Atlanta Georgian. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, November 13, 1912, EXTRA 1, Image 16

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EDITORIAL PAGE THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN Published Every Afternoon Except Sunday By THE GEORGIAN COMPANT At 20 East Alabama St., Atlanta, Ga. Entered as second-class matter at postofltlce at Atlanta, under act of March 8. U7». Subscription Price—Delivered by carrier, 10 cents a week. By mail. $5.00 a year. Payable In advanca The Turks Have Humiliated Women—for That Reason THEY ARE HUMILI ATED », » l» A Mother Can Give to Her Sons Only the Qualities That SHE POSSESSES. And a Degraded Motherhood Like That of Turkey Means a Degraded, Miserable and Beaten Nation. •lust at this time the advocates* of votes for women will find their h. st argument and strongest sermon in the recent defeat of the Turks, the disgraceful flight of the sultan’s army, driven like leaves before I he wind by the hardy fighters of the Balkans. The Turks are a failure as a nation, they fail as fighters, they are degraded and down BECAUSE THEY HAVE DEGRADED THEIR WOMEN AND PULLED THEM DOWN. It was not so in the days of Mohammed, whose religious empire once extended so far and threatened to conquer all Europe. Thirteen hundred years ago. when .Mohammed fled from Mecca and ehangwl from a religious dreamer to a savage fighter, he was guided, advised and to a groat extent bossed by a WOMAN. He changed his doctrines for that woman’s special benefit. He realized tin power, tin- intelligence, THE EQUALITY of one woman, at least, and he lived a::d died a great and successful man. h. ten years from the date of his “hegira” he conquered Mecca. And when he died, in he had started his fanatical cohorts, in cluding the highly intelligent Arabian tribes, on a career of con quest as marvelous as any in history. Persia. Syria. Egypt, North Africa. Spain and for a while the plains of Gaul north of the Pyrenees were in the hands of the Mo hammedans. and all Europe was in danger. As Draper puts it, “The < \ sent, h ing in a vast semi-circle upon the northern .shore of Africa and the curving coast of Asia, with one horn touching the Bosphorus and the other the straits of Gibraltar, seemed about to round to the full and overspread all Europe.” • Great. was the power of those average Mohammedans, driven with all the force of fanaticism AND BORN OF WOMEN THAT THOUGHT AND LIVED WITH THEIR HUSBANDS AS EQUALS equals in the realities of life then, although not in the teachings of a preposterous religion. One hundred years after Mohammed left Mecca to fight against his own tribe, the caliphs, Gibbons tells us, “were the most potent and absolute monarchs of the globe.” Little In little all this power and glory vanished. The wonder ful science, the extraordinary contributions to knowledge of the Arabs ceased and died away under the deadening influence of Mohammedanism, Why did the power of the caliphs melt " Why are the armies of the great Ottoman empire flying like murderous cowards before a handful of poor, disorganized mountaineers? Why is Turkey about to be driven from Europe? BECAUSE THE RELIGION AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE TI'RKS TAUGHT AS PART OF RELIGION AND PART OF GOVERNMENT THE INFERIORITY OF WOMEN. THE SLAV ELY OF WOMEN. THE DEGRADATION OF THE MOTHER. Four r I s the Koran gives for those that desire possession of the four "e: rdinal virtues.” or duties. One of them, which requires almsgiving is well-meaning, but without effect. The other three are foolish. Five times every day ihe believer must pray with his face to ward Mecca. Each ? car he must keep the feast of Ramadan, which lasts a whole mont It. And before he dies he must make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Th 'se hi dish “virtues.” one of which resulted in making Mecca a center lor the distribution of Oriental diseases, might have been survived by the Mohammedans. But. iiu ortunately tor them, more and more they made of the deveadaiii > . d enslavement of women a fifth “cardinal virtue.” The Mohammedan who could keep the greatest number of wi in slavery in his harem was the big man. Ami want is the result ? T s t 1 it should be leaders among the Turks are THE SONS OF SLAVE WOMEN. The wretched, deposed sultan, who movffs about dragging his n isi rable han in with him, is the sou of a slave. And the doddering half-idiot that succeeds him on the throne of Turkey is another son of a slave. Ami the leaders of thought in Turkey—those that hold power— arc also sons of slaves, born of women that live locked up like pris oners. ith brain and body both living in slavery and darkness. A 'iimd gets his qualities FROM HIS MOTHER, and he can get from her only the qualities that she possesses. Turkey is humiliated, degraded, lowest of all the nations in Europe because m Turkey woman is humiliated, degraded, lowest of all the women in Europe. In the Balkans the mountaineers live in the open air, with their wives beside them. The mothers go to and fro free and share in their husbands' councils. There is one wife to each house, and the children of that wife inherit the freedom of thought and the lofty patriotism of the Balkan mother. The Turk is born of a poor creature bought and sold, brought from Cashmere or some other market of women—bought like a dog or a horse. Little wonder that the sons of women thus degraded and op pressed run like frightened dogs before the sons of the free women of the Balkans, the Bulgarians, Servians and the others that so long in that dreary region have held back the Turks and their brutality and protected the civilization of Western France. The best lesson for those that oppose woman suffrage, that prate about the home as woman's only sphere, is the lesson that the free born men of the Balkans are giving to the slave-born men of the Turkish empire. The country in Europe that puts WOMEN lowest is itself lowest in all Europe, most degraded and incomplete. Ami the nation that in the future shall place women highest Mwil) itself be highest, most worthy and most able. W lor the man gets his qualities from the mother, and the mother give only that which she has. The Atlanta Georgian Wonderful Underground Dwellings i HOW MEN LIVED BEFORE THEY LEARNED TO CONSTRUCT FIFTY-STORY BUILDINGS. ' Showing the entrance to a kiva, or underground council chamber; ruins of Tyuonyi, a large communal house at the > Rito De Los Frijoles. : Uj 'g'**■ i u - **• ■£ i * T Ac lA\ 4k! I ? wifi n ' ull *Uh nun 1 1 rv v —— —:z_ o y (By courtesy of (he Scientific American./ Leaving a prehistoric underground Showing the holes which once bore the ends of cedar beams forming bal- Co • , cerenlcr?a^ cave" 1 a? 1 * the 3 J conies; prehistoric cave-dwellings on the Pajorito Rito De Los Frijoles, J Plateau, Northern New Mexico. New Mexico. Wilson’s Election Proves Suffrage Theory By DOROTHY DIX <TTMiE election I.- over, ami as the I shouting and the tumult die, there stand forth three points that are particularly inter esting as they affect women. First and foremost, four more states—Michigan. Kansas, Oregon and Arizona —have joined the hon orable procession that has granted political freedom to its women. Second, although Colonel Roose velt came out in favor of woman suffrage, and the Progressive party was the only one that inserted a woman suffrage plank in its plat form, the Bull Moosers did not car ry a single state in which women were voting. Tills one fact—that women did not stampede in a body to the Pro gressive party—is the best suffrage argument that has ever been ad vanced. It shows that women can keep their heads under the stress of great temptation, and refutes the often expressed fear that they would be fanatics in politics, guid ed solely by their emotions and prejudices. Patriotism Before Profit. And 1 say this without intending any disparagement whatever to the Progressive party, which many women supported just as conscien tiously and intelligently as they did either the Democratic or Republi can party. But in considering the high pa triotism and unselfishness of the women who voted for and worked for the Democratic and Republican parties, which offered them noth ing, instead of the Progressive par ty. which promised them their heart's desire, simply because they believed in the Democratic or Re publican doctrine rather than the Progressive doctrine, think of this: For 60 years and more -longer than the Children of Israel wan dered hopelessly in the wilderness— we women who believe that taxa tion without representation 1.- ty ranny. and that all just government rests upon the consent of the gov erned. have been battering upon the doors of the great political par ties. begging to be let in. if only we might have the humblest suit, be low the suit, at our father’s table And year after year the door lias been barred against us, and we have been turned away with jeers and ridicule. Nobody knows tin toil and blood of our striving, the bitterness of our defeat; of liow, time and again, our hearts have fainted with de spair; of how often, when wi saw our leaders fail uud die by tin wui • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1912. •<• ride, it has seemed that we were 1 lighting for a lost cause. Sixty years and more of baffled effort, and then, one party—the progres sive party—opens the door and leads us in, an honored and in vited guest; one presidential can- f / --wW DOROTHY DIX didate, after having long turned a deaf ear to our entreaties, at last claims, like Saul of Tarsus, to have seen a great light and been con verted. One would have thought that women would have been drunk with tile joy of tills partial victory, and that with one accord they would have rushed, pell mell, to enroll themselves under the Bull Moose standard. To their everlasting hon or this has not happened. Women put their patriotism before their profit, their love of their country before good to the cause that is nearest and dearest to their hearts and tried to do wltat they believed to be ghe best for tin United States. < ven though it mig -,t not have been best tor sutTiag. They knew thut they had nothing to hope for from Mr. Taft, and little to expect from MWilson an,’ yet because tiny believed in th< Dem ocratic or Republican doctrita they ejtiit aioli;-, thus*- liner- 11 een I ever gave a Unci cxutnpk* of . .mt- •R ty and appreciation of the sanctity of the ballot under tempting condi tions to become selfishly partisan, I don’t know of it. The third point of interest to women in the election is that it af fords them a visible illustration of the different political status of women with the ballot and women without the ballot. All Parties Wanted Work. I Heretofore, so far as a presiden tial campaign has been concerned, women have cut just about as much real figure in polities as a snow flake is supposed to cut in the region of perpetual summer. Cam paign orators were content to throw them a few bouquets of compliments, and to say something nice and tlattering about women using their great silent influence in politics. And that ended it. But with the women voting in six states and holding the balance of power, and with women about to vote in many’ other states and keenly interested everywhere in politics, there was no talk about woman's silent influence. All three of the big parties urged women to use their voices in their behalf, and to roll up their sleeves and help with the actual political work. Woman without the ballot was a cipher that no one thought of con sidering. Woman with the ballot is a mighty power that has to be reckoned with and conciliated. The granting of the franchise to wom en in Michigan and Kansas and Arizona-and Oregon is the begin ning of the end of the long light women have made for political free dom. Won Over Prejudice. other states will follow fast, and by the time the next presidential election comes around there will not even be any discussftm of the advisability of inserting a woman’s suffrage plank in the platform, nor will theie bv any presidential ean diate who skulk.- behind the as sertion that he doesn’t know where h- stands in regard to giving wom an tlie ballot The know.edge that millions of women vote. a.id that they hold the balance of power in any closely con tisted election, will be powerfully ilhimiitating to the understanding of p'ditlciau- Women have borne themselves well In tills campaign, and the mor al victory tli.y have wofi over i«>p ular prejudb -by their liigh-tnind od attitude in oolltics is no less u matter of congratulation than that the,. at> lom mote stars tn the i sulltage flag THE HOME PAPER Ella Wheeler Wilcox Writes on Remarriage Only One Woman in Five Hundred Who Is Widowed in Her Prime Is Left With a Memory of Such Ideals of Love That Remarriage Is Impossible. Written For The Atlanta Georgian By Ella Wheeler Wilcox Copyright, 1912, by American-Journal-Examiner TWO women, both widows, were talking of life, mother hood, and their ideals of duty. One woman was something past forty; she had been a wife at twen ty; and her children were growing into the romantic age. She was contemplating a second marriage with a good man. The other wom an was older; past the half-century mark; and her children were all married. She rebuked the 5 ounger woman for her thought of consenting to a second marriage. •“You have a comfortable income,'’ she said, “and your children ought to fill your life so that no such foolish idea as a second marriage could enter your mind. I was a wddow at thirty; and now I am fifty-three; and I am thankful to say I am satisfied to be my chil dren’s mother, and not their step father’s wife.” Time Softens Sorrow. "But,” replied the younger wom an with some spirit. "I do not see that your example is one which would make other women eager to follow it.” “And pray why not?” "Because you are a very lonely woman; your children are married and have homes of their own; they may love you devotedly, and be kind and all that; but the fact re mains, they do not need you to make their lives complete. “They do not need you in their homes, and you must feel yourself . a guest when you visit them; it is in the nature of things. A new in dividuality has come into their lives. The son has his wife, and the daughter her husband; and if they go away on a journey they would find more pleasure to be with each other than with a third party. “Now, I have two young children who will soon be marrying; and I do not propose to make wyself a problem to thetn, nor happiness a problem to myself. "I was a good wife to their fath er and I respect his memory. We were happy when he lived, and I Eliot and the Indians By the REV. THOMAS B. GREGORY. JOHN ELIOT, the “Apostle to the Indians,” preached his first sermon to the red men at a small Indian village near what is now Watertown, Massachusetts, two hundred and sixty-six years ago. Eliot and the aborigines have long been dust, but there is that in the above statement that may well challenge our most reverential at tention. John Eliot was one of the most cultured men of his time. He was . as conspicuous among the men of his day for learning and thorough intellectual equipment as, say, ex- President Eliot, of Harvard, is among the men of the present time. A graduate of Cambridge, Eng land. he came to America tn 1631, at the age of twenty-eight, distin guished for philological scholarship, linguistic talent and a general, all round erudition. It is safe to say that he might have had whatever he wanted in the young commonwealth in the way of office, honor and power. In the church, the best pulpits were open to him, and in the state the highest positions were 'awaiting him. But from these allurements he cheerfully turned away to carry out the self-imposed task of mak ing himself the instrument of the mental and moral uplift of the red men. As proof of Eliot's profound ear nestness of purpose and deep sin cerity in his work, it is only neces sary to i-viall two astounding facts -first, that In- devoted fourteen years to the study of the Algonquin dialect that was spoken by the In dians of Massachusetts Bay. and. si < ond. thut, tuning mastered the task, he aviuuUy trunslutvd the en lr ,r 1 ■O* , '~^ t , * • mourned his death. But time has softened the sorrow of his loss; and a new affection has come into my heart and 1 do not propose to smother it. "It may pain my children for a time, to have me wear another name than that of their father; but they will become accustomed to it, and I trust the new father will win their hearts. They will eventually live their own lives. Enduring Ideals of Love. “I mean to have my own com panionship and my own home life, so that when my children go into their new homes I will not be left desolate.” The younger woman unquestion ably had the better of the argu ment. Once in 500 cases a woman who is widowed in her prime is left with a memory of such happiness and with such Ideals of love that a remarriage would be impossible; it would savor of sacrilege to even entertain the idea. Once in 5,000 cases a man is left a widower with a similar barrier to remarriage. The remaining cases either marry again or would like to marry again A woman in the prime of life, known and respected and loved by all America, has announced her in tention of a second marriags. Best Wishes and Blessings. In her youth she espoused a high official of our country, and she was a faithful wife and a devoted moth er, and graced every position which she occupied, and performed every duty with fine precision. She bore the strong limelight of publicity with dignity and met the difficulties of her position with ad mirable poise. When sickness, sor row’ and death came she entered each ordeal with the same grace and serenity which had kept her sweet and unassuming in her hours of prominence and prosperity. The best wishes and sincere blessings of a whole nation will at tend this woman on her second ■ wedding day. • tire Scriptures into the Indian lan guage. Nothing but Love could have ac- i complished that immense task. j "Lotre never faileth,” we are told | by one of the highest authorities: and that is why Eliot did not break down in his herculean labors. His unselfish love for the Indians car ried him through. Beginning his missionary labors with that first sermon in 1646. Eliot kept them up, without signs of fal tering, for forty-four years. The last piece of work that the good old I man did was to translate an Eng lish book into the Algonquin tongue. Never did a human being more completely devote himself to the good of others. All through his more youthful years, through his splendid prime, and away down into his declining days did he toil for the uplift of the "savages" who. in the opinion of most of the “Chri - tians” of the time, were fit for nothing but to be shot down. Gathering them into villages, he strove with all his might to "reach their scanty intelligence and still scantier moral sense.” Some five thousand of the “children of the forest” were benefited by his minis trations, and if all the other Chris tians of Massachusetts had been of the type of Eliot, history might have a very different tale to tell. Yes, John Eliot passed away, and with him passed his Indians: th' Bible that he left in the Indian lan guage can now be read by hardly a soul on earth; and the very plav where the red men gathered to hear his teachings are forgotten But none tile less true Is it that tit spirit that animated Eliot was tie spirit of tile Good which Ilves fol ■ ever, and which la finally to make all men lotitch other as Eliot loved tile red mi'ii of .Mu-su 1 liu aelts Buy