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EDITORIAL PAGE
Garbage and Politics
tt r. at
Both Are Unhealthy and Menaces to Atlanta.
Here are some facts about the quarrel over the garbage disposal plant that
Cverv man and woman in Atlanta should understand:
The crematory which has been in use for several years has been condemned
by the board of health.
An attempt has been made to tear it down, but the destruction of the plant
was held up by a court order.
Contracts for a new plant have been let. and it was the plan of those who
wished to tear down the old one to liaAe work on the new building started imme
diately on the same site.
The new plant is to cost $276,800, without electric appliam-i s. With electric
appliances it will cost $378,000. It will consume 250 tons of garbage a day. Ac
cording to the contract it is to be completed in “310 working days.'”
If the old plant is allowed to remain idle while the new one is being erected
THIS CITY WILL BE REEKING WITH FILTH AXD DISEASE WITHIN A
VERY FEW MONTHS. Garbage will lie dumped in every nook and corner of
the town.
Complaints are already being made, although tin* dumping of garbage has
been going on less than ten days. Residents of North Jackson street and of
Luekie street near Hemphill avenue have declared that tilth has been deposited
near their Immes and that their families are ill as a result.
Experts declare that S3,(X)O will repair the old plant and that the day before!
it was condemned it destroyed l’>(> tons of garbage, although it was originally de
signed to destroy only 100 tons in the same period of lime.
The same crematory concern that has the contract here began to build one in
Paterson. N. J.. January 4, 1912. It agreed to turn the plant over to the city in
“180 working days." That plant is not yet completed, although it is compara
tively small, costing $79,000. and built to consume 60 tons of garbage a day.
Another plant to burn 90 tons a day was started at Clifton. Staten Island,
in July. 1911. It was to be finished in a year. Sixteen months have passed al
ready and it is not in use.
James (I. Woodward, regular nominee for mayor of Atlanta, declares that the
second credit of the concern with the contract is rated at between $35,(X)0 and
$50,000 by R. G. Dun A Co., so that tin 1 claims for financial penalties for tardy
work would be of little avail.
Those are the main facts in the case as it stands. Here are some stern
problems for the future:
If there is no garbage incinerator in operation here for “310
working days,” what will be the situation next summer?
HOW MANY LIVES WILL BE SACRIFICED TO FULFILL
THAI' CONTRACT?
Who will decide how many actual days ‘‘3lo working days” are?
As this paper points out every few days, \tlanta is growing faster than
any city in the South. Garbage from the outskirts of the <‘it.\' has to be hauled
four miles through the streets to the presmt crematory site.
Build a new crematory by all moans, but don’t tear down the old one
until the new one is in operation.
Don't count the old plant a waste just because the <*ity needs another one.
If $3.(M10 is all that is needed t<> save the old plant, every official in Atlanta
should hang his head in shame if he admits that so trifling an amount can not be
raised to safeguard the city ”s health.
The question is resolving itself into a matter of measuring $3,000 against
the lives of women and children.
Repair the old plant to he operated at least until the new one is com
pleted and you will have no garbage in dumps lu hind your house so that your
wives and children will constantly he breathing foul odors and deadly germs.
< ily garbage and city politics arc Atlanta's greatest menace. H's a pity
one incinerator can't effectually destroy both.
The W ilson and Roosevelt
Speaking
Governor Wilson gained fourteen pounds in the three months
’ of his campaign.
Naturally. l'here is no exercise so wholesome Io the stomach 1
and the digestive organs as public speaking or publie singing when I
it is properly done. When a man or a woman learns to use the I
I muscles of the diaphragm in making sound and to use the throat ;
only as a medium of expression, public speaking Ur singing is the ;
best of exercises.
H Governor Wilson speaks easily and naturally from the dia- I
I phragm without strain, and in consequence his voice never failed !
■ hint and his health constantly improved. I
On the other hand, Colonel Roosevelt, intense and eager in '
temperament, used his throat unnecessarily, rather than his dia- ;
1 phragm. and was in frequent trouble with his voice.
The superb health of opera singers is a further illustration.
Girls’ Canning Clubs
I We have always known that girls are clever, and the depart- J
’ ir.ent of agriculture proves it. and here is the proof.
a rew years ago the late Professor Knapp began forming 1
girls' tomato growing clubs in the South. There are now about 1
I 25,000 girls enrolled in twelve states, ami in Oklahoma alone their !
efforts have been worth a million dollars.
The girls were taught canning by experts and the results have {
astonished the government officials. 1 lore is an instance: A farmer i
who had a fine orchard could not sell his fruit to advantage. He >
1 happened to visit one of these canning exhibitions, and invested '
$l5O in a home plant and canned all the fruit on his place at a '
profit of $6,000. i
■
So far the figures from Oklahoma are the only ones available, !
,< but indications are that in Alabama and Mississippi the girls have >
.! done even better.
1 his is the kind of thing that will help to reduce the high cost ,
living.
The Atlanta Georgian
The Correspondent
By PERCY SHAW.
HAVE vou ever stopped to pon- <
Now a war Is raging yonder, I
> In the valleys of the Moslem where ?
the cruel Crescent gleams, ?
i That the correspondent waiting ?
1 With his heart strings palpitating, 2
1 Is the most supremely envied of the ?
heroes of your dreams?
You can wee him. tense, ambitious, >
> Just a trifle surreptitious, >
j Standing on a mighty mountain with J
a glass before his eyes, >
( Taking in the line of battle,
' All unheeding of the rattle S
< Os the shells and bullets dropping S
< like raindrops from the skies, s
> You can view him quickly writing
$ In a eiper code inditing
s The onslaught on a fortress and the y
charge of naked steel; s
■ Vou can watch him prone and <
sighing, s
IVVith a wounded finger trying
To paint a wondrous picture with <
a humanesque appeal.
, Do not let your castles crumble
J When hard-hearted cynics grumble <
IThat they know the correspondents 2
have to trail along behind;
Put it down to Jealous longing
Which Is scheduled as belonging >
> To a certain class of doubters who (
are often short on mind.
I Just combine imagination
With a genius for narration.
And you’ll see that an eyewitness I
needn't be upon the spot;
' Take a chance, it’s worth the try - J
Ing, ?
, And you’ll find there’s no denying ?
J That there’s nothing in the papers ?
that you haven’t more than?
s got.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1912.
Are We a Nation of Snobs?
Copyright, 1912, by International News Service.
pP, ■ LoTg”' hatted
I frWr Alp °*>o PEERAGE.. l ATESTSTYIE
Il USED I3Y r .-r*'
i■ ’ ? I<< w w™ i
i."X? JSjWI
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Gustavus Adolphus By Rev. Thomas B. Gregory
HE death of Gustavus Adoljdt- *i
J us, which took place in the
midst of victory on the field
of Lutzen, two hundred and eighty
years ago, was one of the crown
ing calamities of history—a calam
ity not only to Sweden, but to all
the world.
As regards the renown of its
principal contestants, Lutzen was
easily the star battle of the cen
tury, Gustavus and his opponent,
Wallenstein, being the first cap
tains of Europe.
When the memorable morning of
tlie sixteenth was ushered in. the
battlefield was completely blanket
ed by' a cold, heavy fog. which did
not lift until high noon, at which
hour the sun burst forth in all its
splendor and glory.
It was the Suh of Lutzen! Which
the Swedes welcomed by singing
the famous battle song that had
been composed by Gustavus him
self: "Virzage Nicht au Hautlein ’
Klein” (Fear Not. Little Flock, the
Foe), to the sound of which they’ I
charged down up the enemy.
Long and hot was the struggle,
but finally the valor of the Swedes J
Enterprise in Politics
EMERSON says in one of ills *J
essays—quoting from the .
Persian poet Hafiz—that, "on
the brow of the young man there
sparkles no jewel one-half so gra
cious as Enterprise."
Now, democracy is the spirit of
youth. It has made its difficult
way over the thrones of monarchy,
and monopoly, not by the caution
of age. but by the valor of youth.
Perhaps it is not too much to say
that democracy has never won a
battle by Fabian tactics, never .
gained an inch by the exercise of
that passive and balanced intellec
tualism which is called the "judi
cial temperament."
As a matter of history, democ
racy is in its very nature a revolt
from the rule of cold and passion
less Intellect. It is the protest of
humanity against the scribes and
doctors.
This protest has been justified
in philosophic terms by the pro
foundest of modern thinkers—such
as Kant or Goethe. These have
tried to teach tlie world that tlie
abstract intellect is barren and fu
tile, and that men are truly wise
only when they give up the attempt
to think out away to right living
and determine to commit them- j
selves to the current of experiment I
and adventure —to live and learn.
V and the brilliant tactics of their
leader won tlie day. Wallenstein
was beaten to a finish. At last he
had met, not only his match, but
his master.
But it was a dearly fought vic
tory for tlie Swedes, for in win
ning it they lost the life of their
great commander and king. In the
thick of tlie fight, just as the’ last
line of the Imperialists was being
broken, Gustavus received the
wounds from which he was to die
in the field he had so gloriously
won.
“Lead me to the rear,” said tlie
dying man, “but not through the
lines, lest it should discourage the
men." The words were scarcely
spoken when another volley’ from
the enemy emptied the royal saddle
and the mighty captain was dead.
Although finishing his career at
the early age of thirty-eight. Gus
tavus had already’ won the renown
that can never grow old. In the
* elements of his character and in his
genius as a military man. Gustavus
I may well be called the Epaminon
das of modern times. Like the il
lustrious Theban, he was a pure
.J. and noble man, “without fear and
T Thus democracy is no fool in its •’
j striving and daring, its urgent
pressure for progress, it is on good
terms with the best that has been
thought.
Perhaps Thomas DeQuincy was
not quite right in saying that “the
intellect is the meanest of all hu
man faculties." But lie was a real
democrat in his perception of the
truth, that the intellect should be
the servant, not the master, of the
creative will of man —that the will
must bridle and bestride the intel
lect if it would ride to its heart's
desjre.
The present point of these re
flections is that the Wilson admin
istration can not succeed by the
methods of caution, circumspection
and delay that have brought such
pitiful ruin upon the Taft adminis
tration. Indeed, there is ample
warrant in the character of the
president-elect, as shown in his
past career, to say that he will
not try to succeed by' such methods.
Wilson is a scholar—but not a
pale scholar. In him "the native
hue of resolution" has never been
"slcklied o'er by tlie pale cast of
thought.” He loves action and
events.
In ail of Governor Wilson’s say -
I ings and doings th. re is an accent
of youth and faith—a spirit like
THE HOME PAPER
"?• without reproach,” guileless, hon
orable, kind and true. And like the
victor of Leuctra and Mantinea
again, he was matchless as a dis
ciplinarian, organizer and tactician.
Among the battle winners of the
ages he holds a supreme place. He
created a "new deal” in the game of
war, and may be said with perfect
justice to be the father of modern
warfare.
it was Gustavus who first taught
cavalry tlie most effective way of
charging; he revived and gave new
emphasis to the idea of Epaminon
das—-that of the heavy column
brought suddenly and powerfully to
bear upon some single point of the
enemy’s lihe—and he completely
revolutionized tile artillery arm of
the service. ’
That God “moves in a myste
rious way His wonders to perform"
was demonstrated to perfection
when Gtistavus Adolphus fell at
Lutzen Could lie have lived, let
us say. even bn years longer, lie
would in all likelihood have chang
ed the whole course or’ European
history—and changed it in away
tliat would have been a blessing to
.j. the Whole world for ages to come.
By Charles Ferguson
•b that of Mazzini's “Young Italy" and
“Young Europe," a kinship to tlie
vision and venturesomeness of
Lammenals.
Wilson is keen-eyed and inqui
sitive to discover tlie exact fact.
He has the discretion that belongs
to builders and craftsmen. He says
he knows nothing of agriculture,
but lie lias tlie patient foresight of
farmers.
It is because Mr. Wilson Is an
out-of-doors man iti his habits of
thought, a man conscious of the ir
refragihle laws of chemistry and
physics, that he strikes hard when
he is ready tn strike. He knows
that there is in nature no mercy
for motionless things, no safety for
drifters and derelicts. If one would
sail and lie safe in collisions, one
must sail faster than any other
craft.
it i- to be confidently expected
therefore, that Wilson will pur nd
mere sinker in his cabinet, and no
cork-jacket to float with. He will
surround himself with counsellors
who understand that the secret of
■ uc< ess In m< ie n politics is to
keep in motion that the higher the
momentum the greater tlv security
—and that the invincible standards
of Democracy, which have been
carried hitherto by the drive ami,
go of tie world's youth, can not
get farther by any other means.
Dorothy Dix
Writes on
Man’s Chief
Earthly
Blessing
By DOROTHY DIX
AWESTERN railroad has de
cided to dispense with the
services of all of its em
ployees who have not happy homes.
This is a drastic exemplification
of the truth of the Bible axiom
that to him who hath shall be giv
en, and from him who hath not
shall be taken away even that
which he hath.
Certainly it is tough luck on the
man who has a shrewish and nag
ging wife and a slovenly home to
have his job taken away from him
on account of his misfortunes, and
to be deprived of whatever peace
and comfort he can get out of a
long run that takes him away from
the scene of his misery. Perhaps
the reason that trains are so often
late is because so many conductors
and engineers are not in any hurry
to get back home.
Aside, however, from the surface
cruelty of such an order, there can
be no question of the wisdom of thl
railroad in making it, for happiness
in his home life is an actual tangi
ble asset that adds appreciably to a
man’s efficiency.
Interfere With Business.
And this applies not only to rail
road men, but to men in every
walk and calling of life. Between
the man who goes forth to his labor
from a peaceful, cheerful, well-or
dered home, and the one who goes
forth from a home that is a well
of bitterness, and unrest, and strife,
there is not only the difference be
tween happiness and misery, but
between success and failure.
Nor is the reason for this hard
to find. We all have just a certain
amount of strength anl vitality and
nervous force, and if we consume
this in fighting home conditions we
have not got it to give to our work,
and the work suffers in conse
quence.
At the best, modem life is heart
breakfngly strenuous. Competition
in every line is as fierce as a fight
among ravening wolves. Every man
is forced to work at high pressure,
with every nerve and sinew and
brain cell speeded up to the limit.
The inevitable result is that the
end of the day finds him exhausted
in mind and body, and whether he
goes back to his labor the next dav
with fresh energy and hope and
courage, or exhausted and discour
aged and despairing, depends upon
the kind of a home that he has.
If he goes at night to a home that
is literally a haven of rest; if he is
set down to a good dinner of whole
some and well-prepared food; if ha
is petted and coddled, and made
much of until the very memory of
the rebuffs he has received during
the day are wiped out of his mem
ory; if he can spend a quiet, rest
ful evening over book and pipe, or
with the friends he enjoys; if the
face of his wife across the hearth
stone from him is turned always to
him with a look of love, and of un
derstanding and appreciation; if
there are little children who clam
ber on his knee and whose arms are
about his neck; if, ( n a word, the
whole atmosphere of his home is
one of sunshine, and tenderness,
and sweetness, it works a daily
miracle for him and renews his
strength and ability' every- time he
touches it.
He Hates to Return.
Such a man goes back to Ids
work with a rested body and a clear
»ml. jjj 3 mind is not distracted
from his business by domestic wor
ries and anxieties. He can give the
best that is in him to his labor
without having to force back into ;;
coiner of his mind the recollection
of the last scene at home. More
than that.'in his love for his wife
and children and his desire x
rnake his home even more beauti
ful, he has the strongest possible
incentive to work harder, and do
better work all the time.
Far otherwise is it with the man
who. after his hard day’s labor, re
turns reluctantly home to a place
that is a perpetual battle groum.
He has to summon up his cottrag.-
to put his key in the lock, for w ■;
he knows the complaints, the quar
reling, the hysteria that he must
face, or the untidy room in which
he must sit and the miserable food
on which he must poison himself
His home life exhausts him more
than the most fatiguing labor, and
he goes back to his work with
stomach upset, nerves on edge, ant
a soul surcharged with bitterness.
He is literally unfitted in mind and
body to do good work, or exercise
clear judgment.
If you will notice among your
acquaintances you will observe that
when a man breaks down with
what we call nervous prostration
there is nearly’ alwayg some do
mestic tragedy at the back of it.
For one cause or another, his home
life is miserable. It isn’t work that
shatters health: it’s worry. .\nd as
long as a man lias a happy home
lie can do almost any amount of
labor without collapsing under the
strain. Happiness itself Is a tonic
that is wortli all of the drugs iu
tlie pharmacopeia.