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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 act of March 3. 1371.
Subscription Price—Delivered by carrier, 10 cents a week. By mall. SB 00 a year.
Payable In advance.
Delayed Weddings and
the Money Question
It seems a strange thing that, with all the varied discus
sion of suffrage and the sex question, none of the enthusiasts
for sex equality has mentioned the money question as it affects
marriage. The Continental theory that marriage is family busi
ness. and that it is the duty of the parents to sfce to the ma
terial welfare of the young couple, finds no echo on this side
of the ocean.
The American idea of marriage is still the pioneer idea.
In the old days, when women were scarce and the question
of organizing a home resolved itself merely into a mating, the
men of this land were glad to win anything that wore a pet
ticoat. But with the present day dense population and the
struggle for existence in keen competition with other men,
this crude form of family life must of necessity give way.
A crying evil of the present day is the delay of marriage
until one or both of the couple reaches middle age. More and
more it is the fashion for a. man to wait until he is thirty-five
or forty before he enters matrimony. That means that a man
is forty or forty-five before his babies come along, and that
When his sons and daughters are passing through childhood he
is too old to be a companion to them. And these delayed mar
riages are nine times out of ten caused by material financial
considerations. It is becoming harder and harder as the years
go on for a young man to earn enough to start and provide
for a family. But if the bride brought with her an income
equal to that earned or possessed by her husband this condi
tion would be changed instantly and more youthful marriages
would take place. In all seriousness, this is a question that the
American father of the future must consider.
Women in Fight For Living
Wage
Do many of us realize that the most of us have to get along
on a very few dollars a week? That the odd pennies we spend
in the course of a week would support some families?
Recently there have been lists published of men in various
cities receiving more than fifty thousand dollars a year in
come. The number of these men are fewer than popularly sup
posed.
Yet any one who has passed the street after street of ex
pensive homes in this city and viewed the hundrds of costly
apartments, is bound to marvel where all the money comes from.
I'nfortunately these same eyes do not see the thousands
who consider themselves lucky to have a cot to .sleep on.
A recent report from certain factories in Kansas City shows
that ''?!• women there are paid between six and seven dollars
a week, and 670 between five and six. Os the total number 69
per cent are paid less than nine dollars a week, and that sum
is set as a living wage in Kansas City.
Twenty per cent of the men receive less than ten dollars
a week, and most of them have families of five or more.
Here is a forcible argument for a deduction in the cost of
living.
Politics Really Begins at
H ome
Amid all the tumult of battle, the blare of trumpets and
the groans of the dying in the present, campaign, let not the cit
izen. our old friend Common People, forget that the vital ques
tion before him is the cost of living. Liars come and go.
Train-end speeches vanish like yesterday’s dew. Campaign
promises are made to be broken by many who are seeking place
and power. But the price of beefsteak, ham and eggs, bread
and butter and coffee and jam remains with us forever. It will
be small comfort two years hence to Mr. Citizen if he elects all
the shining lights of the land and pays 50 per cent more for his
roast beef and socks. It will be no excuse that he acted from
the most patriotic motives. What every man should do is to
study how, by this election now pending, he can bring down
the cost of his table 50 per cent, and the cost of his family's
clothing .>0 per cent. Let Mr. Common People cheer less and
study this question more, and the problem of the high cost of
living will be on the way toward solution.
Army Correspondence
Avaunt. <'hesterfieldian phrase and ancient language of cir
cumlocution! The old order changeth. and no more will the of
ficers <>f our army be obliged to "present their compliments to
t'olonel X" nor sign themselves “We have the honor to be.
yours with great respect.”
General Wood has put his military foot on the George the
Ihird lorms which until recently cumbered official eorrespond
em-> . Hereafter Colonel X will begin his letters with a plain
Ameiican Sir, say what he has to say and sign his name.
When Major A. sitting across the table from Major B.
wish-s to communicate with him. he will not be forced to in
-1 ’* bmr-ptige epistle when a few spoken words would ac-
complish the desired result.
I Hu American business man has the right idea, nothing is
■ imil In verbiage. Directness in writing is as valuable as di
tn speaking. The man who < \presses an idea in the
’ewest words usually expresses it best.
The Atlanta Georgian
The Prowling Mountain Armies of Europe
Secret Training of Troops by the Countries Bordering on the Alps
TROOPS RESTING IN AN ALPINE PASS BEFORE ATTEMPT- A PERILOUS CLIMB UP A MOUN
ING A DANGEROUS DECLIVITY. TAIN SIDE.
' fgjg -'•***
SB ' —
, 1 —QZYP
PASSING THROUGH A NARROW DEFILE IN MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY MOVING ITS GUNS BY
HEAVY MARCHING ORDER. MULE TRAIN.
By GARRETT P. SERVISS.
[F our country were divided, and
the Pacific Slope formed a sep
arate nation, the Rocky Moun
tains and the Sierra; would bristle
with forts; public access to many
parts of the mountains would be
strictly forbidden, and strong mili
tary forces would be continually on
guard in the passes both high and
low. Moreover, these soldiers would
be specially trained for their work.
At least once every year there
would be great, spectacular maneu
vers by the troops in the moun
tains. the secret purpose of which
would be kept from public knowl
edge.
These statements of what would
happen in America if the United
States were not one continuous na
tion. extending from ocean to ocean,
and controlling both slopes of its
mountain chains, are based upon
w’hat actually does happen in west
ern Europe, where the Alps are a
huge barrier, over whose snowy
summits run the dividing lines be
tween four powerful nations,
France, Italy, Germany and Aus
tria. while a fifth. Switzerland, sits
enthroned in their heart.
One Grand Gibraltar.
He W'ho only knows the Alps as
the ordinary tourist knows them,
would never guess that they are
one grand Gibraltar, held by five
separate powers, which may. at any
moment, become active enemies,
and that if he should wander far
from the beaten and permitted
tracks lie would suddenly find him
self a prisoner, on suspicion of
being a spy He will not be likely
to see any of the forts, but he will
see the sentinels, and he will he
wise to keep as far away from
them as possible, unless he wishes
to spend his vacation in efforts to
establish his identity as an inno
cent abroad The Alps are often
called the "playground of Europe."
but It is a playground with very
serious restrictions, as Sir Martin
Conway found out. to his cost,
when, a few years ago. he under
took to tramp over them from one
end to the other
These restrictions are particular
ly in evidence on the lofty line run
ning between France and Italy.
There each party endeavors to
plant a fortification which will look
•down upon that of the other or to
obtain a better command of some
pass through the mountains. Stiong
forces of troops, specially trained
WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 25. 1912.
for such work, are continually at
hand, and many of the officers and
soldiers pass long periods of time
living among the snows and the
precipices, with whose perils and
hardships they are as familiar as
are the famous Swiss guides who
lead ambitious tourists on trips up
high peaks.
Then, 100. as I have said, special
maneuvers are regularly executed
in order still more to familiarize
the men with what they would have
to do in ease war should break out.
Large bodies of troops (as shown
in the accompanying photographs,
which were taken during the latest
evolutions of the French army of
the Alps) are led over the
passes, up through the rocks, the
glaciers and the snow, dragging
their guns and conducting their
mule trains, burdened with arms,
ammunition and provisions.
No mountain is too high or steep,
no pass is too narrow or dangerous
for these soldiers. Some of them,
through daily practice, would prob
ably be able to give lessons in the
art of mountaineering to most of
the amateur or professional climb
ers who every year flock to the per
mitted parts of the Alps to test
their nerve and their wind.
But, great as the hardships of
such a life may seem, they are off
set by equally great advantages.
Mountain life is extremely health
ful. The pure, rare air expands the
lungs; the constant exercise
strengthens the muscles and the
At the Sign of the Clover
By MINNA IRVING.
WHEN my pocket is empty, my heart is sore,
Anti the stubborn world goes wrong.
Then over the stile and up the hill
I follow the thrush’s song
To a quiet nook in the grateful shade
Os an apple-tree gnarled and old.
Where a sea of clover invites the bees
In jackets of brown and gold.
There's a spring near by to slake my thirst.
And grass for a fragrant bed.
And the clover, cool with the morning dew,
for a pillow under my head;
The scented blossoms refresh the soul
Os the weary and sad earth-rover.
And lo! there is never a cent to pay—
Al (he sign of the crimson clover.
frequent perils that have to be en
countered impart, at the same time,
steady control of the nerves and
readiness of resource in moments
of danger. The Alpine soldiers are
among the strongest, heartiest,
healthiest and most intelligent any
where to be seen. Many readers
will recall how Professor John
Tyndall used to fly to the Alps as
soon as his vacation began, to
spend a month in perilous climbs,
because that was the best and
quickest way he knew to get the
fog of London out of his lungs, and,
as he added, out of hts brain.
A Pleasing Feature.
There is a pleasing feature of
this army life in the Alps wjjich is
common to army life everywhere
when actual fighting is not going
on, but which becomes particular
ly striking there, on account of the
strange and grandiose surround
ings. This is the fraternization
which occasionally occurs between
officers and soldiers from the two
side lines. They sometimes invite
one another to a peaceful meeting
around a campfire, over a pot of
soup, or a roast fowl, and talk of
their exciting experiences among
avalanches and crevasses, while
forgetting, for a moment, that one
official* word would make them, on
the instant, deadly enemies. But
notwithstanding such Incidents, the
watcli that is kept along the mili
tary dead lines that traverse the
peaks and glaciers and hidden val
leys of the Alps is as vigilant as in
actual war time.
THE HOME PAPER
WINIFRED BLACK
Writes on
A Bride and Groom
•t < *
The Problems of Married Life and
the Way Some Folks Meet Them
Simply and Happily
Yesterday i saw a. wadding.
Such a simple wedding it was
—no fuss and feathers about
it at all.
The bride wasn't even a beauty,
and the groom looked as if ha
worked for a living—and worked
hard at that.
The bride’s mother was a little
withered old woman in a gray cloak
she must have brought over when
she first came to this great coun
try. and she wore the bonnet that
went with it, too, gray with an
old-fashioned wreath of damask
roses in the underfacing. Dear ma,
how they would laugh at that bon
net and those faded roses on Fifth
avenue!
And the groom's father! What
a giant of a tnan, and what a. fire
burned in his blue eyes, eyes that
had watched the night fall a thou
sand times on the tossing seas, or
there is no such thing as a sailor’s
eye.
And the aunts of both sides of
the family, funny, old-fashioned
women. One of them cried from
the minute she entered the church
till the little group at the altar
faded out into the dusk of the
fall day, cried delicately and in a
most refined, lady-like manner, as
one cries who does It from duty
and a sense of what is done in the
best circles.
And little Hughey and little Ma
ry Ann —I heard their names, but
I should have known them any
way. What a starched frock was
Mary Ann’s, and what a huge tie
of bright blue was Hughey's!
And the baby, too. Oh, yes, one
of the aunts had a baby, as rosy as
a pink rambler, and as blue-eyed as
grandfather. Such a good baby,
too; not a whimper ail during the
long service.
"Hail, Mary, full of Grace," the
beautiful old prayer whispered
through the little chapel, and every
pair of eyes turned to the little
shrine outside in the autumn flood
of yellow sunshine.
"The Lord is with thee,” and the
flickering light caught the tendrils
of a belated vine that clung to the
shrine like a bit of cloud of glory.
"Blessed art thou among women.”
the old sailor prayed, too. He held
his beads in the hollow of his great
hand. How many times had he
said them I wondered when the
tempest shrieked around him.
"Pray, for us sinners now,” the
old mother prayed aloud, her eyes
full of hope and of anguish.
The young bride at the altar
looked like a sweet flower sway
ing on its stem, and the tall lad
beside her could scarcely keep his
countenance for the joy of it all.
Poor folk these, simple folk, igno
rant, too, I suppose. J don’t believe
the girl at the altar ever even heard
of "eugenics,” and she’d blush her
self half to death If some of the
modern teachers should try to tell
her, even in private, the things
they baw) from every lecture desk
these days.
The lad at her side, why, he’d
knock a man down who tried to ex
plain to her what it is they talk
about at the fashionable clubs so
much.
Poor, ignorant things, they
wouldn't know what you meant if
you asked them about the "econo
mic conditions" under which they
were marrying. "Economic condi
tions!” They never even thought
of them. John loved Mary, and
Mary said yes, and that was all
there was to it. They do not ask
Why He Is For Wilson
•nt M
Dean of the Yale Law School (Taft’s Own Univer
sity) Gives His Reasons.
By HENRY WADE ROGERS.
I SHALL vote for Woodrow Wil
son for president for these’rea
sons:
To punish the Republican party as
the representative of the mercenary
interests that have preyed upon the
people for a generation, and to
punish It for the sins of Big Busi
ness in partnership with crooked
politics.
Because the policies of the Re
publican party tend to make the
iich richer and the poor poorer.
Those policies widen the gulf be
tween the rich and poor. The cry
ing need today confronting all civ
ilized states is to nai row the too
wide gulf between those who are
too rich and those who are too
poor. The Republican party in re
cent years, and after accomplish
ing the abolition of slavery ha®
shown a singular indifference' to the
divine injunction to consider the
Poor.
Because Woodrow Wilson pos
sesses the energy, the ability, the
courage, the independence, the re
spect for the constitution and law«
which are so necessary If one U to
till the high office of president" of
the United States.
I believe that his personal quali
ties are such that he will be more
By WINTER ED BLACK.
successful in getting things dor*
than Roosevelt or Taft. Rooseve
certainly was not successful In g* 1 ’
ting his measures through con
gress. He was too mandatory and
belligerent. -He was too abrupt anti
irritating in his way of doing
things.
Mr. Taft has been much mor*
successful than Roosevelt
ing with congress, yet In the most
impotrant of all matters
congress, that of the ,ar .
could not win congress to reVl , f .
the tariff downward accord
his own and his party’s
There is no office in whlrt per
sonality counts for more t*
the presidency, and Woo'lrc '
son has the right personally? • '
concede the charm of Mr. '
personality. He has all tl
McKinley had and mon.
president needs to hav. 111 .
tlon to his charm, great po
and personal tact and
will and determined purp
Mr. Taft is a tine type of.gent -
man, and I believe him , er .
misrepresented and le.ts’
stood man in our publi ' ...
it is not within his po" ■
complish the reforms
necessary to the welt.
American people at this
what your wages are when yen
want to get married in the old
church. I wonder what
Adam got when he told Eve her
eyes were like lakes of blue and her
lips were like a thread of pons
granate.
And sweet, and sweet the r-jg.
thrilled through the little chapel
no specially fine voices, no hired
singers, just plain everyday friends
of the bride and groom, who wen.
proud to be In the choir on their
wedding dayv
The beautiful old.- cwrnony wtu, '
over, the gdrl was a wife, the old
mother had lost her baby daught-r
and the old sailor's blue eyes were
full of dreams.
The sun was setting across the
canyon, some belated cowboy hai-.
loed to his little bunch of home
going cattle. There was laughing
and crying, and joking, and smi ;t J
at the door. The old pn est
had baptized the bride warded
bridegroom, with a twinkle.
Mary had the O'Donnel temX
sometimes,” and the
who was baptized by the old prie£
too, laughed and took his chances
and down the walk of the little
churchyard they went the wedding
party, as happy as the birds
mate in the spring, and my bean
and all that was Jn lt nt
them.
Be a good girl. Mary, be earnest
be clever, be true, be patient, but
above all and beyond all, be loving
for love can forgive all else but the
cardinal sin of unlove.
Be true, John. Oh! be true to ths
girl you ve taken and whose feet
you have set beside yours in the
path you walk so gayly now.
There’s trouble coming, sickness,
suffering, poverty, self-sacrifice.
The little girl there wont always
look as she does today. Her eyes
won't always be so bright her step
will falter sometimes and so will
her temper. She likes her potatoes
baked and you prefer yours boiled.
Oh! there are lots of things for
you to talk about and agree upon.
Be tired, be 111, be a failure, be a
success, be clever, be stupid, but oh,
John, be true, be true, that is all
that matters, all that really counts
—with the likes of Mary or any
true woman.
Mary, Mary, you hold a man’s
heart In the hollow of your little
hand. Don’t let anything make you
forget that. Nothing else matters
or will matter as long as you both
shall live If you only keep on loving
each other and be true.
"For better, for worse"—oh, yes,
there’s worse in It; "for richer, for
poorer,” just think, Mary, John ma’
make as high as twenty-five a
week sbme day. Shall you grow
purse-proud then, little Mary, and
will you turn away the old friend
that comes to you for help?
Don’t do It, Mary—lt doesn’t pay.
It never pays to harden the heart—
never, never. For, whisper, Mary,
I’ll tell you a secret on your wed
ding day.
Keep your heart soft, keep your
heart kind, keep your heart gene
rous, keep your heart young, end
not all the years that will silver
that brown hair of yours can make
you anything but divinely young.
Bless your little heart, Mary, and
joy go with you, John. I'm glad
you never even thought of mar
riage as a "problem.” It Isn’t one
when love stands at the door of
your own little house to bid you
welcome home.
How simple all these problems
we hear so much talk of these days
are when we meet them slmplyl
