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EDI'I'ORIAL 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 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