volunteer worker in this great eauss. And all the groups should be under the leadership of one general leader in order to promote harmony snd a systematized unification of th» work. After organizing on the same gen eral parliamentary plan through out the several districts, the work • should be carried out by following a prepared outline, also uniform in the main features throughout th* districts. Meantime, here Is an excellent thing for every mother to do who wants her child to grow' Into use ful, constructive and noble ma turity, and to escape destructive, ignoble and unworthy propensi ties. Literature About Birds of Interest to Children. Let her write to the Audubon Society, 1974 Broadway. New York. and ask for literature about bird’ suitable to interest a child, must inclose a. stamped and a dressed envelope, and then ’be must be willing to read this liter ature and to give a little ti daily talking with her children about it. This society is organizing man.' thousands of school children ar... other young people into classe for bird study, and aids in man? other ways educational work 'n nk the lines of bird study. It publishes and distribute* thousands of illustrations of N |ir|l , American birds, accompanied leaflets containing in popuiai a resume of the latest known faet regarding the feeding habit general activities of the br’d: scribed. It will show the mother ■Yijk? I be a factor for helping t . . rrc tO I the world better in genera! come. Be sure to send stamper! ■ n'